A
amby
Banned
chinese
- Jul 30, 2011
- #1
My grammar book says that the present tense forms I hear that ... are often used to introduce pieces of news which one has heard, read or seen on television. And I still wonder if I heard that.. or I have heard that .. can replace I hear that. For example, I want to talk about what I heard about a famour singer who committed suidice yesterday to my friend right now. In such case, what is more common?
I hear that XX killed herself yesterday.
I have heard that XX killed herself yesterday.
I heard that XX killed( or had killed) herself yesterday.
A
Alxmrphi
Senior Member
NW England
UK English
- Jul 30, 2011
- #2
What's more common? Probably the third one I guess.
PaulQ
Senior Member
UK
English - England
- Jul 30, 2011
- #3
If there is a difference, it is very slight:
I hear that XX killed herself yesterday. = introducing the subject almost casually.
I have heard that XX killed herself yesterday. = introducing a new fact when talking about the subject
I heard that XX killed( or had killed) herself yesterday. = introducing the subject with some (real r assumed) shock.
But the difference is so slight and much relies on the tone of voice, that any of the three will do.
A
amby
Banned
chinese
- Jul 30, 2011
- #4
I am still confused about the way you explain the differnces. What is the difference between the first and second one? I mean introducing the subject and introducing a new fact what talking about the subject? What do you mean by a subject here?
PaulQ
Senior Member
UK
English - England
- Jul 30, 2011
- #5
I hear that XX killed herself yesterday. = introducing the subject almost casually.
A: "I saw Tony yesterday... He doesn't change."
B: "No, he doesn't. [pause] I hear that XX killed herself yesterday." (There is also an implication that it is more than a rumour)
I have heard that XX killed herself yesterday. = introducing a new fact when talking about the subject
A: "I can't get the song, "Being with You" by XXX out of my mind, I keep humming it."
B: "I have heard that XX killed herself yesterday." (There is also an implication that it is perhaps a rumour)
But don't bother too much with these differences
P
Parla
Member Emeritus
New York City
English - US
- Jul 30, 2011
- #6
In the US, "I hear that X killed herself yesterday" would be the most common phrasing.
If you're saying this immediately after you learned this, you might say, "I just heard that..."
I
Ivan_I
Banned
Russian
- Jun 27, 2019
- #7
I've heard VERSUS I heard.
Does I've heard mean that what I've heard is new/fresh info for me?
Does I heard mean that what I heard took place some time in the past and I have known it for a while or for a long time already?
DonnyB
Moderator Emeritus
Coventry, UK
English UK Southern Standard English
- Jun 27, 2019
- #8
Ivan_I said:
I've heard VERSUS I heard.
Does I've heard mean that what I've heard is new/fresh info for me?
Does I heard mean that what I heard took place some time in the past and I have known it for a while or for a long time already?
In very general terms I would regard that as a reasonable distinction to make (at least as far as BE is concerned).
zaffy
Senior Member
Polish
- Jul 14, 2019
- #9
And does either fit here?
A: How is Ashley?
B: I hear that she is pregnant. = I've heard she is pregnant.
A: Wow, I need to call her and say how glad I am.
Tony_M
Banned
Ukrainian
- Nov 27, 2024
- #10
zaffy said:
And does either fit here?
A: How is Ashley?
B: I hear that she is pregnant. = I've heard she is pregnant.
A: Wow, I need to call her and say how glad I am.
Could someone please answer this one? I'm also interested.
Wordy McWordface
Senior Member
SSBE (Standard Southern British English)
- Nov 27, 2024
- #11
Either would fit.
U
User With No Name
Senior Member
no longer on the forum
English
- Nov 27, 2024
- #12
Wordy McWordface said:
Either would fit.
Yes, leaving aside the cultural issue about the wisdom of calling a woman acquaintance and saying, "So, word is that you're pregnant. Congratulations."
A
abluter
Senior Member
British English
- Dec 9, 2024
- #13
The perfect tense, "I have heard", "I have finished", "I have written" is used for actions that have definitely been completed some time in the past. Other past tenses don't carry that sense of completion, especially the imperfect "I was hearing", "I was writing" etc.
The simple past is neutral in this respect: "I heard", "I finished", "I wrote". Of course, "I finished ", because of the meaning of that verb, implies completion even in the simple past.
se16teddy
Senior Member
London but from Yorkshire
English - England
- Dec 9, 2024
- #14
zaffy said:
A: How is Ashley?
B: I hear that she is pregnant.
"Hear" is an example of the use of the simple present tense to comment or commentate on words and action
- Shakespeare writes that...
- I hear that ...
Not everyone uses the simple present tense this way; the semantic and stylistic functions of this form are difficult to pin down - as far as I know, this is an area where grammar books fear to tread!
There is a risk that B might be understood to be intentionally jumping into another linguistic register to sound supercilious.
Last edited:
Tony_M
Banned
Ukrainian
- Dec 9, 2024
- #15
se16teddy said:
"Hear" is an example of the use of the simple present tense to comment or commentate on words and action
- Shakespeare writes that...
- I hear that ...Not everyone uses the simple present tense this way; the semantic and stylistic functions of this form are difficult to pin down - as far as I know, this is an area where grammar books fear to tread!
There is a risk that B might be understood to be intentionally jumping into another linguistic register to sound supercilious.
Thank you, @se16teddy.
Would you use the perfect?
se16teddy
Senior Member
London but from Yorkshire
English - England
- Dec 16, 2024
- #16
I doubt I would use “hear” at all. X said that she is pregnant.
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