When did you actually arrive?

Unit 10 The Present Perfect or the Past Simple

1 The present perfect can never be used with adverbs which describe finished time periods, such as yesterday, five minutes ago and at three o'clock. If a time adverb is used with the present perfect, it should describe a time period which is unfinished.

Table 5

Time Adverbs
Unfinished Time	Finished Time
today	Yesterday
this week	last week
this year	last year
this morning*	this morning*
this afternoon*	this afternoon*
this evening	-
during the last two years	during the summer
since I left school	before I saw you
-	at six o'clock
-	when I met him.
-	five minutes ago
ever	-
just	-

* Can be finished or unfinished, depending on the time of day The teacher hasn't arrived yet. (She might still arrive.) The teacher didn't arrive (The class is over, he can't arrive now) I've spent $20 today. (I can still spend money.) I spent $20 this morning ('this morning' is over, I can't spend any more money 'this morning')

Also use the past simple, even with an adverb of unfinished time, if the action can no longer happen:

I went to the shops today. (But the shops are now closed...)

2 Past simple is used with a definite place for an event because this may suggest a definite time:

I left my bag on the train.

Why didn't you speak to my father yourself on the boat?

Did you see him at the theatre? (= when you were at the theatre? You are not at the theatre now)

I ran into her in Oxford Street. (= when I was in Oxford Street)

Where have you been? - I've been to the opera. - Did you enjoy it? (you are not at the opera now)

3 Similarly, it is the Past Indefinite that is used in questions introduced by when.

When did you actually arrive?

The Past Indefinite is also used in special questions beginning with where and how when they refer to the past events.

Where is my hat? Where did I leave my hat?"

The question Where have you been? can be asked of the person who has just come.

'Hello, Mum. I'm sorry I'm late" "Where have you been?"

In all other cases it should be Where were you?

"Did the party go off nicely?" "I don't know. I wasn't there." "Where were you?'

Similarly:

Have you had a good holiday? (You have just returned)

Did you have a good holiday? (Your holiday finished some time before the question)

In special questions beginning with other interrogative words (who, what, why, what... for etc.), both the Present Perfect and the Past Indefinite are possible. We normally use the Simple present perfect when we are thinking about past events together with their present results. However we prefer a simple past when we identify the person, thing or circumstances responsible for a present situation (we focuse on a past cause, not on a present result):

Someone has let the cat in. Who let the cat in?

That’s a nice picture. Did you paint it yourself?

How did you get this bruise?

Why are you crying? - Jack hit me.

"What have I done against you?" "Why can't we get on?"(present result)

"I know she gave him a good scolding." "What did he do?"

"Dorothy's gone to a garden party." "Why haven't you gone too?"(You are here now-result)

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