have been in vs have been to | prepositions of place | English grammar

Should we say I've been in Rome or I've been to Rome?

Well actually, they're both correct.

But, they mean different things.

Hello and welcome everyone, this is Minoo at Anglo-Link.

In this brief lesson, you'll find out about the   difference between I've been in and I've been to.

So, when you're ready, let's look at 'been in' first.

So, what do we mean when we say:  He has been in Rome for three days?

We mean he arrived in Rome three days ago, and he's still there.

So, what about 'been to'?

What do we mean when we say:

He has been to Paris three times.

We mean he has visited Paris three times.

So, why is it 'to' in this case and not 'in'?

Why is it he has been to Paris?

Right, the verb 'go' has two past participle forms.

The first one is 'gone'.

go - went - gone.

When we use 'gone' as the past participle, we mean that the person is still there.

We can say: He's gone to Rome and he's been there for three days.

So, what's the other past participle form of the verb 'go'?

You will be surprised to find out that it's 'been'.

go - went - been.

When we use 'been' as the past participle, we mean that the person is not there anymore.

The person is not there now.

That's why we say: He has been to Paris three times.

He last went to Paris in 2019.

Right, let's put these two very important points into a typical dialogue.

Hello John! Where are you calling from?

I'm calling from London.

Nice! How long have you been in London?

I've been in London for a week.

Are you staying there a bit longer?

No, I'm going to Oxford tomorrow.

Have you been to Oxford before?

No, I haven't. I've been to Cambridge but not to Oxford.

Right, that's the end of this quick lesson.

If you'd like more practice  with prepositions of place, you can watch this lesson.

For lessons and exercises on all topics, please visit my website Anglo-Link.com.

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Thanks a lot for watching, and I'll see you again  very soon in my next lesson.

Goodbye for now.