I keep on not understanding her

Question

hello everyone. could you tell me if this sentence is gramatically correct? " I go on not understanding her" I want to say that I didn't understand her, her actions, her thoughts in the past and I don't understand her now.

no te apetece venir alguna vez a un chat en voz? - 00494d19, Feb 22, 2011

Answer 1

By the way, in Spanish for learners:_

Sigo sin entenderla.

thanks and gracias to everybody! - xentuk, Feb 22, 2011

Answer 2

Or: I have never understood her.

This implies that you did not understand her and now you still don't.

Perfect! - Sabor, Feb 22, 2011

Answer 3

Hmmm, I would say:

I still don't understand her.

Good question, not a native, wait for one

Answer 4

The typical phrase for American males is: Women!?!!????! (you have to include the eye movement.)

This post has been flagged for being chauvinistic and politically incorrect!!!!! ;P - bomberapolaca, Feb 22, 2011

Women say the equally incorrect version :red: . . . or maybe it's just my wife :o - lorenzo9, Feb 22, 2011

Answer 5

I'm an educated native English (American) speaker, and I think the most accurate way to say "I go on not understanding her" is to say "I continue to not understand her." However that has a somewhat formal, even awkward, feel to it and probably would not be used in everyday speech.

If you want to make it clear that you never did understand her, and you still don't, that's exactly what you would say: "I never did understand her, and I still don't."

There is also a saying: "I'll never understand (her or something else)" which implies that you never did, you still don't, and you never will.

For example, "I'll never understand my sister."

Oh yes!! I have been thinking about the future tense here too, not being a native though. - bomberapolaca, Feb 22, 2011

Answer 6

Now that's a paradox. A woman not understanding another woman. I thought you were all in "sync", "a collective", something like the "Borg" in the series Star Trek, Voyager and it was just us men who didn't understand.

What a cheek :P !!! :) - bomberapolaca, Feb 22, 2011

Eddy I didn't quite understand the meaning of your words "sync" a " collective'/ - xentuk, Feb 22, 2011

but it's not that I don't understand my mother, it is just one topic we disagree - xentuk, Feb 22, 2011

Hi xentuk. It's just my weird sense of humour. I will send you a pm explaining my comments. - Eddy, Feb 22, 2011

Answer 7

Subject-auxiliary inversion occurs in the following cases:

.....

• Declarative sentences with negative elements (i.e. never or not) are formed.

  Example #1: Never again will I watch that opera!

  Example #2: Not since childhood did she eat cotton candy.

link1 , link2 ; yes, it is used

"Not since childhood has she eaten . ." - Sabor, Feb 22, 2011

Past tense is more common in this sense in American English, so both are OK. - Gocika, Feb 22, 2011

Answer 8

@ all English native speakers here: I wouldn't mind if you let me know about this inversion issue...

I will open a thread on that to practise;) - 00494d19, Feb 22, 2011

Answer 9

@ Happyquilter: I know that it might sound a bit awkward in everyday speech but couldn'tyou say it with inversion: Never will I understand my sister?

Or is immersion rather literary style only?

Never will I understand my sister is correct. - Gocika, Feb 22, 2011

It is grammatically correct, but starting a sentence with never in the future tense in spoken English is almost always used in the phrase "Never again will I. . ." and even then it sounds a bit pompous. - lorenzo9, Feb 22, 2011

Got it. Thanks! - bomberapolaca, Feb 22, 2011

Answer 10

This suggests that you don't understand her, but it happens alot of the time, not just once, and that you still do not understand.

I would say "I still don't understand"

a lot - pesta, Feb 22, 2011

:) - lorenzo9, Feb 22, 2011