Did you see? / Have you seen?

[Ostap]

Did you guys see the video of Joe Biden falling off his bicycle?
source

Hello, teachers. Is it idiomatic to say "did you see" instead of "have you seen" in this context? Considering that the video is always there online to watch for everyone who would want to. It's not like something that was available in the past but is not now.

 

[5jj]

You can use either verb form.

Did you see? asks about a seeing at a past time.
Have you seen? asks about a seeing at some time between the past event and the present time.

 

[Ostap]

Did you see? asks about a seeing at a past time.

Even if the possibility to watch it is not gone and you still can watch it any time you want? I always thought that was the basic difference between the two.

 

[tedmc]

I would use the present perfect tense for something current/trending.

 

[Skrej]

Both work equally well in my opinion. It just depends whether you want to focus on the action of watching, or the experience of having watched it. Even that's probably not a concious decision for a native speaker.

One use of the present perfect is to talk about life experiences, where that past-to-present connection is your lifetime and realm of experiences it contains.

To me, the difference between the past and present perfect in this context is what you're focusing on - the action itself, or the experience (or lack thereof). It's a yes/no question either way, so the answer's the same regardless of form.

They both work so equally well in this context I don't think there's much value to be gained from over-analyzing the 'why' choice. Just pick one and go with it. The person you ask is going to be busier answering than thinking about your form. A native speaker will likely match the same tense in their response, but that's a subconscious thing, not a deliberate choice.

 

[jutfrank]

Even if the possibility to watch it is not gone and you still can watch it any time you want?.

If you want to involve this idea, then present perfect is preferable.