 Re: simple past or present perfect??
The "Did you" or "Have you" distinction is one of those examples where the rules become really fuzzy. For example after seeing a movie with someone I'd ask, "did you enjoy the movie?" and never "have you enjoyed the movie?" Why? I'm not quite sure but "Did you" seems to go with expressions of satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Also in a question like "Did you brush your teeth?" the use of "Did you" seems to express some sort of expectation on the part of the questioner (that the person either hasn't brushed his teeth or was reluctant to do so) whereas "have you" sounds more neutral, just asking for information. Grammar rules only really scratch the surface of a language, they are like training wheels on a bike in my opinion. |