Questioning about experience.
Which tense is preferred when asking a friend about her travels? If you ask about experience we use *present perfect *, like “have you been to Italy”, “have you ever blah…” How about people who with her accompanied her and for how long time she was there?
As I know, and how do I understand the present
- perfect: asking about experiences ( “have you been to
- ” ) recent actions ( “oops, I dropped my
- phone” ) something that is very topical right now ( “have you done the homework” Can I
- ask her how many times did you share the cake with
your siblings?
How long have you been in the U.S.?
Have you lived at a dorm? Did you live in a dormitory?
I think that I can say it because this info is very topical if I ask her and it’s about the experience but the thing that confuses me is she was there many years ago, but not till now. What is the difference between past simple or present perfect? I’m not going to refer to any specific dates in the questions.
Thanks.
How long have you been there, did you discover it? implies they are there now in nature? How long had you been there at some point in time in relation to some specific event/point in time?
Is this intended for when they are not there any more though context should try to make clear which trip (if they’ve been there more than once)?
“Have you been there with your siblings?” is asking if, on any previous trip at all, they had their siblings with them Were you there with your siblings? Is for referring to a specific trip. When would you say “disappearing with your siblings”?
What inquiry “Have you lived there in a dormitory?” is asking if, on any previous trip at all, they lived there in a dormitory. Did you live in a dormitory? or “What kinds of accommodations were there?” is more likely to be used in reference to a specific trip. Which would you like more than one phrase in’have you lived in a dormitory there? Did you live in a dormitory? “..
“.
