Difference between "was already" and "has already been"

Question

What are differences between the following sentences?

• The package has already been received.
• The package was already received.

Answer 1

Both sentences are in the passive voice, meaning they use indirect construction. The only difference between them is that between the "present perfect tense" and the "preterit tense."

Present Perfect Tense

The package has already been received.

The above uses the present perfect tense: has been. The present perfect tense is formed with a present tense form of "to have" plus the past participle of a verb, in this case "been," which is then followed by another past participle, "received," as part of then forming the sentence's passive voice, the passive voice being formed by the verb "to be" plus a past participle. This present perfect tense, whether in the passive voice or not, indicates either that an action was completed (finished or "perfected") at some point in the past or that the action extends to the present.

Preterit Tense

The package was already received.

The above uses the preterit tense: was. The preterit tense, also known as the simple past tense, indicates that an event was completed in the past. The preterit tense "was" being followed later on by the past participle "received" does not change that but merely forms the sentence in the passive voice.

Present Perfect Tense vs. Preterit Tense

The choice between present perfect and preterit is often determined by the adverb accompanying the verb. With adverbs referring to a period gone by, we would use the simple past:

• I studied all night/yesterday/on Wednesday.

With adverbs beginning in the past and going up to present, we would use the present perfect:

• I have studied up to now/lately/already.

An adverbial time-marker such as "today," "this month," or "for an hour" can take either the simple past or present perfect:

• I worked/have worked hard today.

We tend to use the present perfect when reporting or announcing an event of the recent past:

• The company's current CEO has lied repeatedly to her employees.

But we tend to use the preterit when reporting or announcing events of the finished, more distant past:

• Washington encouraged his troops.

Because the time limits for present perfect are relatively elastic (stretching up to the present), it is somewhat less definite than the preterit:

• Brett has worked with some of the best chefs of Europe [in the course of his long and continuing career].
• Brett worked with Chef Pierre LeGout [when he lived in Paris].

Notice how the present perfect tense opens up the action to the present because of present tense "has," the complete past action either continuing up until the present or, at least, relevantly affecting the present, whereas the preterit tense does not but leaves the complete action firmly in the past with no mention of the present.