have been hungry? was hungry?
A: You just ate both our salads!
B: I have been very hungry.
Question: Why does here A use 'have been' instead of 'was'? does it make sense if B says 'I was really hungry'?
To me it would actually make more sense if B said 'was' instead 'have been'.
In this case B might be saying that they are constantly hungry because of some condition like pregnancy, for example.
October 20, 2014
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It's odd-sounding, for sure. 'have been hungry' implies that the person felt hunger for a long period of time before eating both salads, which is why they ate both.
However, 'was hungry' sounds more natural and doesn't change the meaning.
October 20, 2014
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Yes, 'was' hungry is more natural. You were hungry before you ate the salads and you're not hungry any more.
The sentence from your English book is different:
A: Do you realize what you just did? You just ate both our salads!
B: I did? I must have been very hungry. If I hadn't been very hungry, I never would have eaten both our salads.
'I never would have eaten' is not a present perfect - it's a third conditional form.
October 20, 2014
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I think " have been hungry" is more emphatic
- have been very hungry : he is so hungry and he still feel hungry although he ate all salads
- was really hungry : he didnt feel hungry anymore after he ate
October 20, 2014
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