When you state a quantity — a number, an amount, a total — you are doing more than just describing an action. You are measuring. And the question of which tense to use depends entirely on the same principle you have already learned: is the period of time in which that quantity was accumulated still open, or is it closed?
Think of it like a running total on a scoreboard. If the game is still in progress, the scoreboard is being updated — the total can still change. If the game is over, the scoreboard is frozen. The Present Perfect keeps the scoreboard running. The Past Simple freezes it.
Quantities over a person's entire life or career use the Present Perfect as long as the person is still alive and active. The period is still open — more achievements are possible. This is why we talk about what an author has written, what an athlete has won, or how many countries someone has visited in their lifetime using the Present Perfect.
If the person has retired, died, or is no longer active, the period closes — and you switch to the Past Simple: Shakespeare wrote thirty-seven plays. Picasso painted over 20,000 works.
Questions about quantities follow the same open/closed rule:
✗ She has won two medals at last year's championships. · They have scored eight goals last season. · We have sold two hundred tickets last month.
✓ She won two medals at last year's championships. · They scored eight goals last season. · We sold two hundred tickets last month.
A quantity does not automatically trigger the Present Perfect. The tense is still decided by the time period, not by the number. The words last year's, last season, last month all signal a closed period — the total is final. Use the Past Simple for all quantities accumulated within a closed time period, regardless of how large or impressive the number is.
✗ She wrote three novels in her career. (implies she has retired or died) · He broke three records in the past two years. (implies he has stopped competing)
✓ She has written three novels in her career. (she is still writing) · He has broken three records in the past two years. (he is still competing)
When you describe a total accumulated over someone's career or lifetime, the tense signals whether the period is still open. The Present Perfect says: this total may still grow. The Past Simple says: this is the final count — the period is over. Using the Past Simple for a living, active person's career total sounds like you are announcing their retirement or death. Always check: is the career/life still in progress?
✗ She writes three novels in her career. · I send thirty emails today. · How many countries does he visit in his lifetime?
✓ She has written three novels in her career. · I have sent thirty emails today. · How many countries has he visited in his lifetime?
The Present Simple describes habits and permanent facts — things that are always true. It cannot express an accumulated total up to the present. For any quantity that has built up over time and is being counted up to now, you need the Present Perfect. The Present Simple gives no sense of accumulation or counting — it simply states a general truth.
✗ How many times did you see this movie? (implies you will never see it again — a closed life period) · How many times have you been there last year? (last year = closed — needs Past Simple)
✓ How many times have you seen this movie? (lifetime question — open period)
✓ How many times did you go there last year? (last year = closed period)
How many times have you...? asks about your total experience up to now — an open lifetime question. How many times did you...? asks about a specific closed period. Both are correct, but they mean different things. Use the Present Perfect when the period is open and the total is still potentially growing; use the Past Simple when the period is specifically defined and closed.