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I want to print something but the printer does not work

Should I say after some attempts : why it didn't work? or what it has not worked?

To me there are the same and have the same meaning but the past simple sound better and are more likely to be used.

Is it true?

Meedfried
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    Neither is correct in the form you provided. – DoneWithThis. Jul 28 '22 at 07:20
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    You can ask "Why hasn't it worked?", "Why didn't it work?" or, especially if you are still trying, "Why isn't it working?" To ask a question we say isn't it, hasn't it or didn't it. To make a statement we say it isn't, it hasn't or it didn't. – Old Brixtonian Jul 28 '22 at 07:40
  • @OldBrixtonian Does your first questions mean somehow the same? (Why hasn't... Why didn't...) – Meedfried Jul 28 '22 at 12:31
  • @Meedfried If the printer does nothing you might ask, "Why doesn't it work?" If the printer did nothing you might ask, "Why didn't it work?" We would use "Why hasn't it worked?", as Kate Bunting says, when you discover the ink is smudged, or it's the wrong colour, or when it has printed the wrong text or used the wrong font. – Old Brixtonian Jul 28 '22 at 17:36
  • @OldBrixtonian, I do not really see the point, when we have to use the PP "It has not worked". Is it because, we see the result in the present? – Meedfried Jul 28 '22 at 19:30
  • @Meedfried The difference in subtle. There are times when we might say it didn't OR it hasn't. I didn't OR I haven't. In the evening, in the UK we might ask, 'Have you eaten yet?' In the US they might ask, 'Did you eat yet?' It seems to me 'Have you' refers to the recent past; 'Did you' to either the recent or the not recent past. 'I haven't eaten' suggests you haven't yet; 'I didn't eat' suggests you chose not to eat. If a friend points to the sky and says, "A shooting star!" You must say, "I didn't see it". "I haven't seen it" would suggest you haven't seen it yet. But it's gone! – Old Brixtonian Jul 29 '22 at 05:20
  • @Meedfried If a teacher asks, "Where is your homework?" and you reply, "I haven't done it," then perhaps you were interrupted and you might do it sometime. "I didn't do it" suggests you chose not to do it and you won't do it. "It hasn't worked" suggests it might still work: perhaps you could try again. "It didn't work" suggests you have given up. "It hasn't worked" suggests "It hasn't worked yet". – Old Brixtonian Jul 29 '22 at 05:58
  • Thank you, I understand, the present perfect means that the action is somehow not finished in the present or only relevant. But for a foreigner, it must be hard to think that in real time or need a lot of practise before doing no mistake. But, anyway, even if there is a mistake it should be understandable. – Meedfried Jul 29 '22 at 07:58
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    Does this answer your question? "Did you watch this movie?" or "Have you watched this movie?" – Lambie Jan 01 '23 at 18:04

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If the printer doesn't work, probably nothing happens when you switch it on/click on 'Print'.

If you find that it hasn't worked, you have probably got a print, but find that the ink is smudged or it has printed the wrong text.

Kate Bunting
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