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I know ‘since’ usually pairs well with present perfect, but I’m not sure about past simple. Is it possible to use ‘since’ with past simple? For example, ‘I got used to the idea (ever) since you suggested it to me’. The reason I don’t want to use present perfect here is because I don’t necessarily want to indicate a process nor a present result or connection.
Thank you!

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  • Your example doesn't seem idiomatic to me. 'Getting used to' something is a process; I would say I have been getting used to the idea ever since you suggested it or I accepted the idea as soon as you suggested it.
    – Kate Bunting
    Mar 6 at 10:10

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A lot of people ask, "Why do we even have a present perfect?"

Consider the following sentences:

  1. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has composed symphonies since the age of eight.
  2. He has been a fan of Leonardo da Vinci's Annunciation ever since he saw it for the first time.

You can see that the present perfect is well suited to constructions that use "since" or "ever since".

The word "since" — and the phrase "ever since" — both create an interval of time that starts at some point in the past and continues up to the present.

This is why the present perfect is ideal for these constructions.

So we have the following sentence pattern: present perfect + (ever) since.

You can use the simple past after the word "since". (For example, the phrase "ever since he saw it for the first time" employs the simple past after the word since.)

But it might be considered illogical, or ungrammatical, to use the simple past in place of the present perfect, before the word "since", because the past tense conflicts with the notion of "up to the present", which is implied by the word "since". [1]

To summarize, we often see the simple past used after the word "since". But it is rare to see the simple past in place of the present perfect, before the word "since".

The pattern present perfect + (ever) since + simple past is common.

But the pattern simple past + (ever) since is less common.

Footnotes:

[1] Using the past tense before the word "since" in a sentence can sometimes contradict the meaning of "since". The word "since" means from some point in the past up to the present.

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