my hand swelled/has swollen up where the bee stung me

[EngLearner]

John and Sarah went hiking in the forest, and a bee stung John. At first, he didn't notice anything, but the next day his hand swelled up where the bee had stung him.

Scenario #1:

He and Sarah met in person the next day, he showed her his hand and said: "Look, my hand swelled/has swollen up where the bee stung me."

Scenario #2:

Sarah called him and asked him: "How's your hand?". He replied: "It has swollen up where the bee stung me."

Question:

In scenario #1, I think either option is correct because Sarah can see the swollen hand. Thus, the present perfect "has swollen up" doesn't add anything to the meaning. In scenario #2, I believe the present perfect "has swollen up" is the only correct choice because she can't see anything on the phone, and John needs to convey that his hand is now swollen, which is the function of the present perfect.

Do you agree?

 

[Amigos4]

@EngLearner Your question was answered on September 4. Why are you asking the same question today?

where the bee stung/had stung me

John and Sarah went hiking in the forest, and a bee stung John. At first, he didn't notice anything, but the next day his hand swole up where the bee had stung him. He had to go to the hospital. After he returned home, Sarah called him and they had the following conversation: Sarah: "How's your...

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[jutfrank]

@EngLearner Your question was answered on September 4. Why are you asking the same question today?

It's a different question.

 

[jutfrank]

Use the present perfect in both cases.

It doesn't matter that Sarah can't see the hand directly. When John reports it to Sarah, he's putting an image into her mind. The point really is that the swelling is presently relevant to him.

 

[EngLearner]

It doesn't matter that Sarah can't see the hand directly.

But if she can see the swollen hand (as in scenario #1), then even if he says "swelled up", she understands that the hand has swollen up because she can see it.

Is the simple past "swelled up" incorrect in this case?

 

[jutfrank]

But if she can see the swollen hand (as in scenario #1), then even if he says "swelled up", she understands that the hand has swollen up because she can see it.

I don't follow what you're asking here.

Is the simple past "swelled up" incorrect in this case?

There is no correct or incorrect. A speaker chooses a tense based on the way he sees the action in relation to time. This is what we call 'aspect'. In this context, John is presenting his injury to Sarah as being presently relevant in some way, so he uses the present tense. If he were to use the past tense, it would show that he sees the action merely as a past event.