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Musicgold Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

Must be/ must have been

Hi,

What is the difference between the following sentences?

1. You must be disappointed that your favorite team didn’t do that well this season.

2. You must have been disappointed that your favorite team didn’t do that well this season.

Thanks,

MG.
  

Top answer

MUST BE is present tense, MUST HAVE BEEN is past tense. " For example, "You MUST HAVE BEEN disappointed WHEN your team lost the game last week". This refers to some time in the past, and says "I guess you WERE disappointed AT THAT TIME IN THE PAST".

— KrisBlueNZ

  • MUST BE is present tense, MUST HAVE BEEN is past tense.
  • " For example, "You MUST HAVE BEEN disappointed WHEN your team lost the game last week".
  • This refers to some time in the past, and says "I guess you WERE disappointed AT THAT TIME IN THE PAST".
  • You may still feel disappointed when you think about that time in the past, but the emphasis is on how you felt AT THE TIME.
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3 Answers
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MUST BE is present tense, MUST HAVE BEEN is past tense.

"You MUST BE disappointed ..." means "I guess you ARE disappointed, NOW, ..."

For example, "You MUST BE disappointed by your team's recent poor performance"

"You MUST HAVE BEEN disappointed ..." means "I guess you WERE disappointed, AT SOME TIME IN THE PAST, ..."

For example, "You MUST HAVE BEEN disappointe
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MusicgoldYou must be disappointed
The only logical conclusion is that you are disappointed ...

MusicgoldYou must have been disappointed
The only logical conclusion is that you were disappointed ...

CJ
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The second sentence is correct because we use (must have been) when we talk about the past but

we use ( must be ) with the present

The first sentence should be ( You must be disappointed that your favorite team doesn't do that well this season.)


regards

Safwat

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