tense agreement

[hela]

Hello everyone,

Would you please tell me at which tense should I put the verb "to be" in the following sentence?
"I’ve been told there was/is a new product against boldness."
Are the simple past and the simple present both possible?

All the best

[abaka]

That depends on what you mean.

Remember that the present perfect tense is a "present" tense: it indicates that the action is complete now. (And so the information that the action took place in the past is implied.)

Therefore:

I’ve been told [as of now] ---- there is [today] a new product against boldness.
I’ve been told [as of now] ---- there was a new product against boldness advertised [yesterday] on Channel Three.

I had been told [as of yesterday; no later than yesterday] ---- there was [then, yesterday] a new product against boldness.
I had been told [as of yesterday; no later than yesterday] ---- there is [then and now, still] a new product against boldness.
I was told [yesterday] ---- there was [then] a new product against boldness.
I was told [yesterday] ---- there is [then and now, still] a new product against boldness.

PS. I think you mean "baldness", hair loss, but a product against "boldness", audacity, is just too funny!