The difference between be and been

Be is the base form of the verb used for present states or actions (am, is, are). Been, the past participle of be, is used in perfect tenses with has, have, or had to indicate completed actions or experiences, highlighting the temporal differences between these forms.

Be is the most used verb in the English language which means it is the most important verb to understand when learning English. After researching this article you will understand what both be and been mean, how to use them correctly, see when they are used incorrectly and their differences.

Definition of be

The verb be is an English verb used to indicate existence, identity, or state. This verb identifies who or what a noun is, was or will be. It’s an irregular verb and the only verb to have eight forms making it unique – am, is, are, was, were, be, been, and being.

Be does not follow standard conjugation patterns.

Be is a copula verb, meaning it is a word that links a subject to a subject complement (most often nouns, adjectives and prepositional phrases). In the examples below, I and you are the subjects, be and been are the linking verbs and tired and late are the subject complements:

I will be tired tonight.

You have been late every day.

You can see how sentences need the verb to link together and make sense. Read them again without be and been to understand the difference and importance of the verb.

The 8 different forms of be:

Present	am	is	are
Simple Past	was	were	–
Infinitive	be	–	–
Present Participle	being	–	–
Past Participle	been	–	–

Conjugating the verb be in the Present and Past Simple tenses into 5 forms: am, are, is, was, were

Present	Past Simple
I am	I was
You are	You were
He/ She/ It is	He/ She/ It was
We are	We were
You are	You were
They are	They were

In English, we can often use the contracted forms of the Present tense forms to stop repetition and speak faster:

I’m

You’re

He’s/ She’s/ It’s

We’re

They’re

“I am tired.” ↔ “I’m tired.”
“He is late for the meeting.” ↔ “He’s late for the meeting.”

“They are coming to the party.” ↔ “They’re coming to the party.”
“She is working on the project.” ↔ “She’s working on the project.”
“We are planning a trip.” ↔ “We’re planning a trip.”

Definition of Been

Been is the past participle form of the irregular verb be. It’s primarily used in perfect tenses, which are aspects of verb tenses that denote completed actions or states. Been is always used with auxiliary verbs like ‘has,’ ‘have,’ and ‘had.‘ For instance, in the sentence “She has been to Paris,” been works with ‘has’ to form the present perfect tense, indicating a completed action relevant to the present.

Key Uses of Been

1. Indicating Completed Actions: Been is often used to suggest that an action or state was completed in the past but has implications for the present.

She has been a teacher for over ten years.

I have been to London twice.
The team has been working on the new marketing strategy since July.

2. Forming Perfect Tenses: Been is integral in constructing present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect tenses.

Past Perfect: We had been to that restaurant many times before it closed down.
Present Perfect: They have been friends since childhood.
Future Perfect: She will have been living in Paris for a decade by the time we visit her next summer.

Using be with modal verbs:

Modal verbs (such as can, could, will, would, shall, should, may, might, must) are used alongside the base form of a verb to express necessity, possibility, permission, or ability. When “be” is used with modal verbs, it helps to form sentences that indicate potential or hypothetical states or actions.

Can: “You can be whatever you want if you put your mind to it.”
Will: “They will be arriving late due to the traffic.”

Must: “You must be tired after such a long journey.”

Be as an irregular verb:

Be is an irregular verb because its simple past and past participle aren’t formed by adding a suffix ( -ed ) to the end of the verb ( I was is past tense of be [irregular verb] and I walked is the past tense of walk [regular verb] ). In the present tense the verb ‘to be’ becomes ‘am’ and in the past participle, it becomes been.

Why is be is an irregular verb

The verb “be” is irregular, with its past tense forms being “was/were” and its past participle being “been.” As an irregular verb, be does not follow standard conjugation patterns, making it a unique element in English grammar as it has eight forms, more than any other verb. The verb has multiple forms as these forms originally belonged to other words but over time with the changes of language, they fell under the verb be.

How to use been in a sentence

Sentences using been often involve auxiliary verbs like has, have, had, and will have.

Apart from its use in perfect tenses, “been” is also used to form the three perfect continuous verb tenses: past, present, and future.

Using been with “has” (Present Perfect)

“She has been studying English for two years.”

“He has been feeling a bit unwell since yesterday.”
“It has been raining since the morning.”
“The cat has been sleeping under the tree.”

Using been with “have” (Present Perfect)

“We have been waiting here for over an hour.”
“They have been traveling through Asia for the last three months.”
“You have been working hard on this project.”

“I have been thinking about your proposal.”

Using been with “had” (Past Perfect)

“She had been working there before she moved to New York.”
“They had been playing football when it started to rain.”

“We had been planning the trip for months before it was cancelled.”
“I had been reading the book before I saw the movie.”

Using been with “will have” (Future Perfect)

“By next year, I will have been living in this city for a decade.”

