Present Perfect
1) They have been married for five years
2) I have known her for a long time
Both sentences are present perfect. But the question is why is there used “Been” in the (1) sentence but not in (2) sentence? Most of the time we use “Been” in the present perfect to say about where the person was. In this case of (1) why we use “been”? Could you please give me some example? Thank you

Question

Present Perfect
1) They have been married for five years
2) I have known her for a long time
Both sentences are present perfect. But the question is why is there used “Been” in the (1) sentence but not in (2) sentence? Most of the time we use “Been” in the present perfect to say about where the person was. In this case of (1) why we use “been”?  Could you please give me some example?  Thank you

Answer

We use the verb 'be' in the first sentence because the word 'married' is an adjective. Adjectives (like happy, sad, rich, tired, and so on) need the verb 'be'.

They are married. (present simple)
They have been married for 30 years. (present perfect).

This would be similar to saying, for example, "How long have you been ill?" or "How long have you been unhappy?". In these sentences, "been" is nothing to do with travelling anywhere - it is used to describe a continuing state.

I hope that helps.

Answer

I have always been tall.
I have been married for 20 years.
.
These seem to be adjectives, with the verb to be? is married, is tall
.
I have known her for a long time.
I have owned it equally long.
I have eaten it often.
..
These seem to be verbs, to know, to own, to eat.
.
Is this the difference you are looking at?
.
Sorry, not an expert.

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!