190-past or present perfect?

[matilda]

hello all

which sentence is better when we want to use about last week, for example?

1-did anybody see you?
2-has anybody seen you?

i think the first one is correct but my teacher reduced my mark and told that sentence 2 is correct.
what do you think?

thanks all

Matilda

[Avalon]

if the week has already finished and you´re specifying it was last week , then sentence 1 (simple past) is the correct one!

[DavyBCN]

hello all
which sentence is better when we want to use about last week, for example?
1-did anybody see you?
2-has anybody seen you?
i think the first one is correct but my teacher reduced my mark and told that sentence 2 is correct.
what do you think?
thanks all
Matilda

1 - Did anybody see you yesterday/last week/last year - past simple and correct
2 - Has anybody seen you today, since last week/ recently - present perfect and correct.
Your teacher is wrong - ask him/her (politely ) to explain his/her reasons.

[MrPedantic]

It's easy enough to think up a sentence which combines "did anybody see you" + "last week", where the "seeing" took place last week:

1. What? You went out with MissQ last week? Did anyone see you?

But it's less easy to think up a sentence which combines "has anybody seen you" + last week, where the "seeing" took place last week.

In fact, I'm not sure it's possible; if we use "since", the "seeing" is located in the period since last week.

So I'd agree that we need an explanation from your teacher, Matilda!

MrP

[matilda]

so do I. by the way i lost one point in the exam

[DavyBCN]

so do I. by the way i lost one point in the exam

Award yourself 5 points for knowing your teacher was wrong! Don't forget to tell us what your teacher says.

[Passionwagon]

But there are instances where you could use the past simple sentence + "today".


"Did the teacher see you today about your coursework mark?"

Using "has", it suggests that their seeing you could have happened at any time from the past to the present time; with "did", it suggests that you have been attended to by someone with a specific purpose or intention during a planned period and that he or she has been true to her word. The reason that it can be passable in these contexts is that we get the impression that an arrangement has been made in the *PAST* and has been adhered to in the present.

"I asked her to come and see me today."
"Did she see you today?"

[Tdol]

I would not take a mark off for the past with 'last week'. I would for the present perfect there.

[sheena55ro]

hello all
which sentence is better when we want to use about last week, for example?
1-did anybody see you?
2-has anybody seen you?
i think the first one is correct but my teacher reduced my mark and told that sentence 2 is correct.
what do you think?
thanks all
Matilda

I`m very sorry to disappoint you but your teacher is right. As long as you don`t have an adverb of time or adverbial phrase to mark the exact time of the action [ e.g. yesterday, two weeks ago, etc.] , you cannot choose the first sentence.

The best choice should be the second sentence , though, if I had been your teacher I would have added an adverbial to avoid confusion:

e.g. 1. Did anybody see you yesterday?
2. Has anybody seen you?
Here, the answer should be [1]
or
e.g.
1. Did anybody see you?
2. Has anybody seen you lately/recently/this morning..?

The answer should be [2].

All the best,

[MrPedantic]

I have to admit, the teacher sounds wrong to me. It may help if we change the example:

1. Did anybody see Johnny last week? ] Fine.

2. *Has anybody seen Johnny last week? ] Unidiomatic.

MrP