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Grammar

Speakers of American English generally use the present perfect tense ( have/has + past participle ) far less than speakers of British English. In spoken American English, it is very common to use the simple past tense as an alternative in situations where the present perfect would usually have been used in British English.

1. In sentences which talk about an action in the past that has an effect in the present:

Jenny feels ill. She ate too much. ( AmE )

Jenny feels ill. She's eaten too much. ( BrE )

I can't find my keys. Did you see them anywhere? ( AmE )

I can't find my keys. Have you seen them anywhere? ( BrE )

2. In sentences which contain the words already , just or yet :

A: Are they going to the show tonight?

B: No. They already saw it. ( AmE )

A: Are they going to the show tonight?

B: No. They've already seen it. ( BrE )

A: Is Samantha here?

B: No, she just left. ( AmE )

A: Is Samantha here?

B: No, she's just left. ( BrE )

A: Can I borrow your book?

B: No, I didn't read it yet. ( AmE )

A: Can I borrow your book?

B: No, I haven't read it yet. ( BrE )

Use of delexical verbs have and take

In British English, the verb have frequently functions as what is technically referred to as a delexical verb, i.e. it is used in contexts where it has very little meaning in itself but occurs with an object noun which describes an action, e.g.

I'd like to have a bath.

Have is frequently used in this way with nouns referring to common activities such as washing or resting, e.g.