He had never been a...

[subhajit123]

Hi everyone, what's the difference between "He had never been a good doctor" and "He was never a good doctor"? Which one is natural and why?

 

[tedmc]

I would use the present perfect tense for the first sentence. The second sentence is OK.

 

[Rover_KE]

It depends on the context. Can you give us any, subhajit?

 

[subhajit123]

"The person you are talking about died two years ago and I can tell you he had never been/was never a good doctor." Which one should I use?

 

[Rover_KE]

I see no reason to use the past perfect.

 

[subhajit123]

I see no reason to use the past perfect.

When should I use the past perfect here? Can you give me an example?:-o

 

[emsr2d2]

He was a doctor for twenty years until he retired in 2016. He had been a teacher but decided to retrain in his mid-thirties.