While the present perfect continuous can also refer to a completed action, there is still a greater degree of continuity with the present. In contrast, the present perfect continuous tense emphasizes the continuation of an action ( source). The main difference between the present perfect tense and the present perfect continuous is that the present perfect tense focuses on a completed action. We can also use “has been” to refer to repeated or recurring events that continued until the present. When it is complete, we call it the “present perfect” because the results are visible in the present, even though the action has ceased ( source). We use “has been” to indicate something that someone started in the past and finished (perfected) in the recent past or is still ongoing. “Has been” means that someone or something was in the act of doing something or in a particular circumstance or location. Thus, “has been” is in the present perfect continuous or progressive tense, while “had been” is the past perfect continuous or progressive tense. If we do not follow “has been” or “have been” with another participle, they are in the present perfect tense, while “had been” is in the past perfect tense.īy adding another participle after the past participle “been,” we form the present perfect and past perfect continuous tenses. Thus, for example, “Has been” or “Had been” belong to the perfect tense and perfect progressive/continuous tense. Grammarians further categorize each of these - past, present, and future tenses - into simple, progressive, perfect, and perfect progressive tenses. These are the past (something that has happened), the present (something that is still happening), and the future tense (something that will happen), respectively.

In the English language, we usually use three primary verb tenses to indicate an action according to the time frame in which it occurred. The perfect tense indicates an action that someone or something has completed (perfected). Meanwhile, we can use “have been” for the present perfect or future perfect tenses ( source). “Has been” is in the present perfect or present perfect continuous tense, while “had been” is in the past perfect or past perfect continuous tense. If you have “been” somewhere, that means you have gone to that place or been in that circumstance. “Has been” and “had been” are perfect tense forms that combine the auxiliary verbs “has” or “had” with the past participle of “be,” which is “been” ( source). We use “have” with first- and second-person pronouns, like “I” and “you.” “Has” is the present tense form that goes with third-person singular nouns, like “he,” “she,” and “it.” Meanwhile, “had” is the past tense form as well as the past participle of “have,” and it works with all of the pronouns.įor more on using the auxiliary verbs “have” and “had,” make sure you take a look at the article “ Have Run or Had Run: When to Use the Proper Past Tense.” When to Use “Has Been” or “Had Been” As an auxiliary verb, we use “has,” “had,” or “have” with past participles to form the present perfect, past perfect, or future perfect tense ( source). “Has” and “had” are forms of the verb “have,” which as a transitive verb means to possess or hold. This article will cover the details surrounding when we should use “has been” or “had been.” We’ll provide a few examples of constructing sentences in the present perfect, past perfect, and their continuous tenses. “Had been” is used in the past perfect tense to emphasize a completed action that began in the past, and the past perfect continuous emphasizes the duration. “Has been” is only used with third-person nouns or pronouns to indicate an action that started in the past and either finished in the recent past (present perfect) or continued for a period (present perfect continuous). For example, when we try to talk about an action that occurred for some time and was ongoing, is it “has been” or “had been”? In the English language, it is important to understand the proper use of the perfect tenses.

Past perfect tense