Word Lab
didn't hear · haven't heard
Usage — not pronunciation
The rule
Both are grammatically correct, but they signal different things about timing and relevance to now. "I haven't heard back from Chris" (present perfect) treats the situation as still open — you're still waiting, and might still hear from him. "I didn't hear back from Chris" (simple past) treats it as a finished, closed event, often tied to a specific past time period — the window has closed.
Quick tip
Quick test: if you'd naturally add "yet" or "so far," use present perfect ("haven't heard"). If you'd naturally add a specific past time frame ("by Friday," "last week"), use simple past ("didn't hear").
Present perfect — still open, still waiting
Simple past — closed, finished
Full breakdown
This isn't just about "hear" — it's the general difference between the present perfect and the simple past in English. Present perfect (have/has + past participle) connects a past action to the present moment: the situation still matters right now, or might still change. Simple past treats the action as complete and detached from the present, often anchored to a specific finished time frame, whether stated explicitly ("yesterday," "last week," "by Friday") or just implied by context.
A reliable signal: words like "yet," "already," "so far," "ever," and "never" pair naturally with present perfect, while a specific past time marker ("yesterday," "in 2020," "last week") requires simple past — you can say "I heard from him yesterday" but never "I have heard from him yesterday." So: still waiting and it's still relevant → "I haven't heard back from Chris." Over and done with → "I didn't hear back from Chris (by the deadline)."
How teachers explain this
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