"She has gone to Paris" and "She has been to Paris" look almost the same, but they mean very different things. The first says she is in Paris now. The second says she went to Paris at some time in her life and came back.
Both forms use the present perfect because the result matters now. Gone focuses on the present result: the person is not here. Been focuses on the experience: the visit is part of the person's history.
This page explains the two forms, the less common "have been in" pattern, and the questions that change meaning with each one. The drill has 20 sentences with a rule under every answer.
The rule
Have gone: away and not back
- Have gone to a place means someone left for that place and is still there or still travelling.
- "Anna has gone to Madrid" means Anna is not here; she is in Madrid or on her way.
- Gone is the past participle of go, used in the present perfect: go, went, gone.
- Use have gone when the important fact is the absence of the person from here.
Have been: visited and returned
- Have been to a place means someone visited it at some point and is not there now.
- "Anna has been to Madrid" tells us she has experience of Madrid; she is back home.
- Been is the past participle used in this pattern, even though the verb is go: go, went, been.
- Use have been for experiences and for the number of visits: "I have been there twice."
Where is the person now?
- Have gone: the person is not here. Do not expect them at dinner.
- Have been: the person is here or back, and the trip is finished.
- "Where has Tom gone?" asks for his present location: "He has gone to the bank."
- "Where has Tom been?" asks about all his past visits, not about now.
Have been in and have been at
- Have been in a place means spent time there: "I have been in London for a week."
- Have been at a place means was there recently or is there now: "She has been at the office all morning."
- Have been to introduces a visit: "Have you been to London?"
- The preposition decides the meaning: to is a visit, in is a period, at is a point on the map.
Past simple and present perfect together
- A finished visit with a finished time word takes the past simple: "I went to Madrid in 2020."
- The present perfect appears when the time is open or unstated: "I have been to Madrid."
- Never mix the two: "I have been to Madrid in 2020" is wrong because 2020 is finished time.
- The same contrast works for gone: "He went home at six" against "He has gone home".
Examples
- She has gone to the market, so she is not at home.Gone means she is away now.
- She has been to the market, so we have fresh bread.Been means the trip is over and she is back.
- Where has Jack gone? He was here a minute ago.Gone asks about his current location.
- Where has Jack been? He looks exhausted.Been asks about his recent activity.
- I have been to Rome three times.Been counts past visits, all finished.
- They have gone to Italy for two weeks.Gone means they are still there or on the trip.
- He has been in hospital since Monday.Been in means a stay that continues.
- She has been at her desk all morning.Been at means stayed in one place.
- We have never been to Japan.Been to expresses lack of experience.
- The train has gone. We are too late.Gone describes something that has left.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: She has been to the shop, so she cannot answer the phone. Right: She has gone to the shop, so she cannot answer the phone.
- Have been says she visited and returned. Use have gone for someone who is still away.
- Wrong: I have gone to Paris twice. Right: I have been to Paris twice.
- For visits and experiences, use have been to. Have gone describes a person who is still away.
- Wrong: He has been to the bank, so he will not be back until three. Right: He has gone to the bank, so he will not be back until three.
- The second half shows he is still away, so gone is the right participle.
- Wrong: I have been to Madrid in 2020. Right: I went to Madrid in 2020.
- In 2020 is finished time, so the past simple is needed, not the present perfect.
- Wrong: Where has everyone been? Nobody is in the office. Right: Where has everyone gone? Nobody is in the office.
- The empty office shows the people are still away, so gone is correct.
Practice drill
Answer all 20 questions. Each answer is marked at once, and the rule is explained under the question.
Tom is not here. He ___ to the post office.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. has gone Tom is still away now, so have gone is the correct present perfect form.
She ___ to Italy three times.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. has been Been to reports completed visits and experience.
Where is everyone? They ___ home.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. have gone The people are still away, so have gone fits the present result.
I ___ never ___ to Japan.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. have ... been Experience uses have been to; never appears between have and been.
He has ___ to the bank, so he will be back in an hour.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. gone He is still at the bank or on the way, so the participle gone is right.
Where is the train? It ___ already.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. has gone The train is not here now, so the present perfect has gone fits the result.
Have you ever ___ to Scotland?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. been The question asks about experience, so have been to is the natural form.
She has ___ at the office since eight o'clock.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. been Been at means she stayed at one place over a period that continues.
My parents have ___ to the seaside for the weekend.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. gone They left for the weekend and are away, so gone is correct.
I ___ to Berlin in 2019.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. went In 2019 is finished time, so the past simple went is required.
She has ___ in Paris for six months.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. been Been in marks a stay over a period; gone would mean she had left this place.
Where has Sam ___? His coat is still here.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. gone The question asks about the present absence, so gone is the form.
We have ___ to that restaurant before.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. been Been to reports a completed visit in the speaker's experience.
The dog has ___ into the garden.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. gone The dog moved away and is not here, so have gone fits the result.
The new museum is wonderful. We have ___ there three times.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. been Been to reports completed visits and experience, here counted three times.
He has ___ to the shops; he will not answer his phone.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. gone He is out now, so have gone shows the present absence.
How many times have you ___ to London?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. been Been to counts completed visits over a lifetime.
The bus has ___, so we must walk.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. gone Gone describes something that has left and cannot be caught now.
She has ___ at home all day with a cold.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. been Been at means she stayed in one place; gone would suggest she is out.
I have ___ to the new cafe twice this week.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. been Been to describes visits that are complete, even in the current week.
Questions learners ask
What is the difference between has gone and has been?
Has gone means the person left and has not returned: "She has gone to Berlin" (she is in Berlin). Has been means the visit is complete or the person has the experience: "She has been to Berlin" (she went and came back). Use gone for absence now, and been for experience or a finished trip.
Why do we say been and not gone for experience?
English uses been as the participle of go when the meaning is "went and came back". Go, went, gone describes movement away; go, went, been describes a completed visit. "I have gone to Rome" sounds as if you are in Rome right now, so "I have been to Rome" is the natural sentence for a memory.
Is "Have you ever gone to Spain?" correct?
It is understandable, but "Have you ever been to Spain?" is the standard question about experience. Use been for visits that are over or unstated in time, and gone when you can see that someone is still away. In a few contexts both appear, but been is the safe choice for experience.
More grammar topics
In case vs if
If says what must happen first; in case says do something now because something might happen later.
As long as, provided that and on condition that
Three formal ways to say "only if", the present simple after them, and the difference from if and unless.
Say vs tell
The object rule: say takes the words, tell takes the person, plus the fixed phrases that ignore the pattern.
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