As you delve deeper into English grammar, you will realize how the use of “has been” is crucial to the correct interpretation of a story. However, many students end up confusing this expression with “have been” or even “had been”. Do you know the difference between them?

Since topics related to grammar rules are usually the most feared by those who are learning English, it is understandable that there is some apprehension about this subject. But we can assure you: it is very simple to understand the right time to use each of these complements in your speech and, once you understand the function of each of them, there is no more mistake!

And if you are looking for content about English for beginners, we already have a publication with this theme here at blog, worth checking out!

Now, without further ado, let's learn!

Has been, had been and have been: why is there a difference?

There is a very small spelling difference between “has been”, “had been” and “have been”, right? However, this variation is enough for each of these versions to modify the verb tense of the sentence in which it is included, and this is why, in English, we have different contexts for using each of the terms.

These complements are parts of sentences formed in Past Perfect Continuous or not Present Perfect Continuous. Therefore, even if you don't know the rest of the conversation, using “had been” or “has been” will allow you to understand the verb tense of each action.

Remember the Past and the Present Perfect Continuous

CCAA Past Perfect Continuous is the verbal tense that expresses the idea of something that was happening in the past before another action that had already occurred. In other words, sentences created using this model suggest an order of events that began and ended previously.

Another possibility is to use this time to talk about something that ended very shortly before you formed the sentence.

In return, the Present Perfect Continuous It is the verb tense that indicates an idea that began in the past, but is still happening in the present. Therefore, this option is used to demonstrate something still incomplete, which continued up until the moment of speech.

This is just a summary of these ways of expressing an action, but there are several English verb tenses which we have already explained in more detail and which you need to know to further refine your communication skills in the language.

When to use “has been”?

“Has been” is used in sentences with Present Perfect Continuous, and it helps with the idea of continuity that is characteristic of this verb tense. Therefore, whenever you want to express an action that began before the moment you speak, but has not yet finished, or something that ended a few moments ago, your sentence should have the following structure:

Subject + has/have been + main verb with the particle “-ing”

The “-ing” is the way to grammatically identify, in English, that something is happening, which corresponds to the gerund in the Portuguese language.. Now “been” is the conjugation of the verb to be, that is in list of irregular english verbs and has a completely different form in other tenses.

In some situations, you will have to replace “has” with “have” in your sentences, and there is also a grammatical rule for these situations. Let’s take a look?

Using “have” instead of “has”

“Have” is used when the subject of the sentence is I, we, you or they. The sentence structure follows the same, with the inclusion of the subject, “have been” and the main verb in the gerund. Therefore, “has” is used in sentences that use the 3rd person singular, which are he, she or it.

See some example sentences with the has/have been:

• I have been talking to her for the last hour (I've been talking to her for the last hour);
• She has been playing tennis all afternoon (She has been playing tennis all afternoon);
• You haven't been talking to him (You haven't spoken to him);
• He hasn't been studying (He hasn't been studying);
• Have they been waiting for six hours? (Have they been waiting for six hours?);
• Has she been driving for three hours? (She has been driving for three hours?).

When should I use “had been”?

“Had been” is used in sentences in Past Perfect Continuous, which is when you want to express an action that happened in the past and was in progress when another began. In the same way, you should use this supporting verb to talk about situations that are causes of another event that is also in the past.

The structure of these sentences is very similar to the one we explained previously and should be put together as follows:

Subject + had been + main verb with the particle “-ing” + complement

In this case there is no differentiation when we talk about the 3rd person singular or the other subjects. However, As this type of sentence aims to talk about the duration of the action, it is common for the complement to be something like “for x minutes” or “for x hours”.

Check out some examples of the use of “had been” in the affirmative, negative and interrogative moods!

• We had been waiting for two hours when Maria finally arrived (We had been waiting for two hours when Maria finally arrived);
• I had not been driving for half an hour before I had the accident (I hadn't been driving for half an hour when I had the accident);
• You had been studying English for six months before going on the exchange program? (Have you been studying English for six months before going on exchange?).

So, did you learn how to use “has been”, “have been” and “had been” correctly? Here at blog With CCAA, you can learn many other contents and take a step closer to fluency in another language. And to find out how much you are already mastering in this language, take the free placement test in our website!