Have you ever gone there?

Question

Is Have you ever gone there? correct or it should be Have you ever been there?If both sentences are correct what is the difference in meaning?Thanks!

Fivejedjon · Accepted Answer

'Have you ever gone there?' is not imposible, in my opinion, but 'Have you ever been there?' is more natural in the situations I can think of.

Terryxpress · Answer

Johnny has gone to school. (He left home (so, he 'went') and is still there (at school)

Johnny has been to the circus today, haven't you, Johnny? He went, and he came home.

So, when you use 'ever', it has to be 'been': Have you ever been there?
Can you see why?

Dominik · Answer

The problem is that it is from a student's book and it is not the first time I've met this.

Sarah: Have you ever been to Morrocco?
Laurie: Yes, (I / go / 2007)
Sarah: (how long/you/stay there?)
Laurie: (two months) ........................ (you / GO/ ever / there / ?)

I would ask Have you ever been there? but we have GO here not BE

Terryxpress · Answer

Sarah: Have you ever been to Morrocco?
Laurie: Yes, (I went in 2007).
Sarah: How long did you stay there/ How long were you there?
Laurie: Two months. Have you ever been there?

...is correct.

This should not be confused with the form 'ever gone' when referring to an incident whilst still 'there'
Have you ever gone to a posh party and someone politely tells you that you've got your jumper on inside out?
Here, 'have you ever gone' refers to the fact that you went, and something happens whilst there, and the fact that you came home afterwards (the second component of 'have been') is irrelevant to the story.

Have you ever gone to Morocco with only Thomas Cook traveller's cheques, and tried to cash them? It's Yankee dollars or nothing with them.

Dominik · Answer

So it must be a trick. Thank you all for your replies.

Mister Micawber · Answer

'Have you ever gone there?' is not impossible, in my opinion, but 'Have you ever been there?' is more natural in the situations I can think of.-- Not a trick. I agree with 5jedjon: 'been' is the usual, but many native speakers use 'gone' for 'been'. It is not an egregious 'error'.

Terryxpress · Answer

Quoting Mr. M:"..'Have you ever gone there?' is not impossible, in my opinion, but 'Have you ever been there?' is more natural in the situations I can think of.-- Not a trick. I agree with 5jedjon: 'been' is the usual, but many native speakers use 'gone' for 'been'. It is not an egregious 'error'.

So - and please help me understand this - to take the points raised:
...not impossible, in my opinion, but 'Have you ever been there?' is more natural in the situations I can think of
Why?
I tried to explain why it was both 'natural', and correct grammar in terms of the sentence provided.

I agree with 5jedjon: 'been' is the usual, but many native speakers use 'gone' for 'been'. It is not an egregious 'error'.
So - am I wasting my time in this forum, explaining the correct grammar for both 'have been' and 'have ever gone', if all that matters is for native speakers in this forum to decide for the poster that, if a deviation from the correct grammar is not "egregious", then 'don't worry about it - most people don't - just use either'?
Then - and good luck in the Cambridge say I !

Fivejedjon · Answer

TerryxpressI tried to explain why it was both 'natural', and correct grammar in terms of the sentence provided

You explanation was clear and sound. The use of 'gone in your two sentences is natural; I have to say, however, that it is not obligatory. 'Been would pe perfectly acceptable in thoe two entences.

TerryxpressSo - am I wasting my time in this forum, explaining the correct grammar for both 'have been' and 'have ever gone', if all that matters is for native speakers in this forum to decide for the poster that, if a deviation from the correct grammar is not "egregious", then 'don't worry about it - most people don't - just use either'?

I don't think anyone has said 'don't worry about it, just use either', or even implied it. In my first response, in which I was dealing specifically with 'Have you ever been/gone there', I said that 'been' was more natural, but that 'gone' was not impossible. I still believe that to be true. And, even if one were to consider 'gone' inappropriate, I don't think it would rank a a major mistake.

Fivejedjon · Answer

DominikSarah: Have you ever been to Morrocco?Laurie: Yes, (I / go / 2007)Sarah: (how long/you/stay there?)Laurie: (two months) ........................ (you / GO/ ever / there / ?)I would ask Have you ever been there? but we have GO here not BE

This is not a trick. You will find in some grammars and course books that 'have been' is, in some circumstances, the present perfect of GO. The writer of that exercise is apparently a person who believes this.

I think that this belief is misguided, but have to admit than a number of people hold it.

Terryxpress · Answer

So - (and I note that this is your response to my post, not that of Mr. Micawber )- if "a number of people hold it", we don't need to understand/ explain the difference, because that difference doesn't matter...because a number of people hold it." So we can use either!

Just ...who are these "many people", referred to my Mr. Micawber, and your "a number of people"? - (who, in my estimation, don't seem to know the difference) - that the rest of us should think, 'well, if they think that, I'll just trot along and straddle the fence'.
Let's differentiate between (and I use 'between' here rather than 'among') :
correct grammatical understanding, (honed over the centuries of use by speakers of the English language into grammar)
dialect
poor education
and
down right 'anything goes' - as long as what comes out of my mouth looks 'cool' ( and I use 'looks' pointedly).

Have you ever gone there?

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