perfective vs. imperfective

[milos-dimitrov.livejournal.com]

i'm trying to better understand verb forms and i was wondering if anyone could help me understand the different implications of these questions:

Ты посмотрел/смотрел этот фильм?
Ты позвонил/звонил домой сегодня?
Ты прочитал/читал эту книгу?
На прошлой неделе он заболел/болел?

Comments

[alex-mashin.livejournal.com]

In questions and negative sentences in past tense, meanings of perfective and imperfective aspects are close. The imperfective aspect implies the adverb "ever", while perfective, "already".
The distinction is subtle and is in the asker's attitude rather than in the meaning: by using perfective aspect, the asker says he expects the action to be carried out, i.e., because he has previously requested it.

[archaicos.livejournal.com]

+1. In the perfective form of these questions the expectation is implied.