“They will have been married for twenty years by their next anniversary.”
“She will have been working at the company for five years by the end of the month.”
“We will have been driving for eight hours by the time we reach our destination.”

Been in past perfect continuous tense

(The past perfect continuous tense is used to describe an action that began in the past and continued up to another point in the past):

“She had been working at the company for five years before she got promoted.”
“They had been travelling through South America for months when they decided to settle in Brazil.”

“I had been studying English for several years before I moved to the United States.”
“We had been waiting for the concert to start for over an hour when the rain began.”
“He had been teaching at the university for a decade before he retired.”

“You had been practising the piano for three hours before your parents came home.”

Been in present perfect continuous tense

(The present perfect continuous tense is used to describe an action that started in the past and is still continuing or has recently stopped):

“I have been waiting here for over an hour.”

“She has been studying all night for the exam.”
“They have been travelling around Europe for the last three months.”
“We have been working on this project since January.”

“You have been talking about moving to New York for ages now.”
“He has been learning to play the guitar for six months.”

Been in future perfect continuous tense

(The future perfect continuous tense is used to describe an action that will have been happening for a duration of time at a certain point in the future):

“By next year, I will have been working at this company for a decade.”
“In two months, she will have been studying French for over a year.”
“They will have been travelling through Asia for three months by the time they return.”

“We will have been living in this house for twenty years come March.”
“You will have been practising the piano for four hours by the time your lesson starts.”
“He will have been teaching at the university for five years by the end of the semester.”

examples of been with adverbs of frequency

How to use been in a sentence with an adverb of frequency

Adverbs of frequency are used to indicate how often an action occurs and are often paired with the verb “been” to describe actions or states in the perfect tenses. Here are some examples:

Always: “She has always been interested in science.”
Frequently: “They have frequently been called upon to assist.”

Usually: “He has usually been early to meetings.”
Often: “We have often been to that restaurant.”
Sometimes: “I have sometimes been mistaken for someone else.”

Occasionally: “She has occasionally been late due to traffic.”
Seldom: “They have seldom been seen apart.”
Rarely: “He has rarely been sick.”

Never: “We have never been to Europe.”

These examples show how adverbs of frequency modify the verb “been” to convey the regularity of past occurrences or states.

Using be in a question

When using the simple past tense of be to ask questions you use am, are and is:

“Am I on the right track with this assignment?”
“Are you ready for the test?”
“Is he your new teammate?”

“Is she coming to the party tonight?”
“Are we meeting at the usual spot after work?”
“Are they members of the local gym?”

When using the simple present tense of be to ask questions you use was and were:

Was I late?
“Were you happy with the results?”

“Was he the one who called last night?”
“Was she at the meeting yesterday?”
“Were we supposed to submit the report by today?”

“Were they friends in college?”
“Was it raining when you left the house?”

Using been in a question

Past perfect:

“Had you been to Italy before you moved to France?”
“Had she been working there long before she got promoted?”
“Had they been waiting long before the show started?”

Present Perfect:

Questions in present perfect:

“Have you been to the new museum yet?”

“Has he been doing his homework regularly?”
“Have we been meeting our goals this quarter?”

Future Perfect:

Questions in future perfect:

“Will you have been here for ten years by next June?”
“By the time she arrives, will he have been waiting for over an hour?”

“By 2025, will they have been living in the city for a decade?”

Be and been are often used in questions to inquire about states, actions, or experiences.

Be:

“Are you happy with your current job?”
“Is she going to be at the party tonight?”
“Are they being considered for the promotion?”

Been:

“Have you been to the new museum?”
“Has he been working on that project all week?”

“Have they been living here long?”

**Using be and been in negative form**

Simple past for be:

The negative forms of be in the simple past are was not / wasn’t and were not / weren’t. For been we use have not been / haven’t been and has not been / hasn’t been. Using be and been in their negative form involves negating statements to express the absence of a state, action, or experience.

Simple Past:

“I was not at the party last night.”
“She was not interested in the offer.”

“They were not ready for the change.”

Simple Present:

“I am not hungry right now.”

“He is not my brother.”
“We are not in the same class.”

Simple Future:

“I will not be available tomorrow.”
“She will not be joining us for dinner.”
“They won’t be moving to New York next year.”

Using been in negative form

Been in negative form, used with have or had, indicates actions or states not occurring. Key rules: 1) Pair with not (haven’t/hadn’t been) for negation. 2) Use in perfect tenses to show absence of past experiences or actions continuing to the present or a past point. Example: “I haven’t been to Paris” means the speaker has never visited Paris.

Present Perfect (as it serves a similar function to the simple present in this context):

“I have not been to that restaurant yet.”

“She has not been feeling well lately.”
“They have not been in touch since the event.”

