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This sentence:
Lionel asked Mary if she had seen Carol at the birthday party the previous week. I’m not sure which is correct (or both are correct)
“Have you seen Carol at the birthday party last week?” Lionel asked Mary.
or
“Did you see Carol at the birthday party last week?” Lionel asked Mary.
I’m unsure of which to use. Can someone tell me the difference? Thanks!
You would usually use the form with did here because the party is an event which has finished at the time of speaking. If the time specified is still current at the time of speaking you would use the form with have.
Did you see Carol at the party last week?
but
Have you seen Carol at the party? (which is still happening now)
Have you seen Carol on television? (at any time up to the present)
In the real world, you don't have to worry about being grammatically correct in direct speech; if you're quoting Lionel, you quote whatever he said, even if it was ungrammatical.
If you're writing dialogue using direct speech, you should write what your character would say. That's probably what is grammatically correct at the time of the speech.
"Have you seen" is past perfect, which is used when discussing something before some reference point. In indirect speech, it's appropriate to use past perfect because the question is whether Mary saw Carol before Lionel asked; Lionel asking is the reference point. But in direct speech, Lionel asking isn't a past reference point; it is, for Lionel, the present.
