i was working vs I've been working

Both "I was working" and "I've been working" are correct, but they are used in different contexts. "I was working" is used to talk about a specific past action that happened at a particular time in the past. On the other hand, "I've been working" is used to talk about an action that started in the past and is still continuing or has just been completed.

Last updated: March 31, 2024 • 1041 views

i was working

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to talk about a specific past action that happened at a particular time in the past.

Use "I was working" to describe an action that occurred at a specific time in the past. It indicates that the action was ongoing at that time.

Examples:

I was working on my project when you called.
She was working at the office yesterday.
They were working on the assignment all night.

Show examples from the web [+]
Last updated: November 09, 2024

Feb 2, 2016 ... "I worked today" means that the person is now done working but worked earlier in the day. "I was working today" might mean the same thing ...
Jun 11, 2024 ... I lost some updates on the files I was working with, after a computer crash.
I Was Working: Poems. Ariel Yelen. A remarkable book of poems that ... It wasn't / okay, thus my work flourished.” Despite such discontents, I Was Working ...
2 days ago ... Back when I was working at Taco Bell, I was able to attend my first food shoot. Because of that and working in advertising for many years, ...
Jun 30, 2024 ... Just now, i was working on a REF of a character I made. I'm not too familiar with FireAlpaca since I recently downloaded it and this was the ...
Sep 12, 2023 ... The recent section never shows 'recent' files. I can never find the files I was working on yesterday or day before. I would like the recent ...
Jul 29, 2024 ... Iron Warriors Gloriana I was working on b4 someone broke into my house and stole my pc (no backups sadly).... Idk if i`ll ever try making ...
Mar 23, 2019 ... My Draft email disappeared while I was working on it. Please HELP! I was composing my draft email. It had been saved at various times. It ...
Jan 25, 2024 ... RescueTime sent me an unwanted notification while I was working ... Rescue Time sent me a notification just now inviting me to a “guided focus ...
Feb 13, 2024 ... One told that it is incorrect because the past continuous needs some additional context like "I was working for two hours when I saw her".

Alternatives:

I worked
I was doing work
I was in the middle of working
I was engaged in work
I was occupied with work

I've been working

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to talk about an action that started in the past and is still continuing or has just been completed.

Use "I've been working" to describe an action that started in the past and is still ongoing or has just been completed. It emphasizes the duration or continuity of the action.

Examples:

I've been working on this project for hours.
She's been working at the company for five years.
They've been working on the assignment since morning.

Alternatives:

I have been working
I have been doing work
I have been engaged in work
I have been occupied with work
I have been laboring

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i was working vs I've been working

i was working

I've been working

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