Learn English – Explain saw and have seen

past-perfectpast-simplepast-vs-past-perfect

I met a coworker at a bar and I said "I saw you last week at the gas station".

He replied with "I have seen you too but didn't want to bother you."
Why didn't he use "I saw you too…"?

Best Answer

"I have seen you too" indicates that the speaker isn't refering to a single instance but has seen him on several occasions.

"I saw you too" indicates that he is talking about that particular time, last week, the first speaker is refering to.