"I was out of office" vs "I had been out of office"

Question

"I was out of office" vs "I had been out of office"

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'I was out of office' is used to indicate a past action or state of being, while 'I had been out of office' is used to indicate a past action or state that occurred before another past action. They are not directly comparable as they serve different purposes.

Last Updated: March 28, 2024

This phrase is used to inform someone that you were not in the office at a specific time in the past.

Examples:

I was out of office last week due to a family emergency.
She couldn't reach me because I was out of office on vacation.
Sorry for the delay in responding, I was out of office for a few days.
I was out of office when the client called, but I will get back to them soon.
During the meeting, I was out of office dealing with another urgent matter.

This phrase is used when you want to convey that you were not in the office for a period of time that ended before another specified past event.

Examples:

I had been out of office for a week before I received your message.
By the time I returned, I had been out of office for two days.
She realized she had been out of office during the crucial meeting.
Before the project deadline, I had been out of office due to illness.
The team had been out of office for training when the issue arose.

Answer 1

I was out of office

This phrase is correct and commonly used to indicate a past action or state of being.

Answer 2

I had been out of office

This phrase is correct and is used to indicate a past action that occurred before another past action.

"I was out of office" vs "I had been out of office"

I was out of office

I had been out of office

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