Learn English – Which is correct, and why? “My friend hasn’t / hadn’t been in church in two weeks”

past-perfectpresent-perfect

Which one is correct and why?

"My friend hasn't been in church in two weeks."
or
"My friend hadn't been in church in two weeks."

These sentences make it difficult to know the difference between has, have and had.

Best Answer

Both are correct, but they have different meanings.

Hasn't been - the Present Perfect

"My friend hasn't been in church in two weeks"

This means that your friend hasn't been in church in the last two weeks. The last time your friend was in church was two weeks ago, and they haven't been to church since then (to the best of your knowledge).

Hadn't been - the Past Perfect

"My friend hadn't been in church in two weeks"

You are describing the past. There are various possible ways this could fit into a narrative, and the period described might be in the distant past or in the very recent or immediate past. Compare these examples:

  • (a) One Sunday in February 1993, I rang my friend. She hadn't been in church in two weeks. I asked her why not.
  • (b) I went to church earlier today. My friend hadn't been there in two weeks, so I was surprised to see her.

Furthermore, although the two-week period is in the past, the construction doesn't by itself tell us whether the friend subsequently returns to church (for example, sentence (a) above leaves open the possibility that she never returns at all) or whether the period of her absence has come to an end (as in (b)).