Have been to vs. in

Дата публикации: Oct 24, 2015 12:0:12 PM

Have been to/have been in a place

"Been to" a place does indicate that a person has gone to the place or has visited the place, according to the Collins COBUILD English Dictionary. It is used when the person is no longer in that place.

On the other hand, "been in" can mean that the person has been in the place and has left or, it can mean that he/she is still in that place. According to L.G. Alexander, in Longman English Grammar: "Have been" (generally + "to" or "in") has the sense of "visit a place and come back."

He has gone to Brussels - He's on the way to Brussels or he's there

He has been to Brussels - He's been there but now he's returned

He has been (being) in Brussels - He's there now

An additional factor to consider is the place itself, and which preposition - to or in - would normally precede the noun or noun phrase. For example, "I've been to the hospital" clearly indicates that the speaker has visited the hospital; "I've been in the hospital" means that the person has been a patient in the hospital.