had been negotiated

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "had been negotiated" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used to indicate that an agreement or arrangement was reached in the past before another event occurred. Example: "The terms of the contract had been negotiated before the final signing took place."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

All the deals had been negotiated under the Labour government.

The Guardian

Thousands died although a peace had been negotiated.

The New Yorker

This had been negotiated, with much back and forth, in backroom deals.

Yale University

An "irrevocable bid" had been negotiated by Sotheby's with a third unidentified party.

The New York Times - Arts

Consensus had been negotiated — and the latest model of the Seville has a front-wheel drive.

The New Yorker

Many credit her conciliatory policies with helping to maintain the fragile peace that had been negotiated.

Encyclopedia Britannica

That the threat had been negotiated neatly downwards did not appear to diminish its power.

The Guardian - Books

Mr. Murphy also said he resented how the shutdown had been negotiated without local input.

The New York Times

The settlements, for undisclosed amounts, had been negotiated by a state-appointed mediator.

The New York Times

On Sunday, Related essentially agreed to the deal that had been negotiated with Tishman Speyer.

The New York Times

The city's Law Department said the $2.1 million judgment had been negotiated down to $1.1 million.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing agreements, especially legal or business contracts, pairing "had been negotiated" with details like 'terms', 'conditions', or 'clauses' can add precision and clarify what was agreed upon.

Common error

Avoid using "had been negotiated" when referring to ongoing or future negotiations. Use present or future tenses (e.g., "is being negotiated" or "will be negotiated") to accurately reflect the timing.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had been negotiated" functions as a past perfect passive construction, indicating that an action (negotiation) was completed before a specific time in the past. Ludwig provides numerous examples demonstrating its use in various contexts.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Academia

15%

Encyclopedias

10%

Less common in

Science

10%

Wiki

5%

Formal & Business

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "had been negotiated" is a grammatically correct and frequently used past perfect passive phrase. As confirmed by Ludwig AI, it indicates that an agreement or arrangement was reached before a specific point in the past, and is found in various sources, predominantly news and media. When writing, ensure correct tense usage and avoid using it for ongoing negotiations. Alternatives such as "was negotiated" or "had been agreed upon" may be used to express similar meanings, though "had been negotiated" explicitly signifies a concluded action before another event.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

had been agreed upon

Replaces 'negotiated' with 'agreed upon', emphasizing consensus.

had been finalized

Replaces 'negotiated' with 'finalized', suggesting the last step in negotiation.

had been worked out

Replaces 'negotiated' with 'worked out', focusing on effort to resolve differences.

had been settled

Replaces 'negotiated' with 'settled', highlighting the resolution of differences.

had been concluded

Replaces 'negotiated' with 'concluded', suggesting a formal ending to discussions.

was negotiated

Shifts the tense to simple past, omitting the 'been' and 'had'.

had been brokered

Substitutes 'negotiated' with 'brokered', implying involvement of a mediator.

had been contracted

Changes 'negotiated' to 'contracted', emphasizing a formal agreement.

had been hammered out

Replaces 'negotiated' with the idiomatic 'hammered out', implying difficult negotiation.

had been arranged

Substitutes 'negotiated' with 'arranged', focusing on the preparation.

FAQs

How do I use "had been negotiated" in a sentence?

Use "had been negotiated" to describe an agreement or arrangement that was reached at some point in the past before another event occurred. For example: "The terms of the agreement "had been negotiated" before the final signing."

What can I say instead of "had been negotiated"?

You can use alternatives like "was negotiated", "had been agreed upon", or "had been arranged" depending on the context.

What is the difference between "was negotiated" and "had been negotiated"?

"Was negotiated" refers to an action completed in the past. "Had been negotiated" implies that the negotiation occurred before another event in the past. For example: "The deal was negotiated last year" vs. "The deal "had been negotiated" before the merger."

Is it correct to say "the contract is had been negotiated"?

No, the correct phrasing is "the contract "had been negotiated"". The auxiliary verb "had" must precede "been" in the past perfect passive voice.