Past Perfect (reflecting a past state or action continuing from further in the past):

“I had not been aware of the issue until you mentioned it.”
“He had not been to the capital before he moved there for work.”
“We had not been friends long before we became roommates.”

Future Perfect (indicating a future state or action completed by a certain future time):

“By next year, I will not have been to my hometown in over a decade.”
“She will not have been working here for a year until December.”

“They will not have been living together for two years until next spring.”

Be vs been quiz and worksheet

I wish to ___ understood. ( be / been )
They strive to ___ the best in their field. ( be / been )

I have ___ to that new café downtown. ( be / been )
She has ___ working there for three years. ( be / been )
Would you ___ interested in joining us? ( be / been )

They had ___ waiting for an hour when we arrived. ( be / been )
Have you ever ___ to a live concert? ( be / been )
How can I ___ of service? ( be / been )

They seem to ___ happy. ( be / been )
It happens to ___ my favourite song. ( be / been )
It has ___ a long day. ( be / been )

We have ___ thinking about moving to a new city. ( be / been )
I have ___ to that new café downtown. ( be / been )
Will you ___ attending the meeting? ( be / been )
She asked him to ___ quiet. ( be / been )
She has ___ working there for three years. ( be / been )
We aim to ___ finished by noon. ( be / been )
Could you ___ any louder? ( be / been )
This cannot ___ happening. ( be / been )
They had ___ waiting for an hour when we arrived. ( be / been )
Have you ever ___ to a live concert? ( be / been )
It has ___ a long day. ( be / been )
We have ___ thinking about moving to a new city. ( be / been )
May I ___ excused? ( be / been )
You ought to ___ more careful. ( be / been )
You have ___ missing out on a lot lately. ( be / been )
The weather has ___ really unpredictable this month. ( be / been )
I used to ___ a competitive swimmer. ( be / been )
My friends had ___ supportive during tough times. ( be / been )
That book has ___ on my reading list for ages. ( be / been )
Dare to ___ different. ( be / been )
They have ___ considering a new approach to the project. ( be / been )
The garden has ___ looking beautiful since you took over. ( be / been )
Why must you always ___ so stubborn? ( be / been )
Please, ___ seated. ( be / been )
Let there ___ light. ( be / been )
I had ___ feeling a bit under the weather last week. ( be / been )
You should ___ proud of your achievements. ( be / been )
Must I ___ the one to say it? ( be / been )
To ___ or not to ___, that is the question. ( be / been )
Have they ___ informed about the change in schedule? ( be / been )
You need to ___ more responsible. ( be / been )
We had ___ planning to visit you next summer. ( be / been )
Try to ___ more understanding. ( be / been )
It has ___ an incredible journey with this team. ( be / been )
She has ___ eager to start her new role. ( be / been )
I have ___ learning Spanish for two years now. ( be / been )
___ careful when you cross the street. ( be / been )
Let it ___ known that we stand united. ( be / been )
Can you ___ more specific? ( be / been )
They have ___ living there since 2015. ( be / been )
Can it ___true? ( be / been )
I had ___ thinking about calling you. ( be / been )
We will have ___ married for ten years by next month. ( be / been )
You must ___ ready by 8 AM. ( be / been )

Answers to be vs been worksheet

I wish to be understood.
They strive to be the best in their field.
I have been to that new café downtown.
She has been working there for three years.
Would you be interested in joining us?
They had been waiting for an hour when we arrived.
Have you ever been to a live concert?
How can I be of service?
They seem to be happy.
It happens to be my favourite song.
It has been a long day.
We have been thinking about moving to a new city.
I have been to that new café downtown.
Will you be attending the meeting?
She asked him to be quiet.
She has been working there for three years.
We aim to be finished by noon.
Could you be any louder?
This cannot be happening.
They had been waiting for an hour when we arrived.
Have you ever been to a live concert?
It has been a long day.
We have been thinking about moving to a new city.
May I be excused?
You ought to be more careful.
You have been missing out on a lot lately.
The weather has been really unpredictable this month.
I used to be a competitive swimmer.
My friends had been supportive during tough times.
That book has been on my reading list for ages.
Dare to be different.
They have been considering a new approach to the project.
The garden has been looking beautiful since you took over.
Why must you always be so stubborn?
Please, be seated.
Let there be light.
I had been feeling a bit under the weather last week.
You should be proud of your achievements.
Must I be the one to say it?
To be or not to be, that is the question.
Have they been informed about the change in schedule?
You need to be more responsible.
We had been planning to visit you next summer.
Try to be more understanding.
It has been an incredible journey with this team.
She has been eager to start her new role.
I have been learning Spanish for two years now.
Be careful when you cross the street.
Let it be known that we stand united.
Can you be more specific?
They have been living there since 2015.
Can it be true?
I had been thinking about calling you.
We will have been married for ten years by next month.
You must be ready by 8 AM.