"Have you cleaned it?"

Status
Not open for further replies.

Rachel Adams

Key Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2018
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Russian
Home Country
Georgia
Current Location
Georgia
Hello.

This sentence is from Murphy's Essential Grammar in Use.
"I asked you to clean the bathroom. Have you cleaned it?"
Would a native speaker say: "Did you clean it?"
 

GoesStation

No Longer With Us (RIP)
Joined
Dec 22, 2015
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
The speaker will use the present perfect if they're mainly wondering whether you cleaned the bathroom very recently. They'll use the past simple if they're thinking more about whether the job is complete than when it was done.
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
Also, having used "clean" in the opening sentence, we're unlikely to use it again in the question.

I asked you to clean the bathroom. Have you done it?
I asked you to clean the bathroom. Did you do it?
I asked you to clean the bathroom. Have you?
I asked you to clean the bathroom. Did you?
 

Phaedrus

Banned
Joined
Jul 19, 2012
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
This sentence is from Murphy's Essential Grammar in Use.
"I asked you to clean the bathroom. Have you cleaned it?"
Would a native speaker say: "Did you clean it?"

"Cleaned it" and "clean it" are awkward in the respective second sentences of each example. Normally, a native speaker would use ellipsis there:

I asked you to clean the bathroom. Have you?
I asked you to clean the bathroom. Did you?

P.S. I see that ems and I made the same point simultaneously.
 

Rachel Adams

Key Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2018
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Russian
Home Country
Georgia
Current Location
Georgia
The speaker will use the present perfect if they're mainly wondering whether you cleaned the bathroom very recently. They'll use the past simple if they're thinking more about whether the job is complete than when it was done.
Both are possible because it's not the situation where we are identifying the person, thing, or circumstances responsible for a present situation. Right? As it's written in Swan. ( We are thinking about the past cause, not the present result). Compare: "Look what Jack's given me!" (Thinking about the gift).
"Who gave you that?" (Thinking about the past action of giving)
"Somebody has spilt coffee on the carpet."
"Who spilt all that coffee on the carpet?"
"Why are you crying?" "Granny hit me." (Not "has hit me")
"I am glad you were born".
"How did you get that bruise?"
"That's a nice picture. Did you paint it yourself?"
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top