Places I have been: present perfect and past simple
Read the dialog on page 81 of your book (two friends talking about trips). We use our own dialog below. The present perfect is have or has + past participle. We use it for experiences when the time is not important: I have been to a lighthouse. Have you ever visited a farm? We often use ever in questions and never in answers: I have never ridden a camel. We use yet in negatives and questions: I haven’t been there yet. When we say when something happened or give details, we use the past simple: I went to a lighthouse last summer. It was impressive. Remember: do not use the present perfect with finished-time words such as yesterday, last week or in 2019. Past participles can be regular (visited) or irregular (been, seen, eaten, ridden).
| Use | Tense | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Experience (no time) | present perfect | I have been to a lighthouse. |
| Question about experience | Have you ever …? | Have you ever visited a farm? |
| Not yet | haven’t … yet | I haven’t been there yet. |
| Details or a finished time | past simple | I went there last summer. It was impressive. |
Have you ever been to a lighthouse?
Yes, I have. I went to one last summer with my cousins.
What was it like?
It was impressive. We climbed a hundred and twenty steps, and the view was the best I have ever seen.
I haven’t been to one yet. Did you buy a souvenir?
Yes, I bought a small wooden boat. I want to go again next year.
Travel survey. Write five Have you ever … ? questions (for example, ridden a camel, been to a museum, seen the sea). Ask three people. Write: He has … / She has never … Then choose one answer and ask for details in the past simple: Where did you go? When did you go?