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LouiseT Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Why can we say “I have been TO somewhere” ?
Why can we say “I have been TO somewhere” ?
My logic: "have gone" would mean that you are still where you went to "have been" means you are no longer there but somewhere else.
What I do not understand is how the verb "be" works here. You would say - "I am in " so 'I have been in " ok. But "I have been TO " ? It is correct to say 'I have been in " - which you would say if someone were to ask where you had been.
Have you ever been TO ? >> Yes I have been TO .
We learn that the prepositions following the verbs are : -
to go TO / to be IN or AT surely?
I am in
I was in
I have been in
( But not "I am going in ..." apart from diving or surgery.)
The perfect tense is the only on where this is possible. (I think)
Is this a grammatical exception, is there an historical reason, why is this a possibility?
Thanks
My logic: "have gone" would mean that you are still where you went to "have been" means you are no longer there but somewhere else.
What I do not understand is how the verb "be" works here. You would say - "I am in " so 'I have been in " ok. But "I have been TO " ? It is correct to say 'I have been in " - which you would say if someone were to ask where you had been.
Have you ever been TO ? >> Yes I have been TO .
We learn that the prepositions following the verbs are : -
to go TO / to be IN or AT surely?
I am in
I was in
I have been in
( But not "I am going in ..." apart from diving or surgery.)
The perfect tense is the only on where this is possible. (I think)
Is this a grammatical exception, is there an historical reason, why is this a possibility?
Thanks
Top answer
has/have been to is an idiom meaning has/have visited . Idioms are often, by nature, grammatical exceptions. Note that if you have visited Chicago, you went there, you saw it, maybe you spent some time there, and you returned to your home.
- has/have been to is an idiom meaning has/have visited .
- Idioms are often, by nature, grammatical exceptions.
- Note that if you have visited Chicago, you went there, you saw it, maybe you spent some time there, and you returned to your home.
- If you live in Chicago, it makes no sense to say that you have visited Chicago because Chicago is your home.
- If you are now standing in Chicago, you cannot say that you have visited it, because you have not yet returned home.
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3 Answers
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has/have been to is an idiom meaning has/have visited. Idioms are often, by nature, grammatical exceptions.
Note that if you have visited Chicago, you went there, you saw it, maybe you spent some time there, and you returned to your home. If you live in Chicago, it makes no sense to say that you have visited Chicago because Chicago is your home. If you are
Note that if you have visited Chicago, you went there, you saw it, maybe you spent some time there, and you returned to your home. If you live in Chicago, it makes no sense to say that you have visited Chicago because Chicago is your home. If you are
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In this case, is it correct ?
he has been in Rio de Janeiro on November (past)
tks
he has been in Rio de Janeiro on November (past)
tks
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