1.4.7 Past simple and present perfect contrasted




Basically, thepresent perfect relates to the fact that something has happened (irrespective of when), where as the past simple relates to when it happened. Consequently, if there is a specific time phrase (including the question word When), we use the past simple, not the present perfect, e.g.:



A: When did they arrive? (Quan van arribar?/Quan han arribat?)
B: They arrived ten minutes ago/last week/on the 4th of May.
(Han arribat fa 10 minuts. Van arribar la setmana passada/el 4 de maig.)
Compare:
C: Have they arrived yet? (Ja han arribat?)
D: Yes, they've just arrived. (Sí, acaben d'arribar.)

If there is no explicit time mentioned, thepresent perfect suggests a recent event; thepast simple a more remote one. For example, if someone notices that cold air has started to come into the house, they would say:



Who's opened a window?
(Qui ha obert una finestra?)


But if they come home and the house is cold because the windows are open, they would say:



Who opened the windows?
(Qui va obrir les finestres?)

In contrast to Catalan, today, this morning and this afternoon do not necessarily require the present perfect, e.g.:


At 12 midday we would say:



A: What did you have for breakfast? (Què has menjat per esmorzar?)
 B: I had toast and marmalade. (Per esmorzar he menjat torrades amb melmelada.)

During the morning we would say:



C: What have you done this morning? (Què has fet aquest matí?)
 D: I've cleaned my room. (He netejat la meva habitació.)

But in the afternoon we would say:



E: What did you do this morning? (Què has fet aquest matí?)
 F: I cleaned my room. (He netejat la meva habitació.)

Similarly, during the afternoon we would say:


How many clients have you visited this afternoon?
(Quants clients has visitat aquesta tarda?)

But after the end of the working day we would say:



How many clients did you visit this afternoon?
(Quants clients has visitat aquesta tarda?)




See also past simple, present perfect simple.