I'm glad you asked/you've asked it

[EngLearner]

Scenario #1:
John asks Bob a question, and Bob says the following to John:
That's a very interesting question! I'm glad you asked/you've asked it.
Then Bob answers John's question.

Scenario #2:
John asks Bob a question, then Bob answers it, and then he says to John:
That's a very interesting question! I'm glad you asked/you've asked it.

Question:
Which of the options is correct in the above two scenarios?

 

[jutfrank]

Scenario #1: both are 'correct'.
Scenario #2: both are 'correct'.

In scenario #2, it's more likely that Bob would refer to his question as a past event with no present relevance, and so he's more likely to use the past simple. However, he may have a perfectly good reason to use a present tense.

I suggest you stop asking which of two tense/aspect forms is 'correct'. If you're making up your own contexts, ask instead which one is better to use. With scenario #1, how is knowing that both forms are 'correct' going to help you understand the difference between them? Or help you determine which one could be better to use for the context?

 

[Skrej]

Both are grammatically correct for both scenarios, but the simple past is more natural in my opinion.

(cross-posted)

 

[jutfrank]

Both are grammatically correct for both scenarios, but the simple past is more natural in my opinion.

I don't quite follow. What do you mean by 'more natural'? It's only more natural if you mean to distance it as a past event.

Or are you saying something about your dialect?

 

[Skrej]

I find the present perfect slightly odd-sounding. I would use the simple past in both cases. I can't say if that's true across my dialect or if it's just me.

 

[EngLearner]

I suggest you stop asking which of two tense/aspect forms is 'correct'. If you're making up your own contexts, ask instead which one is better to use.

When I posted my question, I thought that the present perfect was appropriate for scenario #1 (because the question still has to be answered, and thus answering it has relevance in the present), and that the simple past was appropriate for scenario #2 (because it's already been answered, and thus answering it is no longer relevant in the present). I didn't think they were both good for both scenarios.

With scenario #1, how is knowing that both forms are 'correct' going to help you understand the difference between them? Or help you determine which one could be better to use for the context?

I'd like to understand the difference between them, and I'd like to know which one is a better fit for the context. But I thought that that was implied in my original question in post #1.

 

[jutfrank]

When I posted my question, I thought that the present perfect was appropriate for scenario #1 (because the question still has to be answered, and thus answering it has relevance in the present), and that the simple past was appropriate for scenario #2 (because it's already been answered, and thus answering it is no longer relevant in the present). I didn't think they were both good for both scenarios.

Okay, I see. You weren't really asking about correctness at all.

I'd like to understand the difference between them, and I'd like to know which one is a better fit for the context. But I thought that that was implied in my original question in post #1.

It wasn't very well implied. Be carful about asking which is 'correct'. It's better to ask about any differences between them.

 

[EngLearner]

If Bob was a British English speaker, he would prefer the present perfect "you've asked" in scenario #1 and the simple past "you asked" in scenario #2.

If Bob was an American English speaker, he would prefer the simple past "you asked" in both scenarios.

Is my understanding correct?

 

[jutfrank]

Is my understanding correct?

I think that's not correct.

Regarding dialectical variation, I think all you can really say is that there are certain dialects that would bias a speaker towards using a past tense over a present tense.

 

[emsr2d2]

I've never used "I'm glad you've asked" in my life (BrE).