Learn English – Is saying “I figured it out!” (past tense) correct usage

tense

Could a native English speaker use the phrase "I figured it out!" in an internet forum if he/she has suddenly understood something? Or would he/she say something like "I've got it!"

The matter is, one fellow (Russian native) translator said that an English speaker wouldn't use a phrase in the past tense to say that he/she has understood something just now, but will employ the present tense.

That made me curious.

Best Answer

Could a native English speaker use the phrase "I figured it out!" in an internet forum if he/she has suddenly understood something?

Yes, absolutely. Whether it's correct is a more difficult question, and of course, language "correctness" itself is a difficult concept.

As a native speaker, I wouldn't blink at that at all and might well say it. Other ways I might say it:

  • I've figured it out.

  • I've figured it out now.

  • I've got it.

  • I've got it now.

Curiously, though, I would never say "I've figured it out now" in the context you gave, but I would in a different context, for instance if someone asked me if I still needed help: "No, thanks, I've figured it out now."

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