i thought he might be busy. vs i thought he might have been busy.

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in slightly different contexts. "I thought he might be busy" is used when you are talking about a current or ongoing situation, while "I thought he might have been busy" is used when you are referring to a past situation. The choice between the two depends on the timeframe you are discussing.

Last updated: March 20, 2024 • 7366 views

i thought he might be busy.

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase is used when you are talking about a current or ongoing situation. It implies that you had a thought about his busyness at that moment.

Examples:

I thought he might be busy, so I didn't want to disturb him.
She thought he might be busy with work, so she didn't call him.
They thought he might be busy preparing for the meeting.
We thought he might be busy studying for his exams.
He thought he might be busy running errands.

Show examples from the web [+]

Dec 15, 2010 ... So I thought he might be busy. So I'll wait until the next day. And still nothing. So I texted him around 1pm and still didn't get a reply. :/ Could he ...
Feb 3, 2015 ... Today i did not disturb Vickrham Vicky because last night he lost his uncle ( His friends father expired ) so i thought he might be busy with the ...
But one day he didn't come I thought he might be busy with something. And the days passed away I couldn't see him. I thought he is fed up of coming after me.
I walked by his office one day and the door was open and I didn't speak as I thought he might be busy. He was not to busy to call me back and ask why I didn't ...

Alternatives:

I thought he could be busy.
I thought he may be busy.
I thought he might have something to do.
I thought he might not be available.
I thought he might have plans.

i thought he might have been busy.

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase is used when you are referring to a past situation. It implies that you had a thought about his busyness at a specific point in the past.

Examples:

I thought he might have been busy yesterday, that's why he didn't answer the phone.
She thought he might have been busy with his family last weekend.
They thought he might have been busy working on the project.
We thought he might have been busy traveling.
He thought he might have been busy attending a conference.

Show examples from the web [+]

I thought he might have been busy that day so I went a few more times and the time he spent with me only got shorter with each visit. THERE ARE SO MANY ...

Alternatives:

I thought he could have been busy.
I thought he may have been busy.
I thought he might have had something to do.
I thought he might not have been available.
I thought he might have had plans.

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i thought he might be busy. vs i thought he might have been busy.