a. Where are you? I am here in the room.
b. Where have you been? I have been here in the room.
My question is below:
- What is the difference in meaning between the two sentences above? Could you explain in detail, please?
Learn English – “Where are you” vs “Where have you been”
grammarmeaning
Best Answer
Where are you? is asking where one is right now. Generally, it implies that the querent and the respondent are in different locations, and the querent wishes to know the respondent's present location.
Where have you been? is asking where one was at a recent time in the past, over an undefined period. It implies nothing about the current location of either the querent or the respondent. It does imply that the querent expected the respondent to be somewhere at a specific time, but the respondent was not at the appointed place at the appointed time.
Example
(Q is Querent, R is Respondent.)
(Q is talking to R over the telephone. They have planned to meet at the train station at a specific time.)
Q: I'm at the ticket concourse, and I don't see you. Where are you?
R: Oh, I must have misunderstood you when we agreed to meet - I'm on the platform. Stay there, I'll come over to you.
(Q is Querent, R is Respondent.)
(Q is a parent, waiting at home for R, a minor, who has just returned from seeing friends - later than R had promised to be home.)
Q: I thought you were to be home by nine-o-clock! Where have you been?
R: I'm sorry; we went to the Burger Barn after getting out of the movie, and just lost track of the time talking about stuff.