“ate” or “have eaten”?

wangqh2696122 “ate” or “have eaten”? “Tony, where are the cookies? Don’t tell me you ____ them all! You can use either one; I would chose "ate". Again!” “Yes, I did. I couldn’t help it. They were so good. ”

Could you tell me the difference, please?

There is no difference in meaning. They are too ways of saying the same thing. I would use the simple past tense "ate", because I see no reason to use a more complicated tense. But some, especially speakers of British English, may prefer "have eaten".

correct :ate
the answer is in past, so the question must be in past too.

I must say that I didn't pay much attention to the "Yes, I did." answer. But I have two things to say about that?

1. In the normal sequence of speech, you would choose "ate" or "eaten" in the question part before you know what tense the answer is in.

2. It's possible that the question could be in one tense and the answer and other related comments could be in another tense.

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1. In the normal sequence of speech, you would choose "ate" or "haveeaten" in the question part before you know what tense the answer is in.

Hi there, could you give me an example in sentences which relate to your axplanation....?

AsgarHi there, could you give me an example in sentences which relate to your axplanation....?

Different tenses:

Have you eaten here? (As we drive past a restaurant). Yes, I ate there just last night!

Have you ever been to France? Yes, I went there when I was 16, but I haven't been back since. (Two tenses)

Did you feed the dog?