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It says that we use present perfect for actions in the past that have a result now. No matter how much I try to figure out this, sometimes it is pretty hard.

I have also read the followings as well, but it seems like that I can't grab this correctly. (Even when I write this, I am doubtful whether I should want to use I read or I have read)

https://www.ef.com/wwen/english-resources/english-grammar/present-perfect/

Does the present perfect imply an action finished in the past?

Which is correct: "has died" or "died"?

Let's assume a situation. I went shopping and while coming back from shopping I meet someone and ask me where did you go? (again I don't know whether it is "where have you gone" or "where did you go?")

What should I need to say? I went shopping or I have gone shopping.

I have gone shopping seems like that I went shopping and still shopping kind of.

But if we look at the rules, it says that

We use present perfect for actions in the past that have a result now.

So, I went shopping it is an action in the past, now I am here with all the shopping bags (result) and saying, I have gone shopping. Can I say like that? It feels somewhat wrong to me, I don't know.

After reading these grammar rules, I am pretty confused now. Before reading these things I didn't care about these things at all. I just say. Someone, please help me to clarify this?

Ranjith Suranga
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  • I upvoted (past) because you have provided (present perfect) the research. Result: the question shows effort and contains (present) links. – Mari-Lou A Apr 08 '19 at 04:36

1 Answers1

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Let's assume a situation. I went shopping and while coming back from shopping I meet someone and ask me where did you go? (again I don't know whether it is "where have you gone" or "where did you go?")

The question in this situation can be:

a. Where did you go?

b. Where were you? or Where have you been?

but it'd be weird to ask:

c. ??Where have you gone?

As for the answer:

What should I need to say? I went shopping or I have gone shopping.

Possible answers to questions a. and b. are d. and e., respectively:

d. I went to the mall.

e. I was at the mall. or I have been to the mall.

Note that these answers are generally interchangeable, so you could say d. to question b. or say e. to question a.

Also, you can use f. to answer either question a. or b.:

f. I went shopping.

But note that in this situation it'd be weird to say g. or h. as an answer to question a. or b.:

g. ??I have gone to the mall.

h. ??I have gone shopping.

The weirdness of c., g., or h. is not because of the grammar rule:

We use present perfect for actions in the past that have a result now.

but because 'I/You have gone...' means that 'I'm/You're not here', which can't be true in the given situation where both 'I' and 'you' are in conversation in person.

And as noted by comments, c., g., and/or h. may not be weird if 'I' and 'you' are in conversation but not in person.

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listeneva
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    There is one circumstance where c is possible in conversation, and it is used frequently. If someone comes home expecting to find another family member there they may well call them on their mobile phone and say "Where have you gone?" and the other might say "The local shop, I'll be back in five minutes". The other person is not present but they are still in conversation. – BoldBen Apr 08 '19 at 07:18
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    @BoldBen. Yes, that's right. And there is a similar context where the present perfect is used with go. Namely, when leaving a note for someone to read if they get home before you: I've gone shopping. I'll be back by 5, etc. – Shoe Apr 08 '19 at 07:24
  • @BoldBen That's right. I was focusing on the situation given by the OP. – listeneva Apr 08 '19 at 07:38
  • @Shoe I agree. I've edited the answer accordingly. – listeneva Apr 08 '19 at 07:38
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    As a British English speaker, I would expect "Where have you been?" "I have been shopping." – Kate Bunting Apr 08 '19 at 08:30
  • @listeneva If I say I have come shopping, it is okay, isn't it? Sometimes it is pretty hard for me to understand the result of the past action like what is the difference between "Because you have mentioned it" or "because you mentioned", "I have known her" or "I know her". Please help me to understand this. When there is no time context in the sentence, how do we know whether we need to use past tense or present perfect? – Ranjith Suranga Apr 08 '19 at 13:09
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    @RanjithSuranga I don't find 'come shopping' as idiomatic as 'go shopping'. Regarding the general difference between the past simple tense and the present perfect tense, they are largely interchangeable in that both refer to a past event. That said, if you want to describe it simply as a past event, just go with the past simple tense. But if you want to look back at the past event from the standpoint of the present moment, go with the present perfect. – listeneva Apr 08 '19 at 13:14
  • @listeneva I agree it is not idiomatic but it is not wrong as well. Isn't it? Correct me if I am wrong, so you say if a past action is important at the present moment, just go with the present perfect, right? Let me think about an example. Let's say I am talking with someone and I say that "I have helped him" this means, that whatever help that I did is important at that time. Maybe I am going to talk about that help from thereon. But instead of that if I say "I helped him" this means that there is no such importance of that help. It is just a help that I did in the past. Right? – Ranjith Suranga Apr 08 '19 at 14:01
  • @RanjithSuranga Let's stay away from the 'unidiomatic' example to try not to make things more complicated. Please note that both tenses are "largely interchangeable" in many cases including your "I (have) helped him" example. Also note that I didn't say anything about "important". Please re-read the last sentence of my last comment. – listeneva Apr 08 '19 at 14:06
  • @listeneva I am sorry, I read this from British Council at the same time and I did mix both. Anyway thanks to you and others I have understood it to somewhat I guess. – Ranjith Suranga Apr 08 '19 at 14:32