You worked for a long time. You must be very tired. vs You were working for a long time you must be very tired.

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. The first phrase 'you worked for a long time. you must be very tired.' is used to talk about a completed action in the past, while the second phrase 'you were working for a long time you must be very tired.' is used to describe an ongoing action in the past. The choice between the two depends on whether you want to emphasize the completion of the action or the ongoing nature of the action.

Last updated: March 22, 2024 • 1719 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to talk about a completed action in the past.

"You worked for a long time. You must be very tired."

This phrase is used to describe a situation where someone has completed working for a long time and is likely tired as a result.

Show examples from the web [+]

It was a good marriage, wasn't perfect, but it worked for a long time.
No, I've worked here for a long time.
Parliament will make every effort to ensure that this region is rebuilt when the time comes, and I also see this commitment in Emma Bonino, in Mr van den Broek and in others with whom we have worked for a long time.
This task force... we have a handful of cases linked to the Solanos, cases that we've worked for a long time.
You worked for him for a long time.
You must stand still for a long time.
And you must have planned it for a long time.
You've worked with Beth for a long time.
I gave you the courtesy of this talk... because you worked for me a long time.
Look, I worked for his family for a long time.
He worked for my father for a long time.
You must have been doing this for a long time.
Darling, you must've known about this for a long time.
There is a heavy traffic jam, you must have waited for a long time.
The Greek intervention agency has held some paddy rice for a long time.
The room has been empty for a long time.
The phone rang for a long time.
He kept me waiting for a long time.
They kept us waiting outside for a long time.
They made me wait for a long time.

Alternatives:

You worked for a long time, so you must be very tired.
You must be very tired after working for such a long time.

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to describe an ongoing action in the past.

"You were working for a long time you must be very tired."

This phrase is used to emphasize the continuous nature of the action of working for a long time in the past, leading to the conclusion that the person must be very tired.

Show examples from the web [+]

But your institute has been working for a long time very closely with firms like Pharmaseidon and Bioxern, who certainly have an entirely different interest in this matter.
Sweden has been working for a long time to reduce the use of chemicals that are hazardous to health and the environment and to ban the most dangerous ones from the market.
In this regard, and so that this action does not go unnoticed, I think we need to make use of all the institutions at local, regional and national level that have been working for a long time to promote the educational value of sport.
This is a project I've been working on for a long time, And it's very important to me, Therefore it will be very important to you.
I stopped working for you a long time ago, vance.
You've been working for house for a long time.
Working with someone for a long time you're bound to be influenced in some way.
I've been working here for a long time and I never lost anything.
And you were out for a long time.
You were in the bathroom for a long time.
You were gone for a long time, Elizabeth.
You were on phone with Kevin for a long time.
You were out there for a long time.
Abed, you were by the coffin for a long time.
I mean, you were dead for a long time.
You were lost at sea for a long time.
When you've been married for a long time you have this history.
And for a long time, at the beginning of season 2, it was like we were working on two different shows.
This guy's been working for me for a long time, and l...
You've been working nights a long time.

Alternatives:

You must be very tired because you were working for a long time.
You were working for a long time, so you must be very tired now.

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You worked for a long time. You must be very tired. vs You were working for a long time you must be very tired.