How To Use “Have Been” and “Had Been” In English?

How To Use “Have Been” and “Had Been” In English?

How To Use Have Been and Had Been In English?

Larisa Chakarova

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Let Larisa Chakarova shows you what is the difference between “have been” and “had been”? How To Use “Have Been” and “Had Been” In English?  

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Smart Brains Spotlight Selection How To Use Have Been and Had Been In English?

How To Use “Have Been” and “Had Been” In English?

Thanks, Larisa Chakarova and Quora.

How To Use “Have Been” and “Had Been” In English?

Larisa Chakarova

How To Use “Have Been” and “Had Been” In English?

How can I become fluent in English?

How To Use “Have Been” and “Had Been” In English?

How To Use “Have Been” and “Had Been” In English?

Answer by Larisa Chakarova (Founder of @brilliantatenglish.com, 21 years as a teacher of English, M.A English, Southwest University). All credit goes to Larisa Chakarova, Thank you!

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How To Use “Have Been” and “Had Been” In English?

QUESTION: What is the difference between have been and had been?

Thank you, youtube –  Team Lyqa.

Have been is in the present perfect tense.

We use it for:

1. ACTIONS THAT HAPPENED AT AN UNSPECIFIED MOMENT IN THE PAST

Example:

• I have seen this film.

2. GENERAL EXPERIENCE ( often with ever and never)

Example:

• Have you ever tried Chinese food?
• I have never tried Chinese food.

3. RECENTLY COMPLETED ACTIONS THE RESULT OF WHICH IS VISIBLE OR IMPORTANT NOW (often with just, already, yet).

We use just and already in positive sentences between have/has and the past participle. We use yet in negative and interrogative sentences at the end of the sentence.

Example: 

• I have just made my bed.
• He has already done the shopping.
• Have you cooked the pizza yet?
• They haven’t arrived yet.

4. ACTIONS THAT STARTED IN THE PAST AND CONTINUE UP TO NOW ( usually with since and for)

The Present Perfect is used for actions that started in the past and continue up now with state verbs and in negative sentences. State verbs express feelings, states and emotions rather than actions ( believe, imagine, like, know, want, think, love, hate etc.)

We use since before a stated moment in the past ( since yesterday/2005/last year etc). We use for before a period of time ( for three years/ ten minutes/ six hours etc)

Example: 

• I have known him since 2001.
• I have known him for 18 years.
• I haven’t played computer games since last week.
• I haven’t played computer games for seven days.

You can try the quiz here

Had been is in the past perfect tense.

We use it :

1. For an action which happened before another action in the past

We use the Past Perfect Simple Tense to talk about an action or event which happened before another past action or before a stated time in the past.

Example:

• I had tidied my room before I went out.
• She had seen this film.

2.  For an action which finished in the past and whose result was visible in the past

Example:

• Martin had broken his arm and couldn’t play volleyball.

Time words used with the past perfect tense: before, after, just, already, yet, since, for, till, until, when, by the time etc.

Please note that the past perfect shows the chronological order of the events and is usually used together with the past simple. The first action is in past perfect and the action after it is in past simple.

Example:

• When the police arrived (2nd action), the thief had already run away ( 1st action)
• I had washed the dishes (1st action) before I went to bed. (2nd action)

You can try the quiz here

Reference: Larisa Chakarova.  “What is the difference between have been and had been?” originally appeared on Quora, the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Top English Self Study Tips You Don’t Want to Miss

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