The English language still has many mysteries to me, and here's a question I've been asking myself lately.

At school, I was taught that when you used "just", you had to use present perfect. i.e. "I've just come back home" Yet, I hear lots and lots of "I just bought it" or whatever you can think of. So I was wondering, is that a difference between British English and American English (they use just + preterit a lot in "Friends") or is there a slight difference depending on whether you use preterit or present perfect? Or is it just a mistake like many people saying "he don't"?

people don't pay attention to grammar while they're in a daily conversation.

Oh yes I know. I suppose people would ask themselves a whole lot of questions about my French is they heard me speak it "normally". But I just wonder if once again I was taught bullshit at school or if technically, "just" is supposed to come with present perfect?

i'm not a native speaker either so when i was at junior high that's how i learned. just, already and yet go with present perfect tense but i use them with other tenses while i speak.

Oh, okay then. Thank you!

you're welcome if i was any help.

i think there is a big difference between the way english is spoken in britain and america

Yes, that's what I think too. When you take every-day words such as "pants", "smart"... they have completely different meanings depending on what side of the Atlantic you live. I like British English better though.

By the way, are you from Manchester or did you move there? I love the accent there.

"I just" technically is grammatically incorrect, but used all the time anyway. A lot of general speech is grammatically unsound, but still gets used. I'm sure its pretty much the same in a lot of languages.

American English differs from British english in lots of ways especially spelling. American is usually simpler i.e color instead of colour and so forth. Also americans say aluminium funny . A-loo-min-um. Cracks me up every time.

Thank you for confirming.

Yes, Americans always sound like they're chewing gum when they speak. Like you have to twist your tongue weirdly to sound American. *hehe*

American English and British English are like two different languages! I was in the States for 6 months this year and it cracks me up how different they are. I got the piss ripped out of me on both sides of the Atlantic. I'm always using the wrong terms from the wrong side of the pond. It's a lot of fun though :-)

im originally from north wales, but have lived in manchester for 12 years so i have a slight welsh/northern/mancunian accent!!

Can you give an example?

American English is a bastardisation of a wonderful language, in the same way that American people are a bastadisation of a wonderful race.

yawn

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English sucks.
I wish I knew German.

I've never heard of that rule, and I'm a native speaker (US)...I don't see why the difference would matter. To leave out the 'have'/'has' is easier and still makes sense.

some of their pronunciations are closer to english before the vowel shift aren't they? therefore it can't be much of a bastardisation, they're still rhotic too, and their spellings make more sense than english english...
I agree about the people though.

'I just bought' is grammatically wrong and alot of speaker probably don't realise they say it. You'd never ever use that construction in writing though.

i learned english in a british school here in brazil and they would always tell us that in those cases, the use of have/has was mandatory. some people coming from american schools did have a hard time adjusting, but then again i think my teachers were excessively strict.