We were talking and catching up on what we’ve been doing
A: Well, we were talking and catching up on what we’ve been doing, talking about work and family, when all of a sudden, Matt saw a mouse run under his chair and he completely lost it! He started freaking out, and screaming...
B: Ha ha, really?
A: Yeah, and the funniest thing was, that he jumped on to his chair and started shrieking like a girl. You should have been there! Everyone was staring and laughing... it was hilarious!
Here, the speaker was talking about a past event. So should I say "we were talking and catching up on what we had been doing" instead of "we were talking and catching up on what we have been doing"?
Top answer
No, the given text is correct, and "had been doing" cannot be used in this situation. Why this is so, is difficult to explain. "
- No, the given text is correct, and "had been doing" cannot be used in this situation.
- Why this is so, is difficult to explain.
- "
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
No, the given text is correct, and "had been doing" cannot be used in this situation. Why this is so, is difficult to explain. The best explanation I can come up with is that A is actually using the present tense - disguised as past tense - to describe a past event, not uncommon in English, and so the present perfect is used: A: "Well, we're [but, colloquially, this comes out as "were"] ta
0Mr. A is using the tense he was using when he was talking to Matt. He asked Matt "So, what have you been doing?" Matt asked him the same thing back at some point. You are right that it is the wrong tense, but it works here for narrative.
***, I pity and admire any adult who tries to learn English.
0
Related Questions