The Past Simple Or The Present Perfect?

Question

-Wow! Your room looks fantastic now.1. Yeah, it was painted by a friend of mine.2. Yeah, it has been painted by a friend of mine.

Voytaszek · Accepted Answer

Anyone?

Voytaszek · Answer

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Anonymous · Answer

Voytaszek1. Yeah, it was painted by a friend of mine.

Your friend painted the room in the past. The action of painting the room is 'buried' in the past.

Voytaszek2. Yeah, it has been painted by a friend of mine.

I understand that the action of painting of the room has happened recently. The result (painted room) is emphasised here rather than the action of painting itself.

CalifJim · Answer

Voytaszek-Wow! Your room looks fantastic now.
-Yeah, it was painted by a friend of mine.

This is the only combination that makes sense to me.
CJ

Voytaszek · Answer

Why the first combination doesn`t?

CalifJim · Answer

Voytaszek~~Why the first combination doesn`t?~~ Why doesn't the first?

I was hoping you wouldn't ask that.

I have no explanation that is very good. I just know that I would not hear the present perfect in that dialog. I don't think anybody would say that, given the information in the opening sentence.
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I suppose it's because the simple past "tells a story", and you're telling the story that your friend painted the room. The present perfect, on the other hand, gives us an update on a situation, so if the first speaker knew your friend was going to paint that room, you might call him or her after the room was painted and say, "At last, the room has been painted!" Here you are updating him, telling him where you are in the project of painting the room, namely, finished.
.
CJ

The Past Simple Or The Present Perfect?

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