when to use "You were right & you are right"?

What? Your question is not clear.

when do I use "You were right" and when I use "You are right"? I know that "you were right" is past tense and "you are right" is present tense. However, I am confused on when to use it. For example. I asked my friend about something 5 minutes ago and my friend told me the answer. Now I come back to my friend and tell my friend that she was right about the answer or tell her that she is right about the answer?

thanks.

You could use 'you were right' about something that someone said to you in the past and you could use 'You are right' about something they are telling about in the present, or to tell someone that you agree with an opinion that you know they hold in the present.

So in my case, I should use "You were right" right? b/c she told me 5 minutes ago. The bottom line is if someone told me about something in the past. I should respond back with the past tense.

It's flexible. You can use "you are right" about the immediate past.

Ok. Thanks for your help contrex.

Totally OT but what I took as "Et" is an ampersand. It's not everyday…..

Hi dal,

I am so sorry but I didn't get what you meant.

The ampersand is a ligature of a capital E and a small t (the Latin word 'Et') . This is clearer in some fonts than others.

Thanks Con. It's rare in a single day…...

You can use either, RL.

Someone who was considered right five minutes ago is also right now. Unless you have changed your mind. Their "right" will continue into the future, so "You are right" is fine.

If you want to focus on the person being right at some recent point in the past, then "you were right" works fine.

Thank you for your explanation JTT. Have a good day.