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he has been vs he had been

Both "he has been" and "he had been" are correct, but they are used in different contexts. "He has been" is used to indicate a present perfect tense, showing an action that started in the past and continues into the present. On the other hand, "he had been" is used in past perfect tense, indicating an action that was completed before another past action. So, the choice between the two depends on the timeframe you are referring to.

Last updated: March 25, 2024 • 811 views

he has been

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to indicate a present perfect tense.

Use "he has been" to talk about an action that started in the past and continues into the present. For example, "He has been working here for five years."

Examples:

He has been studying English for two hours.
She has been living in London since 2010.
They have been waiting for the bus for half an hour.
I have been feeling tired lately.
The team has been practicing hard for the competition.

Show examples from the web [+]

Since then he has been repeatedly arrested and detained under various pretexts.
He said that he has been instrumental in helping us solve crimes.
Police believe he has been wounded and may be in a serious condition.
That he has been kidnapped by a relative.
Until now, the camping he has been wonderful.
Also, he has been seen in the city.
But he has been tried and convicted.
After a formal complaint by the Polish Ambassador, he has been suspended on full pay.
But he has been fairly explicit on this subject.
I know that he has been in direct contact with Motaba patients.
It seems as if he has been waylaid.
In that, he has been most able.
For his entire life he has been deeply committed to investigation, insight and innovation.
Consul, he has been remarkably peaceable.
Now that he has been deposed, I am anti-Fascist.
But he has been taken to the most splendid hospital in all Kabul.
Well he has been caught for trying to sell stuffs.
It seems he has been defeated, his men routed.
Naturally, he has been debriefed by the CIA.
These fresh wounds indicate that he has been beaten while in detention.

Alternatives:

He is
He is being
He was
He will be
He had been

he had been

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to indicate a past perfect tense.

Use "he had been" to talk about an action that was completed before another past action. For example, "He had been studying before he went to bed."

Examples:

He had been waiting for hours when she finally arrived.
She had been working at the company for ten years before she got promoted.
They had been dating for a year before they got engaged.
I realized he had been lying to me all along.
By the time I got there, he had been gone for hours.

Show examples from the web [+]

They brought this guy in last night and he had been had asthma.
We learned much later that he had been shot.
If he had been happy, he might have become a snob.
He'd have beaten you If he had been healthy.
But he had been here before after breaking his ankle.
...Fair play for Cuba, a pro-Castro organization, where he had been arrested on disturbance of the peace charges.
Maybe he had been to another dimension before.
Previously he had been a radio journalist and editor of various papers.
If he had been free, he would have gone fishing.
Ironically, he had been in court all week, testifying.
The night before, he had been accosted
Vaughn had only one prior, and he had been straight for five years.
I mean, unless he had been a little nicer at the beach.
I wanted to see if he had been admitted or if...
You know, if he had been buried, he'd be covered in dirt.
And it's unlikely he would still have trace amounts of pollen on him unless he had been in the Yucatán sometime in the last few days.
He wanted everyone to think he had been killed.
He later admitted that he had been hired by the host to mingle and encourage people to bid on the silent auction.
- Suppose he had been with a woman?
Last night, he had been dead for two weeks.

Alternatives:

He was
He had
He has
He will have been
He is being

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