Have Been, Has Been, Had Been – Explained (PDF)

Many English learners confuse have been, has been, and had been. The good news is that the difference is much easier than it seems.

In this guide, you’ll learn when to use each form, understand the grammar rules, see real-life examples, avoid common mistakes, and test your knowledge with a short quiz. You can also download free printable PDF worksheets at the end of this lesson.

If you’re learning the Present Perfect Tense, this is one of the most important grammar points to master.

Quick Overview

Before we look at each form in detail, here’s a quick summary.

Remember: Have been and has been connect the past with the present, while had been connects two events in the past.

Visual Timeline

A simple timeline makes the difference much easier to understand.

Have Been / Has Been

PAST ------------------------------ NOW

Started in the past
──────────────────────────────────►
Still true or recently finished

Example: I have been studying English for five years.

Had Been

PAST ------------------- PAST EVENT

Started
──────────────► Ended
                │
                Another past event

Example: They had been waiting for an hour before the train finally arrived.

Have Been vs. Has Been

Both have been and has been belong to the Present Perfect Tense. They describe actions or situations that started in the past and are still true now or have only recently finished.

The only difference is the subject.

Sentence Pattern

Use these simple formulas to build correct sentences.

Present Perfect Continuous

Subject + have/has + been + verb (-ing)

• I have been reading this book all week.
• She has been studying since this morning.
• They have been working from home lately.

Present Perfect (State)

Subject + have/has + been + adjective / noun / prepositional phrase

• I have been busy all day.
• She has been sick for two days.
• They have been in London since Monday.

Teacher’s Tip: After have been or has been, you don’t always need a verb ending in -ing. They can also be followed by an adjective, a noun, or a place.

Common Time Expressions

These words are frequently used with have been and has been.

Real-Life Examples

At Work

• I have been working remotely since January.
• She has been leading the project for six months.

At School

• They have been preparing for their final exams.
• Our teacher has been giving us extra homework lately.

At Home

• We have been living in this apartment for ten years.
• My brother has been fixing his bicycle all afternoon.

Travel

• I have been visiting different countries every summer.
• They have been staying at the same hotel since Friday.

Next: In the next section, you’ll learn how had been works, why it refers to an earlier past action, and how to avoid the most common mistakes English learners make.

Had Been – When Do We Use It?

Had been belongs to the Past Perfect Tense. We use it to describe an action or situation that happened before another event in the past.

Unlike have been and has been, which connect the past with the present, had been only talks about the past. Think of it as telling the story of an earlier past action.

Sentence Pattern

Subject + had + been + verb (-ing)

• She had been studying for hours before the exam started.
• They had been waiting for nearly an hour before the train arrived.
• I had been working there for five years before I changed jobs.

Had Been with Adjectives

Subject + had + been + adjective / noun / prepositional phrase

• He had been sick for several days before he visited the doctor.
• The roads had been wet before the sun came out.
• We had been friends for years before we became business partners.

Teacher’s Tip: If your sentence contains before, by the time, when, or another past event, ask yourself which action happened first. That earlier action often uses had been.

Common Time Expressions with “Had Been”

These expressions often appear with had been.

Have Been vs. Had Been

These two forms often confuse English learners because both describe actions that began in the past. The key difference is when the action ends.

Have Been vs. Have Gone

Many learners also confuse been and gone. Although both are forms of the verb be, they have different meanings.

Examples

• I have been to London three times. (I’m not there now.)
• My parents have gone to London. (They are still there.)
• She has been to Japan twice.
• Our manager has gone to the head office.

Easy Rule: Been means “went and came back.” Gone means “went and hasn’t returned yet.”

Common Mistakes

Here are some mistakes that English learners frequently make.

Quick Cheat Sheet

Next: Test your understanding with printable exercises, sentence correction activities, a mini quiz, and downloadable PDF worksheets.

Practice Exercises

Now it’s time to practice what you’ve learned. Complete the exercises below before checking the answers.

Exercise 1 – Choose the Correct Form

Complete each sentence with have been, has been, or had been.

1. She __________ working here since 2021.
2. They __________ waiting for over an hour before the train arrived.
3. I __________ very busy this week.
4. He __________ studying all afternoon.
5. We __________ friends for many years.
6. The children __________ playing outside before it started raining.
7. My parents __________ married for over thirty years.
8. The company __________ growing rapidly in recent years.
9. You __________ very helpful today.
10. The students __________ preparing for the exam before the teacher entered the classroom.

Exercise 2 – Correct the Mistake

Each sentence contains one grammar mistake. Rewrite the sentence correctly.

1. He have been working here for five years.
2. She had been studying since this morning.
3. I has been waiting for you.
4. They have been went to Canada.
5. We had been living here since 2018. (Talking about now)

Exercise 3 – Complete the Conversation

Choose the best answer.

Emma: How long ________ you ________ English?

A) have / been studying

B) had / been studying

C) has / been studying

James: I ________ English for almost four years.

A) have been studying

B) had been studying

C) has been studying

Emma: Had you been studying before you moved to Australia?

James: Yes, I ________ online for nearly a year before I moved.

A) have been studying

B) had been studying

C) has been studying

Mini Quiz

Choose the correct answer.

1. He ________ at the company since January.
   • A) have been working
   • B) has been working
   • C) had been working
2. They ________ dinner before the guests arrived.
   • A) have been cooking
   • B) had been cooking
   • C) has been cooking
3. I ________ tired lately.
   • A) have been
   • B) had been
   • C) has been
4. She ________ in Paris three times.
   • A) has gone to
   • B) has been to
   • C) had been to
5. By the time we arrived, they ________ for almost two hours.
   • A) have been waiting
   • B) had been waiting
   • C) has been waiting

Answer Key

Exercise 1

1. has been
2. had been
3. have been
4. has been
5. have been
6. had been
7. have been
8. has been
9. have been
10. had been

Exercise 2

1. He has been working here for five years.
2. She has been studying since this morning.
3. I have been waiting for you.
4. They have been to Canada.
5. We have been living here since 2018.

Mini Quiz

1. B
2. B
3. A
4. B
5. B

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use “have been” and “has been” in the same situations?

Yes. They have the same meaning. The only difference is the subject. Use has been with he, she, it, and singular nouns. Use have been with I, you, we, they, and plural nouns.

What’s the difference between “have been” and “had been”?

Have been and has been connect the past with the present. Had been describes an action that happened before another action in the past.

Can “been” be followed by an adjective?

Yes. For example:

• I have been busy.
• She has been sick.
• They had been happy before they moved away.

Can I use “had been” without another past event?

Usually no. Had been normally introduces the earlier of two past actions, so another past reference is usually needed.

Download Free PDF Worksheets

Want extra practice? Download our free printable PDF worksheets to review this lesson offline.

• Have Been, Has Been & Had Been – Exercises PDF
• Complete Grammar Guide (PDF)

Related Lessons

• Present Perfect Tense Explained
• Present Perfect Continuous Tense
• 50 Business English Phrases You Can Actually Use at Work
• Take the Interactive Have Been / Has Been / Had Been Quiz

Final Tip

If you’re ever unsure which form to use, ask yourself one simple question:

• Is the action connected to the present? → Use have been or has been.
• Did the action happen before another event in the past? → Use had been.

The more you read and practice these patterns in real sentences, the more natural they’ll become. Try using them in your own conversations and writing, and don’t forget to download the free PDF worksheet for extra practice.