The babysitter told me that they <had been> vs <were> very obedient that day.

[Tony_M]

The examples are mine.

- When I returned home in the evening, my kids were in bed, and the babysitter told me that they had been very obedient that day. (Before they went to bed and before the conversation with me.)

1. Is the past perfect appropriate here?

2. Would the simple past be used in a sentence like this?

- When I returned home in the evening, my kids were in bed, and the babysitter told me that they were very obedient. (In general, the babysitter might have been new; it was the impression they made.)

 

[5jj]

1. Yes.
2. No.

 

[Tony_M]

2. No.

Why?

 

[5jj]

I overlooked your note: In general, the babysitter might have been new; it was the impression they made. Sorry. The simple past is possible,

 

[Tony_M]

I overlooked your note: In general, the babysitter might have been new; it was the impression they made. Sorry. The simple past is possible,

What else is possible?

 

[riku]

Hi @Tony_M, great question — you're clearly thinking carefully about how tense affects meaning!


Both "had been" and "were" can work, but they highlight slightly different things depending on the context:


"Had been very obedient" (past perfect) — emphasizes that their obedient behavior happened earlier in the day, before the babysitter reported it. It sets the timeline clearly: first they behaved well, then the babysitter told you.


"Were very obedient" (past simple) — can still work, especially if it's more about the babysitter’s general impression or if you're not concerned with the exact timeline. It’s more neutral in terms of sequence.


You could also say something like:


– The babysitter said the kids had behaved really well that day.
– She told me they were being really good while she was there.
– She mentioned they seemed very well-behaved.


All of these are possible — it just depends on what nuance you want to communicate.

NOT A TEACHER (added by a moderator)

 

[teechar]

@riku Note the "not a teacher" line at the end of your post, which was added by one of our moderators. You must add it yourself in future to any answer you post on the forum.

Also, please do not use AI to formulate your answers. This is not allowed on the forum.