It has never been easy vs It was never easy

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'It has never been easy' is used to talk about a situation that continues to be difficult up to the present moment. 'It was never easy' is used to describe a situation that was difficult in the past but may not necessarily be difficult now.

Last updated: April 04, 2024 • 350 views

It has never been easy

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to describe a situation that continues to be difficult up to the present moment.

This phrase is used to emphasize that something has always been difficult and remains so. It indicates a continuous state of difficulty.

Examples:

Dealing with this problem has never been easy.
Learning a new language has never been easy for me.
Managing a team has never been easy for him.
It has never been easy to make a decision.
She has never been easy to please.

Show examples from the web [+]

It has never been easy for me.
SAN FRANCISCO - It has never been easy to have a rational conversation about the value of gold.
It has never been easy for us to live anywhere
It has never been easy to accept the Gospel teaching in its entirety, and it never will be.
In United Kingdom, it has never been easy to find online loan service without credit check.
It has never been easy for me having Alexander on board.

Alternatives:

It has always been difficult
It has consistently been challenging
It has perpetually been a struggle
It has continuously been hard
It has persistently been tough

It was never easy

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to describe a situation that was difficult in the past but may not necessarily be difficult now.

This phrase is used to indicate that something was difficult at a specific point in the past and implies that the difficulty may have changed or no longer exists.

Examples:

It was never easy to understand his point of view.
She said it was never easy to find a good job.
It was never easy to get along with him.
Learning to ride a bike was never easy for me.
It was never easy to admit when I was wrong.

Show examples from the web [+]

It was never easy to write, but it was always possible, you know?
It was never easy to live away from my family and of course it's a lot difficult to live with other people with a very different point of view from me and a very different culture.
In fact, it was never easy.
It was never easy.
It was never easy, Jack.
It was never easy, and it is not easy today, to the point that an authoritative French journalist and historian has recently written an important book on this matter (Bernarde Lecomte, Pourquoi le pape a mauvaise presse.
He needed the time to understand and accept himself first before coming out to us, he explained, but it was never easy.
It was never easy.

Alternatives:

It used to be difficult
It was consistently challenging
It was perpetually a struggle
It was continuously hard
It was persistently tough

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