The difference between BEEN and GONE

This lesson explains the difference between “been” and gone” in the context of visiting a place.

Both “been” and “gone” can be used to describe visiting a place but there is an important difference in meaning.

Let’s start by looking at the form and then we’ll look at the difference in meaning.

“been” is the past participle of the verb “be”
“gone” is the past participle of the verb “go”

When discussing travel to places, we mainly use “been” and “gone” as the past participle in the present perfect tense.

Present perfect of “be”

I have been to the park
you have been to the park
he / she / it    has been to the park
we have been to the park
you have been to the park
they have been to the park

Present perfect of “go”

I have gone to the park
you have gone to the park
he / she / it has   gone to the park
we have gone to the park
you have gone to the park
they have gone to the park

Let’s now look at the difference in meaning.

Meaning of been

We use “been” to describe a completed visit of a place.
We visited the place in the past but in the present we are no longer there.
We have since left the place.

Example:

He has been to the park.
(He visited the park in the past. Now, he is back home.)

Also, we often use “been” to describe someone’s travel experience.

Example:

Have you ever been to Paris?
Yes, I have been to Paris 3 times.

We do not use “gone” for this meaning and use.

Have you ever gone to Paris?
Yes, I have gone to Paris 3 times.

Meaning of gone

We use “gone” to describe a visit of a place and the visit is not completed.
We travelled to the place in the past and in the present we are still there or still travelling to the place.

Example:
He has gone to the park.

(He travelled to the park in the past and he is still there or still travelling there.)

We use “gone” to say where someone is and explain why they are not here. Imagine you go to Jane and Mark’s house to talk to Mark:

Andrew: Hi Jane. Is Mark here?
Jane: No, he’s not here. He has gone to the supermarket.

We do not use “been” for this meaning and use.

Jane: No, he’s not here. He has been to the supermarket.
(Although this is grammatically correct, this is not the correct use of “been” because Mark has not yet returned from the supermarket.)

I wait for Mark at his house. When he arrives 1 hour later he says:

Mark: Hi. I have been to the supermarket. I bought some wine.

(Now this is the correct use of “been” because Mark is now here. He has now returned.)

Since he has returned, we do not use “gone” to describe this situation:
Mark: Hi. I have gone to the supermarket. I bought some wine.

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