What is the Difference Between Were and Had Been?

06/22/2025 • Giovanni Medeiros

The main difference between "were" and "had been" lies in their grammatical roles and the temporal contexts in which they are used.

Were: This is the past tense of the verb "to be" and is used to indicate a state or condition in the past. It is also the plural form of the verb 'be' in the past tense. For example, "She was a teacher."
Had been: This is the past perfect tense, used to indicate an action that was completed before another action in the past. It is formed by combining "had" (the past tense of "has" and "have") and "been" (the past participle of "to be"). For example, "She had been studying for two hours before her friends arrived."

In summary:

"Were" is used to indicate a state or condition in the past and is the past tense of the verb "to be".
"Had been" is used to indicate an action that was completed before another action in the past and is the past perfect tense.

Comparative Table: Were vs Had Been

The difference between "were" and "had been" lies in their usage and tense. Here is a comparison table highlighting their differences:

Feature	Were	Had Been
Tense	Simple past tense	Past perfect tense
Usage	Used for specific past events that no longer apply, usually single events	Used for past actions that both began and ended in the past, indicating a closed and completed situation
Example	The package was carefully inspected when it was delivered to the office.	The package had been carefully inspected when it was delivered to the office.

In summary:

"Were" is used for specific past events that no longer apply, usually single events, and is the simple past tense of the verb "to be".
"Had been" is used for past actions that both began and ended in the past, indicating a closed and completed situation, and is the past perfect tense of the verb "to be".