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Difference Between “Have Been,” “Has Been,” and “Had Been”?

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If you’ve been wondering about the difference between “had been,” “has been,” and “have been,” this guide simplifies their usage with clear explanations and examples. You can also get a mini quiz and exercise PDF at the end of this article.

Here’s a quick overview:

  • “Had been” refers to something that started and ended in the past. It is used in the past perfect tense.
  • “Have been” and “has been” describe something that began in the past and continues up to the present, or has just been completed. These are used in the present perfect tense.

Let’s break this down further.

1. “Had Been” Past Perfect Tense

The phrase “had been” is used to describe actions that:

  • Started in the past,
  • Continued for some time, and
  • Ended before another specific past event.

Key Points:

  • Used in the past perfect tense.
  • Applies to all subjects (I, you, he, she, it, we, they).

Examples:

→ They had been practicing for hours before the game started.(The practice happened and ended before the game began.)

→ The children had been excited about the trip until it was canceled.(The excitement started, continued for a while, and ended after the cancellation.)

Tip: Always think about two past events when using “had been.” The first action happens and ends before the second action begins.

Present perfect tense with simple example sentences and info-graphic
Present Perfect Tense

2. “Has Been” and “Have Been” (Present Perfect Tense)

Both “has been” and “have been” describe actions or states that:

  • Started in the past, and
  • Continue into the present or have recently ended.

Usage:

  • “Has been”: Used with third-person singular subjects (he, she, it, singular nouns).
  • “Have been”: Used with plural subjects: we, they, and the pronouns I and you.

Examples:

“Has been“:

→ The dog has been barking all night. (It started earlier and is ongoing or just finished.)

→ She has been studying hard for her exams. (The studying began earlier and goes up to the moment of speaking.)

“Have been“:

  • We have been planning the event for weeks. The planning started in the past and is ongoing.
  • I have been waiting for you since morning. The waiting started earlier and is continuing now.
see the difference between have been and had been
Difference between Have Been and Had Been

Quick Reference Table

TenseUsageExample
Has beenThird-person singular subjectsHe has been working since 8 AM.
Have beenI, you, we, they, plural nounsThey have been traveling for hours.
Had beenAll subjects, past perfectShe had been reading before the lights went out.

How to Use It Correctly

“Has Been” & “Have Been”

These are used in the present perfect continuous tense for the actions that are still going on or have just been completed:

  • Use “have been” with: I, you, we, they, and plural subjects.
  • Use “has been” with: he, she, it, and singular subjects.

Examples:

→ I have been studying all day. (Ongoing action)

→ He has been working on this project for months. (Ongoing action)

→ The children have been playing outside since morning. (Started earlier and continues now)

“Had Been”

Used in the past perfect tense for actions completed before another past event:

⇒ It applies to all subjects.

Examples:

→ They had been living in New York before they moved to California.

→ She had been feeling ill before the doctor arrived.

see which pronoun is used with have been, has been and had been
Have & Has & Had Been Pronouns Chart

Have & Has & Had Been Quiz

Complete the sentences with has been, have been, or had been:

  1. He ______ (work) at the company since 2010.
  2. They ______ (study) for hours before the exam started.
  3. I ______ (wait) here all morning.
  4. She __________ lived in New York for five years before moving to Los Angeles.
  5. You ____________ been very helpful throughout this project.

Check Your Answers:

1. has been working / 2. had been studying / 3. have been waiting / 4. had been living / 5. have been

You can also take a short quiz on the difference between Have Been, Has Been, Had Been here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Can “have been” and “has been” be used for the same situations?
A: Yes, both refer to actions that started in the past and continue into the present. However, “have been” is for plural or first/second-person pronouns (I, you, we, they), while “has been” is for third-person singular pronouns (he, she, it).

Q2: What’s the biggest difference between “had been” and “have been/has been”?
A: “Had been” is for actions that ended in the past, while “have been” and “has been” describe actions continuing into the present.

Q3: Can I download a PDF version of this guide?
A: Yes! You can download a PDF version of this explanation with more exercises down below.

Have Been, Has Been, Had Been Exercises

Have been, has been, had been difference with exercises and example sentences.

  1. Have Been, Has Been, Had Been Exercise PDF – download
  2. Have Been, Has Been, Had Been Lesson with Examples PDF – download 
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I’m so satisfied😊😊

31

Very nice

15

I’m very satisfied

16

These all content is very helpful for me. Thank you for your effort.

7

Can u please send me more exercise ? Do you have pdf?

26

very easy to lean english

4

Thank you

5

Very confusing yet very informational

3

Good one!!! Thanks..

5

its superb

1

Great post. Learned a lot in short time!

1

Please help.
The following sentence needs to be in the passive voice.
My bag had been stolen when I was on my way home. The thief was arrested shortly after. Is this correct? Or should it be “has been stolen” or “was stolen” Thanks

4

this is a useful practical exercise.

0

Very nice lessons. Recommend me more please.

0

It made me understand the concept very well , but would we nice if we get a chance to check our answers

2

Very useful!

2

I am so satisfied and pleased to get this exercise

1

Very useful..

0

I learned a lot.
Thank you 🙂

1

Really appreciated guys. have been, had been difference is easy for me now

1

I am understand now .. thanks

1

The lesson is very clear and it’s much helpful to easy understanding.
Thank you very much.✨😊😊👍

0

GOOD EXP

0

Understood thank you

1

It’s a really amazing post for me.

0

You have no idea how confusing this was to me. Thank you so much brother!

0

Good explanation

0

Thank you very much. Though it is not tough, but sometimes really confusing.

1

Satisfactory

0

Very nice

0

this is so nice. a good explanation plus gave you a quick quiz. Amazing <3

0

very helpful..also .like the way you identified examples

0

Thanks for the lesson. I learnt how to use have been, has been, had been easily!

0

i have been tried a lot to learn the use of “have/had been”.
finally i have learned with the help of this website.
very useful and easy to learn content i have seen ever.

1

Finally I have learned the difference between has been, had been, have been. Nice!

1

It is really nice to get information from learn English team.
It is informative especially the quiz amazing. Thank you.

1

You are welcome 🙂

0

👍

0

Has been is correct

1

Thanks for the lesson

1

got perfect score

0

These examples have been very helpful for me

Last edited 3 years ago by Gayan
1

It gave me confidence, very nice and easy to understand

0

good

0

I would like to join conversation group

1

I don’t know about had been and have been.. Finally I have clearly.. Thanks for this..

0

Very grateful thank you

0

Happy to help! 🙂

0

would make more sense if it had the result

0

Are you sure? The action hapoened and finished in the past. I mean, “when I WAS on my way home”, is the past simple. So, shouldn’t it be HAD BEEN?

2
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