I understand we should use has/have been for something which started in past and still continuing in present. But is it right to use for something which started in past but has just completed or completed a few hours ago?
For example – I want to tell someone in what I did the whole day. Should I say – I have been in meetings all day or I was in meetings all day? May be I should use "was"? Because day is already over? Please suggest. Thanks.
Learn English – Has/have been vs was/were
begrammarpast-tenseperfect-aspect
Best Answer
You can use have been when something has just recently ended. For instance, you would say:
was would also be acceptable, but I don't think it's as common in this case.
But if it was in the more distant past, you must use was:
It would be wrong to use have been here.