Forum: english.stackexchange.com
Tags: <tenses>
Title: What is the difference between "Have you seen this?" and "Did you see this?"
Question: What's the difference between these two phrases?

Answers:
sents: text: To add to Martha's answer : The simple past ("Did you see this") refers about an event in the past
text: The present perfect ("Have you seen this") suggests a link with the present time.
text: If "this" is something you could have seen but cannot anymore
text: (you should have been there seeing "this" at the time, but it wouldn't have the same impact if you see it again now), then "Did you see" is more appropriate.
text: It is about an event that happened once in the past.
text: If "this" is something you can check out whenever you want, "Have you seen" is more to the point, because it suggests that, if you haven't seen it in the past, you could consider seeing it now or in the near future.
text: It is about an event which can happen again or is still relevant in the present.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/110/VonC
score: 29
sents: text: The difference is pretty subtle, but the "did you..." version implies more of an event, i.e. something that needs to be seen just once, perhaps because it's temporary.
text: So, Have you seen [insert movie title]?
text: but Did you see last night's [insert TV show name] episode?
text: Edit
text: : note that there's nothing wrong with "Have you seen last night's episode?", or with "Did you see the movie?", but there is a (slight) difference in meaning.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/1547/Marthaª
score: 9
sents: text: There is a difference between UK and US usage in this case (though I believe that the difference has been diminishing over the past few decades).
text: In my (UK) idiolect, "Did you see this?" is very unlikely, because "did you see" implies that the opportunity for seeing it has passed, which is inconsistent with "this".
text: Without "this" (eg "Did you see what he did?")
text: the implication is that he has stopped doing it. "
text: Did you see this yet?
text: " is impossible in my idiolect for the same reason.
text: "Have you seen this?" implies that you still could see it even if you haven't yet.
text: Thus Martha's "Have you seen last night's episode?" to me implies that the episode is still available in some way and you could still see it.
text: I would not say "Have you seen last night's performance of the play?"
text: As I say, I believe that this distinction is not there (or at least not as strong) in US English.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/547/Colin Fine
score: 8
sents: text: Ex: Have u seen my glasses?
text: Did you see my glasses?
text: "Have you seen" implies that the person saw your glasses sometime in the recent past right up to the present moment.
text: "Did you see" is asking if the person has ever seen your glasses, at any time in the past.
text: It makes a big difference if you're looking for a lost pair of glasses.
text: It wouldn't help much if the person had seen them four years ago.
text: You want to know where they are now! source
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/115949/Premraj
score: 2
sents: text: Did you see James?
text: --
text: No, I did not have any dates with him.
text: Have you seen James?
text: ---
text: No, I have no idea where he is.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/108068/Joe
score: 1

Summary of the answers:
Generally, the phrase "Have you seen this?" suggest a link with the present time and implies that you could still see the item or event in question even if you haven't yet. "Did you see this", on the other hand, refers to an event in the past. However, there may be a different between UK and US usage.
Did you see? is the simple past and refers to events in the past. Whereas "have you seen this" is the present perfect and suggests a link with the present.There is a difference between UK and US usage.
Generally, the phrase "Have you seen this?" suggest a link with the present time and implies that you could still see the item or event in question even if you haven't yet. "Did you see this", on the other hand, refers to an event in the past. However, there may be a different between UK and US usage.
"Did you see this?" implies that the opportunity for seeing it has passed, which is inconsistent with "this". The present perfect ("Have you seen this") suggests a link with the present time.   "Did you see this?" implies that the opportunity for seeing it has passed, which is inconsistent with "this".
The present perfect ("Have you seen this") suggests a link with the present time. The simple past ("Did you see this?") refers to an event in the past. "Have you seen this?" implies that you still could see it even if you haven't yet.
Generally, the phrase "Have you seen this?" implies that you could still see the item or event in question even if you didn't see it earlier, whilst "Did you see this" refers to an event in the past. However, there may be regional differences in usage and "Did you see this?" is an unlikely expression in UK English.