How did you/have you

[99bottles]

Which is the correct form?

How did you do that?

How have you done that?

For instance, I see someone straddling a high tree branch and go like, 'Whoah, how did you climb/have you climbed up there?'

Which tense is correct here?

 

[emsr2d2]

Use the past simple - "Wow! How did you climb up there?" In BrE, you're more likely to hear "How did you get up there?"

If you change the opening word, both tenses are possible:
Why did you climb up there?
Why have you climbed up there?

 

[Yankee]

"...get up there?" would also be common in AmE.

 

[Skrej]

I'm more likely to use the simple past in that context.

The exception is when I'm wanting to be particularly dramatic about expressing my disbelief. Then I"ll say something like "How have you managed to X." Still, even in that situation I sometimes use simple past.