What’s the difference: "I didn’t do anything" vs "I haven’t done anything"
Imagine the following scenario:
I looked at a girl and gave her a smile. My friend next to me has put a serious look on his face and is staring at me. I turn to my friend and figured that I'd say one of these two versions, but I don’t know which.
- I didn’t do anything.
- I haven’t done anything.
Which of those is better and when? Is either one actually wrong, or do they mean different things?
What about these others:
- I’ve done nothing.
- I did nothing.
Or even these:
- I wasn’t doing anything.
- I was doing nothing.
Solution 1:
One way to compare subtlely similar phrases is to look at a scenario where only one of them makes sense, as in:
I haven't been doing anything. (OK)
I didn't doing anything. (WRONG)
I wasn't doing anything. (OK)
So clearly "haven't" can be used for ongoing action whereas "didn't" cannot.
Apart from that, they are usually best used to match the question:
What have you done? I haven't done anything.
What did you do? I didn't do anything.
In answer to your question, if you were responding to a non-verbal cue, I would say either is as good as the other.