Korean Job Discussion Forums

[I_Am_Wrong]

We've been studying "Have you ever....?" and I told the students that when you're talking about travelling somewhere you could ask either "have you ever been to (insert location)" and "have you ever gone to (insert location).

One of the Korean teachers mentioned that saying "gone to" means that they're not coming back so it's an incorrect question. However, I think asking the question "have you ever gone to....?" obviously implies that the person has come back. Is there a grammar rule about this? Is this incorrect?

[out of context]

I think the teacher might be confused because "to go" is translated in Korean as ����, which implies a one-way trip. So in English you can say "I went to the bathroom" if somebody asks where you were, but in Korean you're supposed to say something like "I went to the bathroom and then came back" (ȭ��ǿ� ���� �Ծ�). If you just said ȭ��ǿ� ����, it suggests that you're still there.

Anyway, the English forms are both correct to my ears, but my impression is that I would be more likely to say "Have you ever been to...?" than "Have you ever gone to...?" The only difference to me seems to be emphasis: The latter seems to emphasize the act of going, while the former seems to emphasize the place more.
"Have you ever been to Italy?" "Yeah, I had a great time there."
"Have you ever gone to Italy?" "Yeah, I took a plane there."

[laogaiguk]

While I agree that people who say use the search function are jerks as the search function sucks, Google is actually pretty good. Try it sometime, or even a grammar book.

[out of context]

[Ya-ta Boy]

It might be true that there are some sentences where 'gone' can have that meaning of 'permanently absent', but not in the question "Have you ever been/gone to..."

To me, 'gone' usually has a temporary feel to it:

Dad on the phone: Is your mom home? I need to talk to her.
Me: No, she's gone to the store.

I know for a fact my mom ain't gonna be living at the store for the rest of her life. She's coming home.

[I_Am_Wrong]

actually, I did google it and I even checked it out in my grammar book. It turns out that the usage "have you ever gone to...." and "have you ever been to..." are both correct. The question "have you ever gone to..." is correct when one takes context into consideration. When you ask the question, it's obvious that the person has come back.

The rule applies when you use the he/she form. "He has gone to Canada" is supposed to imply that he has yet to come back.

The student's text book had a small section in Korean that said "Have you ever gone to..." was incorrect.

[deessell]

Where is Jane? She's gone to the bank. She isn't back yet.

Been to means you have gone and come back.

[cypher]

"She has gone to Italy." She went to Italy and is not back yet.
"She has been to Italy." She went to Italy and came back.


However, in a question it changes. Both "Have you ever been/have you ever gone to" would be right in my opinion, with "gone to" perhaps expressing some impermenance to the visit. It would also be less common when talking about travel, it's less natural to me anyway.

"I've been typing this for 5 minutes" is entirely different, here it is the past perfect of "be" instead of "go".

[J.B. Clamence]

[SOOHWA101]

I think it is also important to remember that the English language is not static, but rather ever changing. "Been and gone" have been used interchangeably since I was a little boy. Hence that is now the norm.

The usage of both can be twisted to break almost any existing rule that pertains to either or. Shame on the person that tells you English is not a progressive language.

[nautilus]

[SOOHWA101]

[nautilus]

[quote="SOOHWA101"]

[SOOHWA101]

[quote="nautilus"]

[Ya-ta Boy]