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The Present Perfect Tense

 
 
Reply Sun 11 Jun, 2017 03:49 am
Which sounds more correct in English: "Where did you see her?" or "Where have you seen her?" even if the context is "I have seen Diana lately." Are there any differences between BE and AE in this case?
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centrox
 
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Reply Sun 11 Jun, 2017 04:28 am
My question would follow the verb form used in the context: "I have seen Diana lately." "Where have you seen her?".

Quote:
Are there any differences between BE and AE in this case?

Speakers of American English generally use the present perfect tense (have/has + past participle) far less than speakers of British English. In spoken American English, it is very common to use the simple past tense as an alternative in situations where the present perfect would usually have been used in British English. The two situations where this is especially likely are:

1. In sentences which talk about an action in the past that has an effect in the present:

American English (AmE) / British English (BrE)

Jenny feels ill. She ate too much. (AmE)
Jenny feels ill. She's eaten too much. (BrE)
I can't find my keys. Did you see them anywhere? (AmE)
I can't find my keys. Have you seen them anywhere? (BrE)

2. In sentences which contain the words already, just or yet:

American English / British English

A: Are they going to the show tonight?
B: No. They already saw it. (AmE)
A: Are they going to the show tonight?
B: No. They've already seen it. (BrE)
A: Is Samantha here?
B: No, she just left. (AmE)
A: Is Samantha here?
B: No, she's just left. (BrE)
A: Can I borrow your book?
B: No, I didn't read it yet. (AmE)
A: Can I borrow your book?
B: No, I haven't read it yet. (BrE)
alexsnapper
 
  2  
Reply Mon 12 Jun, 2017 01:13 am
@centrox,
Centrox, thank you very much for an exhaustive answer indeed.
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