iasadihTo complement such a sentence, it should be sufficient to presume a question it may answer:-Are you and Jack well acquainted?-I have seen him once at a party.
The simple past has to be used here. The present perfect sounds very odd for a once-off event, unless you are trying to remember the event, and groping in your brain for the memory. - Are you and Jack well acquainted?
1) Not really. I saw him once at a party about a year ago.
2) Not at all. I may have seen him once at a party, but that's all.
Okay, in case anyone has reached that far,
I have only seen him once (one time). I once (=there was a time when I) saw him laugh behind her back.
In the above sentences, once means different things. That's what I meant from the beginning, but proposed examples of sentences which did not sound very natural.
- Are you and Jack well acquainted?
1) Not really. I saw him once at a party about a year ago.
2) Not at all. I may have seen him once at a party, but that's all.
I have only seen him once (one time).
I once (=there was a time when I) saw him laugh behind her back.
In the above sentences, once means different things. That's what I meant from the beginning, but proposed examples of sentences which did not sound very natural.
Thanks everyone.
CJ
Yes