it has been

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phrase

   used to say that a situation started at some time in the past and continues or matters now.

   Grammar: Formed with 'has' + the past participle 'been'; it often comes before a time expression like 'for' or 'since'.

   Patterns

   • it has been ... for ...
   • it has been ... since ...
   • it has been a long time

   It has been raining all morning, so the ground is still wet.

   It has been three years since we last saw each other.

   It has been a pleasure to work with you.

2. 2phrasefixed phrase

   used to talk about an experience or state that happened at an unspecified time before now.

   Grammar: The exact past time is not given; if you give a finished past time, use the simple past 'it was' instead.

   Patterns

   • it has been ... before
   • it has been ... so far

   It has been a difficult year for everyone in the company.

   It has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Common combinations

it has been a long time

It has been a long time since I visited my hometown.

it has been raining

It has been raining since early morning.

it has been difficult

It has been difficult to concentrate with all the noise.

it has been a pleasure

It has been a pleasure meeting your family.

Synonyms and how they differ

it was

Use 'it was' for a finished past situation with a specific time; 'it has been' links the past to now.

Word family

has been phrase

The same perfect form used with other subjects, e.g. 'she has been'.

had been phrase

The past perfect form, used for something that happened before another past event.

Commonly confused: it has been or it is been?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “it has been”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words