Have You vs Did You
As often used expressions in English language, it is crucial to know the difference between have you and did you. It is important to know that both these expressions have you and did you, are different when it comes to their usage.
What does Have You mean?
The expression have you is mostly used in questions as in the sentences given below,
1. Have you bought this yesterday?
2. Have you missed the bus?
In both sentences, you can find that the expression have you is used in the formation of questions. In other words, it is used in interrogative sentences. It is all the more important to know that have you is used only in the second person. Sometimes it is used in the case of the first person too as in the sentences,
1. Have I committed a mistake?
2. Have I failed to react?
In both of the expressions, have you is replaced by the form have I in the first person. This is an important observation to make in the usage of the form have you. On the other hand, the form did you also changes to did I when used in the first person.
It is interesting to note that have you is sometimes used independently as a single expression following the main sentence as in the sentences,
1. I hope you have gone to London. Have you?
2. I think you have prepared it. Have you?
In both sentences, you can see that the expression or the form have you is used independently, of course as a question. It is used in the interrogative sense and it is used along with another independent sentence, namely ‘I hope you have gone to London’ in the first sentence, and with ‘I think you have prepared it’ in the second sentence. In other words, it can be said that the form have you is used just as a question.
What does Did You mean?
It is interesting to know that the form did you is used along with a verb only. Observe the two sentences,
1. Did you make it?
2. Did you know the difference between the two?
In both sentences, you can find that the form did you is used in the formation of questions. In short, it can be said that the form did you is used in interrogative sentences. Likewise, it is used only in the case of the second person and sometimes with the first person by changing you to I. In the sentences given above, the form did you is used in the case of the second person only.
Observe the following two sentences,
1. You know this has happened. Did you?
2. I think you gave it to her. Did you?
In both the sentences, you can find that the form did you is used in interrogation accompanied by doubt. In both of the sentences, you can see that the form did you is used independently following another independent sentence. These are the main differences between the two forms, namely, have you and did you.
What is the difference between Have You and Did You?
• Have you is used in interrogative sentences. So, is did you.
• Have you is usually used in the second person. So is the case with did you.
• Have you is sometimes used independently as a single expression following the main sentence.
• Did you is used along with a verb only.
• Did you is also sometimes used independently as a single expression following the main sentence.
• When added as a single expression, did you implies doubt, but have you does not imply doubt.
Photos By: “Cave Canem” (CC BY 2.0), Elliott Brown (CC BY 2.0)