I saw a dog.
I have seen a dog.
What are the differences between them?
Did these events happen on the same day?
Answer
Sometimes they can mean the same thing, especially in US varieties of English. Sometimes we would use the first (simple past) when the consequences or result of the act of seeing are not particularly relevant to a current situation, and the second (present perfect) when such a connection is in operation.
There are many other factors, some very nuanced and subtle, which may determine if we must or would tend to use one over the other.
As with English grammar generally, the simple, more basic rules are worth learning, but we will best learn to make the correct choices more and more often by immersing ourselves in the language rather than trying to memorize myriad complex rules, and then retreive and use them while producing language--an impossible and endlessly frustrating undertaking.
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