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One of my friend is posting his pictures in facebook for over a long period of time.

When I see him tomorrow, can I tell him like " hi friend, how are you? I see your pictures in Facebook.

Joann
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  • BTW, we tell someone {a truth or a lie}. We do not "tell" a greeting. So you would ask, "When I see him tomorrow, can I say to him, 'How are you?' and then tell him that I see his pictures on Facebook?" – TimR Jun 04 '16 at 15:03

2 Answers2

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You can say:

I see your pictures on Facebook.

Not "in."

Since you've been looking at the photos over a long period of time, it might be better to say this:

I've been seeing your pictures on Facebook.

I've been looking at your pictures on Facebook.

I've been seeing means you've been doing it for a period of time, including now and in the past.

Ringo
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  • Why on Facebook, not in facebook? – Joann Jun 03 '16 at 21:22
  • I'm not sure exactly. It's a good question. You read words in a book, not on a book. But if you create a user profile, you put it on LinkedIn. And if you create a new web page, you put it onto your server. You can I did a search in Google, but I think it's more common to say I did a search on Google. I think it comes from the idea that you go to a web page, not into the web page. And once the page has loaded, you are on a web page, not in the web page. Kind of fascinating when you think about it. – Ringo Jun 03 '16 at 21:26
  • What about the verb "fallow"? I fallow your... –  Jun 03 '16 at 21:35
  • It may have something to do with the difference between computer applications and websites. For example, if you're using Microsoft Word, you don't usually say I'm on Word. You say, I'm in Word. Same with video games. You say, I'm in the game, or I'm in world. Websites are so crappy compared to video games and desktop applications. Websites aren't immersive, and psychologically we might be thinking we're on something instead of immersed inside of it. – Ringo Jun 03 '16 at 21:36
  • @Sina "Follow" (not "fallow") already contains the idea of an action happening over time. You can't "follow" for a moment in time, it's something you do over a period of time. So yes, it's perfectly fine to say *I follow your pictures on Facebook." – Ringo Jun 03 '16 at 21:42
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I see your pictures on Facebook.

In this context, the use of present simple indicates a habitual action- something that happens again and again. We normally use it with an adverb indicating how frequently, though it's not essential. Here is an example

I regularly see your pictures on Facebook.

This is appropriate if you are not talking about any specific pictures: if the listener posts a picture, you usually see it. If you are talking about a specific group of pictures, for example those for a holiday or a party, you would use either simple past.

Did you enjoy your holiday? I saw your pictures on Facebook.

or present perfect simple, which implies that seeing the pictures had an effect that lasted to the present.

You don't need to tell me about it: I have seen your pictures on facebook.

JavaLatte
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