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© Samuel Haldane 2005-2006
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Movement and Location

Basics

To say that someone is somewhere now, we may use the simple non-past of be with in, on or at:

Correct form Error
He is in Japan. **He is to Japan.

Or, we may use the perfect form have gone (not **have been) with to:

Correct form Error
He has gone to Japan. **He has gone in Japan.

To say that someone was somewhere at a previous time, we may use the simple past of be with in, on or at:

Correct form Error
He was in Japan. **He was to Japan.

To say that someone has had the experience of visiting a place, we use the perfect form have been (not **have gone) with to:

Correct form
He has been to Japan.

Have been in is also used. This typically refers to a recent visit to a place. The visitor may still be there or may have returned:

Bob: Oh, hi Jim. I haven't seen you for a couple of weeks. Where have you been?
Jim: I've been in Japan.
(Jim has recently returned from Japan.)

Bob: I think I saw Dave at the airport yesterday.
Jim: You can't have. He's been in Japan for the last five days.
(Dave is still in Japan.)

Details

Saying be in, be on or be at indicates someone's location at the reference time of the verb:

He was in Japan last May. Reference time is past.
He is in Japan now. Reference time is present.
He will be in Japan next week. Reference time is future.

Saying have been to indicates that someone has previously visited a place before the reference time of the verb, and so is in a state of having experienced that place at the reference time:

He had been to Japan. Reference time is past.
He has been to Japan. Reference time is present. He has now had the experience of visiting Japan, though he may or may not be there now.
He will have been to Japan. Reference time is future.

Saying have gone to indicates that someone has started moving toward a place before the reference time of the verb; he has left his starting point and may or may not have arrived at his destination at the reference time:

He had gone to Japan. Reference time is past.
He has gone to Japan. Reference time is present. Presently he may be in Japan or he may still be travelling toward Japan.
He will have gone to Japan. Reference time is future.

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