For native speakers... I know that the *right* phrase is "long time ago", but is it possible to use the phrase "many time ago" in any context, or with a special meaning?
Thanks,
alpha
2007-01-20 06:58:35 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
'Many time ago' doesn't make any sense, so you can't really use it. It would have to be, as you said, 'a long time ago', if that is the idea that you're trying to get across. You could say 'many times before', in a sentence like, 'he had tried this many times before'.
2007-01-20 07:06:47 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
In the course of normal speach no. But if you were to say write a fictional story about a person who could not speak english very well or is perhaps not very litterate then yes. Provided of course that the context it was written in is part of the characters dialog with someone else or he/she was writting it down.
2007-01-21 08:36:39 · answer #2 · answered by ikeman32 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
"A long time ago" is the proper general phrase.
For the second example, you have to be more specific about the time; for example:
Many days ago, many weeks ago, many months ago, many moons ago, many years ago, many birthdays ago, many boyfriends ago, many dinners ago, etc.
Hope this helps.
2007-01-20 07:29:34 · answer #3 · answered by JUDI O 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Time isn't plural. There's either a time or multiple times. You could say many years/centuries/ages, but many time makes no sense.
2007-01-20 07:02:56 · answer #4 · answered by Draco Paladin 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
actually i belive you can,time can be plural
2007-01-20 07:05:13 · answer #5 · answered by Dev 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No.
You can say "Many years ago..."
2007-01-20 07:02:42 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No - . Can it be used ever? No.
2007-01-20 07:07:50 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