BEEN TO or GONE TO?
We use these two verbs when we speak about travelling and going places.
We use been to when we speak about past experiences. These experiences are now finished and you are not there anymore.
You are now in your flat in London. You are speaking to your flatmates:
Yes I have been to the South of France. It’s absolutely beautiful there.
Now, you are not in the South of France. You are back home. This experience is finished.
You are now sitting with your parents at the dinner table:
Mum: So how is your friend Gabriel?
You: He’s fine. I’ve been to his house a few times. His parents are really nice.
Now, you are not at Gabriel’s house. You are back home. This experience is finished.
You are now in a cafe with a friend:
A: Have you ever been to the central library here in Bristol?
B: Yes I’ve been there several times. Why do you ask?
Now, you are not in the central library. This experience is finished.
finished experience = for the moment. You might go to this place again in the future.
We use gone to when someone has travelled to a different location to the one where you are now. This experience is not finished.
You in your office speaking to a colleague:
Colleague: Hey Miry, where is Frankie? I haven’t seen him for a while.
You: Oh, he’s gone to the airport to meet a client.
Now, Frankie is not in the office. He has travelled to a different location.
You are speaking with your parents at the dinner time:
Dad: I haven’t heard about Suzanne in a while. Are you two still friends?
You: Oh yes. I can’t believe I haven’t told you yet. Suzanne has gone to Colombia to do some volunteering!
Now, Suzanne is not in your country. She is in a different country.
You are at home and your partner arrives after work:
Husband: Hey honey, where is Alice?
Wife: She’s gone to bed.
Husband: What already? It’s only 7 PM.
Wife: Yeah, she hasn’t been feeling well.
Now, Alice is not in the room. She is in a different room.
Remember, that we use ‘been to‘ and ‘gone to‘ in the present perfect tense.
We need to use the grammatical structure: have/has + past participle (gone/been)
AND
We cannot use the present perfect tense with a specific finished time.
correct: Jill has gone to school.
incorrect: Jill has gone to school at 8 AM.
If you want to use a specific time, you need to use the past simple!
correct: Jill went to school at 8 AM.
