We had eaten vs We have eaten

Both "we had eaten" and "we have eaten" are correct, but they are used in different contexts. "We had eaten" is used to talk about a past action that occurred before another past action, while "we have eaten" is used to talk about a past action that has relevance to the present.

Last updated: March 22, 2024 • 3405 views

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

"We had eaten"

Use "we had eaten" when you want to talk about a past action that happened before another past action. It is often used in past perfect tense to show the sequence of events.

Examples:

By the time we arrived, we had eaten all the food.
She realized she had eaten too much when she felt sick.
Before the movie started, we had eaten dinner.
I had eaten breakfast before I left for work.
They had eaten at the restaurant before, so they knew the food was good.

Show examples from the web [+]

We had eaten everything we possibly could, and were one step away from starvation
We had eaten dinner and gone dancing before the trip.
Our lips swollen from the quantity of mandarins we had eaten.
Mr President, in politics, we have to learn to wait... for years, we have been asking here for a zero rate and everybody thought we had eaten too much British-made animal feed!

Alternatives:

we had finished eating
we had consumed
we had dined
we had partaken of the meal
we had ingested

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to indicate a past action that has relevance to the present.

"We have eaten"

Use "we have eaten" when you want to talk about a past action that is connected to the present moment. It is often used in present perfect tense to show a completed action with present relevance.

Examples:

We have eaten at that restaurant before.
I can't believe we have eaten all the cake already.
Have you eaten lunch yet?
She has eaten so much that she feels sick.
They have eaten all the snacks.

Show examples from the web [+]

We have eaten no meat for several days.
We have eaten and drunk the same things since we got to Grimpen, apart from one thing.
Now that we have eaten up, let's go.
I know it's rude to say something before we have eaten, so I will keep it short.
Because of the famine, we have eaten everything: horses, dogs, cats.
I want to empty my stomach of all this junk we have eaten.
We have eaten them all, thee and me.
We have eaten horse before, Captain Baillie, when we were desperate sailors at war and in need of provision.
This is a magnificent, impressive fish, which has been fished for centuries and which we have eaten for centuries.
We have eaten the majority of our stores, our best men are sick with fever, the rest will soon breed mutiny.

Alternatives:

we have finished eating
we have consumed
we have dined
we have partaken of the meal
we have ingested

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We had eaten vs We have eaten

"We had eaten"

"We have eaten"

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