Learn English – Can we give the answer to the present perfect question in past simple

differencepast-simplepresent-perfecttense

I saw this in a Cambridge conversation book:

A: Have you gone to school today?

B: Yes, I went to school today.

Can you please tell me why B answered in the Past Simple instead of the Present Perfect?

Best Answer

A might have asked the question in the Present Perfect because of today. When the period of time we are talking about is not over, we use the Present Perfect:

How much have you done today?

I haven't done anything special this year.

But if we consider some period finished and any change is unlikely, we may use the Past Simple talking about that period:

I went to school today. (perhaps, it's said in the evening and, although the day is not over yet, the kid considers it over and he knows he will not go to school on that day anyway)

Have you had lunch yet? - Yes, I had it 30 minutes ago. (again, someone uses the Present Perfect in the question and someone uses the Past Simple in the answer. But in this answer they use "30 minutes ago" and it makes the choice of the tense easier)

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