How old are these houses? when.......(they/build)?
When were they built? or when have they been built?
which one is correct?

Question

How old are these houses? when.......(they/build)?
When were they built? or when have they been built?
 which one is correct?

Answer

"have been" usually refers to something that has happened over and over, not something that happened once. "Donald Trump has been sued many times" versus "Donald Trump was sued by John Smith in 1999"

The houses were built once, so they "were built." If they had been burned down and rebult several times, they "have been rebuilt."

Answer

The construction with "have been" refers to things which happened at some unspecified point in the past. Because you're explicitly stating the time here, you need to use the simple past - "When were they built"?

Answer

why the second one isn't correct?

Answer

The first one is correct, 'when were they built?'

Answer

"When were they built?" is good.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of your own home. Browse our selection of experienced language tutors and enroll in your first lesson now!