Is using the present perfect old fashioned?

I was talking to a Singaporean (English is her native language. I think, closer to American rather than British) friend.

I learned in English class that you can use present perfect when there is a connection with present. So the discussion was something like that. I was trying to use present perfect correctly.

A: Have you been to French class today?

B: Yes I have. I went this morning.

But she told me it's an old fashion way of using present perfect. And no one uses it like that, at least not in the US and Singapore. She would use past simple there.

A: Did You go to French class today?

Is it wrong to use the present perfect here or do I look stupid if I use it?

It wouldn't be wrong to say "Did you go to French Class today?", nor would it make you look stupid. Your friend is wrong though. There is nothing old-fashioned about using a perfect tense where a perfect tense is needed.

In your example, it would depend on the circumstances. "Did you go to French class today?" is seeking information and nothing more. "Have you been to French class today?" is important in the present - maybe you want to know what you have missed, or help with homework.

You are right and your friend is wrong.

For instance, look at the following sentences and at the explanations below to understand the difference between present perfect and past simple:

(a) Past simple: I lived in Florence for five years (... but I do not live there anymore.)

(b) Present perfect: I have lived in Florence for five years (... and I still live there now.)

(c) Past simple: I broke my glasses ... (but it does not matter. I repaired them.)

(d) Present perfect: I have broken my glasses ... (and so I can't see properly now.)

You probably learned the difference between (a) and (b) years ago: one of the differences between past simple and past perfect is the 'time' of the verb, i.e. when it happened. The difference between (c) and (d) is harder to understand.

In (c) and (d), 'time', i.e. when the verb happened, is not really what separates the two sentences; it is possible that both (c) and (d) happened last month, this morning, or one second ago. What is important is that the event in (d) is considered more relevant to the situation now than the event in (c), which is why it is given in the present perfect.

That said, let us consider the first sentence "I sent you a letter a few days ago, I was wondering if you have received it." Here the person who asks the question would seem interested to talk about what he or she wrote in the letter. (Lett. 'd' in my example.)

In the sentence "I sent you a letter a few days ago, I was wondering if you received it," the person who asks the question wants to make sure himself or herself that the letter is being received. (Lett. 'c' in my example.)

In my personal opinion, it's more elegant to use "have been" sometimes, and I actually think it could come off as being more polite if you are talking with an acquaintance, co-worker, or stranger. Using the past simple sounds a little more casual to me - not always, but sometimes.

I always liked using "have been"s in my sentences. Habit, I guess. But I did have some American teachers who frowned upon using it too much - especially in essay reports. Especially this one teacher I had in high school. You wouldn't believe how many times my sentences would be "corrected" by her, only to be reworded to be in the past simple form. Come to think of it, I still don't know why she kept changing it. Oh well.

Anyway, my point is, if your friend learned English mainly through school, she might think it's wrong or old-fashioned if she had teachers like mine and it's been ingrained in her head that she can't use it.