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Example 1

A: A stupid guy threw trash here!

B: When did it happen?

Example 2

A: A stupid guy has thrown trash here!

B: When did it happen?

When the speaker does not know when an event happened, do they use the past tense or the present perfect tense?

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    We have been over this over and over and over. It depends on what you want to say. Knowing when an event happened or didn't happen does not determine the usage. The present perfect merely signals the past at the time of speaking. The simple past implies a particular moment or time he did it. So which do you want to say? Both are fine.
    – Lambie
    Commented Mar 16, 2023 at 15:18
  • You know it happened in the past because the trash is there now, and it didn't travel from the future. I'm not sure what more information you need. How would the time affect the tense you use?
    – Stuart F
    Commented Mar 16, 2023 at 16:56
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    The present perfect refers to an event which has present consequences. The trash still here means there are present consequences, so the perfect is a possibility. But the simple past is also possible, if the speaker is not interested in the present state but only in the action in the past.
    – Colin Fine
    Commented Mar 16, 2023 at 18:16

2 Answers 2

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Simple past or Present perfect..
I understand that OP wants to know if Present perfect can be used when you don't know the time of the action.

Example
A: A stupid guy threw trash here!
B: When did it happen?
Example 2.
A: A stupid guy has thrown trash here!
B: When did it happen?

Ref Adventures with Grammar and Composition, Beena Sugatham. Oxford Printing Press.

We use simple past tense.
'1. to talk about actions completed in the past once or over a period of time.
Examples:
a. I danced all night.
b. Fia did not cry when she lost her cat.

We use present perfect tense.
'1. to show completed actions in the immediate past (things that have just happened) but have some connection to the present.
a. Their cousins have just arrived.
b. She has already finished her project

We can use both the tenses. The connection to the present in Present perfect is that the trash is still lying there. Time of the action doesn't matter.

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Technically, you can use either.

In American English, however, you probably won't hear anybody use the perfect tense because it sounds too formal. Nine times out of 10, you will hear the simple past tense. I don't think this is true for British English.

Also, at least in American English, you would probably use Some instead of A:

Some stupid guy threw trash here.

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