Designed or have designed?

Question

I'd like to ask a question. There's a dialogue from an English book:"Do you like my new T-shirt? I designed it myself." I would say "I've designed",because I want to put an emphasis on the action happened at an unstated time in the past. So can I say "I've designed"? What's the difference for you between "I designed" and "I've designed"? And what is more British now?)

Fivejedjon · Accepted Answer

When you are showing off the shirt, then the designing is in the past, so 'I designed' is more natural in that context. I doubt if there is any difference between BrE and AmE there.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

Oceanatali I would say "I've designed",because I want to put an emphasis on the action happened at an unstated time in the past.

That is not the purpose of the present perfect tense.

The present perfect usually implies that the design was completed recently. That sounds odd in this context, because the design phase of your T-shirt project is certainly completed before other phases of creating the T-shirt. .You made a screen print, and then printed the T-shirt and dried or fixed it so it could be worn.

I would use the simple past.

CalifJim · Answer

Oceanatalican I say "I've designed"?

Not there. But you can do this:

Do you like my new T-shirt? I designed it myself. Actually, I've designed a lot of T-shirts. Would you like to see them some day?

CJ

Oceanatali · Answer

Thank you!

Oceanatali · Answer

Thank you for such a detailed explanation!

Oceanatali · Answer

Your variant is clear. Thank you!

Designed or have designed?

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