Difference Between Are & Have Been

Are and Have been are two words that are often confused when it comes to their meanings and usage. The auxiliary verb ‘are’ is used as the plural form of the auxiliary verb ‘is’, and it is used in the present continuous tense. On the other hand, the form ‘have been’ is used as the preset perfect continuous form of any given verb. This is the main difference between the two words.

Observe the two sentences,
1. They are very good teachers.
2. Francis and Lucy are coming for dinner.
In both the sentences, you can see that the auxiliary verb ‘are’ is used in the present continuous tense. It is used in the case of plural number.

Observe the two sentences,
1. I have been doing this since last year.
2. Angela and Lucy have been scoring very high marks these days.
In both the sentences, you can find that the form ‘have been’ is used as plural and it is employed in the formation of present perfect continuous tense. In other words, it can be said that the form ‘have been’ is used along with the continuous form of the verb ‘do’ in the first sentence, and it is used along with the continuous form of the verb ‘score’ in the second sentence. This is a very important observation to make regarding the usage of the form ‘have been’.

Also, the auxiliary verb ‘are’ is sometimes used in interrogative sentences, as in the examples,
1. Are you alright?
2. Are you late for the function?
In both the sentences given above, the verb ‘are’ is used in interrogative sense. These are the important differences between the two verbs used in English language, namely, are and have been.

Key Takeaways

• The auxiliary verb ‘are’ is used as the plural form of the auxiliary verb ‘is’ and is used in the present continuous tense.
• The form ‘have been’ is used as the present perfect continuous form of any given verb.
• The auxiliary verb ‘are’ can also be used in interrogative sentences.