If my friends arrange a dinner at my place at 8pm but they come at 7, can I say "I thought you had said you would come at 8" or should I use the past simple "I thought you said you would come at 8"
Lastly, if a mother asks her son to go to bed at 9pm but she notices half an hour later that he didn't listen. Should she say "I thought I had told you to go to bed" or "I thought I told you to go to bed".
I think people would use the past simple but I don't get why.
Thanks in advance.
Best Answer
Both are valid
Both versions are valid and understandable to English speakers. Neither would be considered strange. However, there is a strong preference for the simple past in these cases, but I don't think there is a compelling reason why.