Did you eat? OR Have you eaten?

Question

0Hello everyone! This is the fist post in my "Past Simple vs. Present Perfect series" and my first post ever. I will appreciate any comments you may have.02br02br00CONTEXT: We have a mother and son. The son sometimes has lunch at school canteen and sometimes doesn't. He may have lunch at a fast food restaurant on his way home. When he comes home, his mother asks...02br02br00Have you eaten yet? 02br02br00Did you eat yet? - possible in AmE only02br02br00...to find out whether he has had ANY lunch at all.02br02br00What if she wants to know whether he has had (or had?) lunch at school? What is she say going to say?02br02br00a) Did you eat at school?02br02br00b) Have you eaten at school?02br02br00I'd go for a) because the time is known, yet not explicitly mentioned.0-

Clive · Accepted Answer

0Hi, 02br
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00Welcome to the Forum.02br
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00I agree with you about answer a.02br
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00I think the perfect is not appropriate here because 'her mind is in the past', she is not involved with the past as it impacts on the present; otherwise, she would say 'Have you eaten yet?', and not care much whether it was at school or in a restaurant. 02br
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00Best wishes, Clive0-

Milky · Answer

0 01blockquote

01cite10Pastsimple12cite12br
10Hello everyone! This is the fist post in my "Past Simple vs. Present Perfect series" and my first post ever. I will appreciate any comments you may have.12br
12br
10CONTEXT: We have a mother and son. The son sometimes has lunch at school canteen and sometimes doesn't. He may have lunch at a fast food restaurant on his way home. When he comes home, his mother asks...12br
12br
10Have you eaten yet? 12br
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10Did you eat yet? - possible in AmE only12br
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10...to find out whether he has had ANY lunch at all.12br
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10What if she wants to know whether he has had (or had?) lunch at school? What is she say going to say?12br
12br
10a) Did you eat at school?12br
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10b) Have you eaten at school?12br
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10I'd go for a) because the time is known, yet not explicitly mentioned.12br
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12blockquote

10If she wants to know if he is hungry or needs food at the moment of speaking, a) is correct in both AE and BE. Why? Because the use of school there is not only talking about the place, but a period in the day - and that period is over at the time of speaking. Like "school's out", a period. 02br
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00If she wants to ask him only about the 01b00experience02b00 of eating at a certain place 01b00at any time in the past and up to, or just prior to, the moment of speaking02b00, she would probably use "have you..." in BE. If she wants to ask him only about the 01b00experience02b00 of eating at a certain place 01b00on that day02b00, she could use both "have you..." and "did you..." in BE. 02br
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01i00Have you (ever) eaten at school/VIPS/Burger King, etc.02i0-

Pastsimple · Answer

0 Thank you very much! 0-

Anonymous · Answer

Ideal explanation

Paint slide 633 · Answer

Did you eat at school

Anonymous · Answer

Imagine you are at the office at 10:00. "Did you eat breakfast?" makes more sense that "Have you eaten breakfast?", because the normal time for breakfast is before 10:00.

Anonymous · Answer

Thanks

Carmen santos · Answer

Have you had dinner? my answer is ..Yes, I had my dinner. another question..Have you already eaten your dinner? what will be my answer? Please guide me..Thanks Carmen

Desk pen 1956 · Answer

What is the correct word ? The soup needs to be eaten or ate

Did you eat? OR Have you eaten?

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