"I wanted to invite my friend but I haven't been able to contact him."
or
"I wanted to invite my friend but I wasn't able to contact him."
Which of the two sentences are correct? Pls let me know ASAP.
1 Answer
Both can be correct, depending on what you are trying to convey.
Present perfect conveys a sense of a recent action that has carried on till now. In your example, you are saying, "As of now, I have not been able to contact him," meaning you tried until now.
Past conveys a completion in the past. "I wasn't able to contact him," means you tried, maybe yesterday, or 5 mins ago, but not up until now. Your trying is long done.
