have you talked/ did you

Question

When I ask a question "did you" it refers always to a specific moment I have in mind and "have you" refers to something up to now.

Like:

Have you talked to him?

This question is asked if we want to know if the person has already talked to him. And a "yet" could be add at the end "have you talked to him yet".

Whereas, did you call him, is asked when we know the moment:

"did you call him when you were in France"

Is it correct?

Yes, you understand it correctly. – Kate Bunting Jul 19 '22 at 20:32 — Kate Bunting, Jul 19 '22 at 20:32

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Jul 19 '22 at 20:37

1

As a general rule, yes your understanding is correct.

In certain situations, they may be used interchangeably as well: "Have you called him yet?" and "Did you call him yet?" both could be used for the same situation, although it does heavily depend on the context.

answered Jul 19 '22 at 20:37

Yash Laddha

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Did you call him yet? is more idiomatic in American English than in British. – Kate Bunting Jul 20 '22 at 08:03

have you talked/ did you

1 Answers1