[Grammar] have been in some place

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Heidi

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Dear teachers,

"Mr. Parker has been in Tokyo many times."
Is this sentence suggesting that Mr. Parker is still staying at Tokyo NOW?

Thank you!
 

bhaisahab

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Dear teachers,

"Mr. Parker has been to Tokyo many times."
Is this sentence suggesting that Mr. Parker is still staying in Tokyo NOW?

Thank you!
No, it doesn't suggest that.
 

yuriya

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If you want it to mean that Mr. Parker is still in Tokyo, you want to say:
"Mr. Parker has gone to Tokyo."

"been to someplace" means you went there in the past,
"gone to someplace" means someone (not you) went there, still there, so not here.

another related and useful expression is "been there, done that!", which means I've been there (or in that situation) and I've done that (or experienced that) so I know about it, it's nothing new, that sort of thing.

I hope it helped. Best wishes!
 
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Heidi

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No, it doesn't suggest that.
Dear bhaisahab,
"Use have been in to talk about living or staying in a place. example: How long have you been in London?" ---from Longman dictionary of contemporary English

My question is that when we ask someone 'how long have you been in London', does it suggest that we both are in London at the time of speaking?
Another question: "have you ever been in Europe?" "Yes, I have been in Europe several times" differs from "have you ever been to Europe?" "Yes, I have been to Europe several times"?

Thank you!
 

bhaisahab

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Dear bhaisahab,
"Use have been in to talk about living or staying in a place. example: How long have you been in London?" ---from Longman dictionary of contemporary English

My question is that when we ask someone 'how long have you been in London', does it suggest that we both are in London at the time of speaking? It certainly suggests that the person being asked is in London at the time of speaking. The person asking could be there, but they may be talking on the phone from somewhere else.
Another question: "have you ever been in Europe?" "Yes, I have been in Europe several times" differs from "have you ever been to Europe?" "Yes, I have been to Europe several times"? We usually ask "Have you been to...?" If you were in Europe and you were talking to someone face to face, you might ask "Have you been in Europe before?" But even then we would tend to use "to".

Thank you!
.
 

Heidi

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"have you ever been in Europe?" "Yes, I have been in Europe several times" differs from "have you ever been to Europe?" "Yes, I have been to Europe several times"? We usually ask "Have you been to...?" If you were in Europe and you were talking to someone face to face, you might ask "Have you been in Europe before?" But even then we would tend to use "to".
Dear bhaisahab,
Longman dictionary: Use have been to to talk about having visited a place and come back again.

according to the statement, if I am not in Europe at the time of speaking, I should use "I have been to Europe several times"
If I am in Europe at the time of speaking, I should "I have been in Europe several times"-----Am I right?

Thank you!
 
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