-1

Does the sentences mean I still have the computer?

I've bought a computer since last year.

I've bought a computer this year.

I've bought a computer this month.

Mari-Lou A
  • 27,037
  • 13
  • 72
  • 125
Stephen Liu
  • 91
  • 1
  • 7

1 Answers1

1

The OP's sentence “I've bought a computer since last year” is not idiomatic. The Present Perfect and the Present Perfect Continuous are often used with since when it indicates either a specific point in the past at which something happened and did not continue, or a point in the past that signals when an event started.

since (preposition)

in the time after (a specified time or event in the past): from (a point in the past) until the present time

  • I haven't seen him since yesterday.
  • I haven't eaten since breakfast.
  • Since the party, she has not spoken to him at all.
  • We've been waiting for you since 10 o'clock.
  • The company started as a small local business 10 years ago and has grown a lot since then. [=within that time]

Source Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary

I've bought a computer this week/month/year.

This denotes a SINGLE action. The purchase was completed at a certain point in the past. The person is not currently buying that same computer a day, a week or several years later. Moreover, the time expression “this week/month/year” refers to a period of time that is not yet concluded. Consequently, the reader will surmise that the buyer now possesses the product. In fact, the present perfect is used for actions that were completed in the past but have an effect in the present, e.g. She's cut her finger. (Now her finger is bleeding.), We've finished paying off the mortgage (Now we no longer have to pay back the bank.), The government has raised income taxes for the second time (Now workers have less spending money.)

However, when consumers cannot afford to purchase an item, they may decide to pay monthly installments. In which case, the present perfect continuous is often used for actions repeated over a period of time.

I've been paying for my car in installments since last year.

Mari-Lou A
  • 27,037
  • 13
  • 72
  • 125
  • Thank you for the explanation about "since". You said “I've bought a computer since last year” was not idiomatic, but you haven't explained why it was not idiomatic. – Stephen Liu Jun 10 '20 at 11:43
  • It's not idiomatic because it is not something a native speaker would say. It is understandable, and maybe in casual speech it might be possible to hear it being used but it would not be acceptable in formal exams and with the majority of English speaking people. – Mari-Lou A Jun 10 '20 at 12:32
  • Is this sentence idiomatic: I've been to Japan since 2017. – Stephen Liu Jun 10 '20 at 14:23
  • If I want to say I bought a computer at an unspecified point between last year and now, what should I say? – Stephen Liu Jun 10 '20 at 14:31
  • 2
    @StephenLiu I bought* a computer last year. OR I bought a new computer last month* OR I got* a new computer in January/February* etc.. The person who has bought the item knows when it was bought. If more than one computer was bought in a recent period then someone could say "I've bought* two computers since 2017* " that will suggest they will buy another one in the very near future. – Mari-Lou A Jun 10 '20 at 15:40
  • 1
    "Have you travelled anywhere since 2017?" "Since 2017 I have been to Japan and India", "since 2017 I have been to Japan twice or "I went to Japan in 2017". – anouk Jun 10 '20 at 15:57
  • @StephenLiu Of course, I should have thought of it earlier: I've had* this computer since 2017* The focus is on the length of time it has been owned not when it was purchased. – Mari-Lou A Jun 10 '20 at 16:07