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Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

I've been/I was

I've been busy.
I was busy.

What's the difference between these? Can I use either one if I'm not busy anymore?
  

Top answer

The present perfect (I've been busy) carries the action from the past up to the present. The simple past (I was busy) refers to the action only in the past. Anonymous Can I use either one if I'm not busy anymore?

— Shawn79

  • The present perfect (I've been busy) carries the action from the past up to the present.
  • The simple past (I was busy) refers to the action only in the past.
  • Anonymous Can I use either one if I'm not busy anymore?
  • The answer is yes to the simple past.
  • Using the present perfect would conceal the fact that you are no longer busy as in: Q.
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3 Answers
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The present perfect (I've been busy) carries the action from the past up to the present.

The simple past (I was busy) refers to the action only in the past.
Anonymous Can I use either one if I'm not busy anymore?
The answer is yes to the simple past. Using the present perfect would conceal the fact that you are no longer busy as in:

Q. Why hav
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Shawn79Q. Why haven't you called me?
Can I say: I was busy?
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AnonymousCan I say: I was busy?
No, you really should match tenses. The answer, I was busy, in the simple past tense doesn't cover the entire period asked about by the question: "Why haven't you called me?"

"I have been busy" covers the entire time asked about. Although you're likely to hear something like: "You couldn't find a few free minutes to call
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