Differrence and Usage of..??

[english001]

I'd like to ask about the right usage of these Wrods:

1. Gone??
2. Been??

Please explain the when can I use it in a sentence and kindly give out some examples too.

Thanks!!

[Englishlanguage]

I think what you would like to know is the difference between senteces like
I have been in France
and
I have gone to France.

If this is what you want to know, the first one means you have spent some time in France (on holyday, on business...) but you have now returned home, while the second one implies you still are in France.

[I'm a student and non-native speaker. A teacher will give you a better explanation.]

[blouen]

I hear they're interchangeable.


[ an avid English learner]

[Englishlanguage]

I hear they're interchangeable.


[ an avid English learner]

This is what I was taught. It may be wrong, of course. But if you think about it, you can see the differences between them.
Present perfect implies the consequences of the action are still evident at the present time. So if you say I have gone to France, you are implicitly saying you are still in France. While if you say I have been in France, you are just saying you went there at an unspecified time in the past.

[Jason72]

I hear they're interchangeable.


[ an avid English learner]

I've gone to France. - I had a flight yesterday, and now I'm in France. I'll be back to London in a month.
I've been in France. - I've been there yesterday, but today I'm back to London.

Is it clear now?

[BobK]

I hear they're interchangeable.


[ an avid English learner]

been = been and come back
gone = gone and not come back

Present perfect / past simple clarifies whether 'gone' is permanent or not. So in these examples -

I think what you would like to know is the difference between senteces like
I have been in France
and
I have gone to France.

If this is what you want to know, the first one means you have spent some time in France (on holyday, on business...) but you have now returned home, while the second one implies you still are in France.

[I'm a student and non-native speaker. A teacher will give you a better explanation.]

...
the first refers to having been in France and come back and the second (rather rare) refers to having gone and not come back (yet, possibly).

Examples:

'I've been trying to contact you for weeks.'
'Didn't my secretary tell you? I've been in France.'

"Have gone" (unlike "has gone") is quite rare. (It requires the 'speaker' to be both present and absent. Imagine you are looking for someone, and go round to their house. They've left a message there: "I have gone to France." In the 3rd person - "has gone" - it's common. "If you want to speak to John, you're too late. He has gone to France." If the going is permanent, the simple past makes this clear: "If you want to speak to John, you've missed your chance. He went to France last week, and he won't be coming back."



b

[blouen]

It's clear now, thanks!!

[BobK]

It's clear now, thanks!!

Good

When I said

If the going is permanent, the simple past makes this clear: "If you want to speak to John, you've missed your chance. He went to France last week, and he won't be coming back."

... I hope you didn't get the idea that the simple past always refers to a final and absolute absence being implied by "gone". Of course, variations like this are possible:

He went to France last week, and he won't be back until tomorrow.

b

[blouen]

Good

When I said

... I hope you didn't get the idea that the simple past always refers to a final and absolute absence being implied by "gone". Of course, variations like this are possible:

He went to France last week, and he won't be back until tomorrow.

b

No, I didn't and everything's fine! "He went to work and won't be home until 2pm."

[RonBee]

BobK, that was an excellent explanation.