Want to actually learn this — with audio, spaced repetition and progress tracking?
Study in the app →English · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 43
Have you ever been to Japan?
Dialogue
Have you ever been abroad?
- Emma Minsu, have you ever been abroad?
- Minsu Yes! I have been to Thailand. And you? Have you ever go to Korea?
- Emma After "ever" we use the past participle, not "go". Say "Have you ever been to Korea?"
- Minsu Ah, I see. Have you ever been to Korea?
- Emma Yes, I have! I stayed in Seoul for a week. I have never eaten such good food.
- Minsu Nice! I have visited Japan, but I have never been to Europe.
Dialogue
Planning a summer trip
- Jack Emma, I want to travel this summer. Have you ever been to Italy?
- Emma Yes, I have. I went there in 2022. I stayed on a small island.
- Jack Wonderful! Was it expensive?
- Emma The hotel was cheap, but the plane was not. I bought many souvenirs.
- Jack I have never traveled abroad. I want a new experience.
- Emma Then go! Take your passport and a suitcase, and enjoy the beach.
Vocabulary
| 汉字 | Pinyin | POS | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| trip | n. | trip | |
| abroad | adv. | abroad | |
| beach | n. | beach | |
| plane | n. | plane | |
| passport | n. | passport | |
| suitcase | n. | suitcase | |
| souvenir | n. | souvenir | |
| hotel | n. | hotel | |
| island | n. | island | |
| stay | v. | stay | |
| experience | n. | experience | |
| travel | v. | travel |
Grammar
"have/has" + past participle: experience "have/has" + past participle: experience
The present perfect links the past to now. Form it with "have" (or "has" for he/she/it) + the PAST PARTICIPLE: "I have visited Paris", "She has seen that film". We use it for LIFE EXPERIENCE — something that happened at some time before now, when the exact time does not matter. To ask about experience, use "Have you ever + past participle?": "Have you ever been to Japan?", "Has he ever flown on a plane?". The word "ever" means "at any time in your life". To say there is no experience, use "never": "I have never been abroad". Past participles: regular verbs add "-ed" (visit → "visited", stay → "stayed"), but many common verbs are irregular and you must learn them: be/go → "been", eat → "eaten", see → "seen", do → "done", take → "taken". In speech we usually contract "have": "I've been", "you've seen", "she's eaten". Careful — do NOT use the base verb after "ever": "Have you ever go?" ✗ → "Have you ever been?" ✓. Compare with ch34: the past simple "I went to Japan in 2019" gives a specific time; the present perfect "I have been to Japan" is the experience, with no time.
The present perfect links the past to now. Form it with "have" (or "has" for he/she/it) + the PAST PARTICIPLE: "I have visited Paris", "She has seen that film". We use it for LIFE EXPERIENCE — something that happened at some time before now, when the exact time does not matter. To ask about experience, use "Have you ever + past participle?": "Have you ever been to Japan?", "Has he ever flown on a plane?". The word "ever" means "at any time in your life". To say there is no experience, use "never": "I have never been abroad". Past participles: regular verbs add "-ed" (visit → "visited", stay → "stayed"), but many common verbs are irregular and you must learn them: be/go → "been", eat → "eaten", see → "seen", do → "done", take → "taken". In speech we usually contract "have": "I've been", "you've seen", "she's eaten". Careful — do NOT use the base verb after "ever": "Have you ever go?" ✗ → "Have you ever been?" ✓. Compare with ch34: the past simple "I went to Japan in 2019" gives a specific time; the present perfect "I have been to Japan" is the experience, with no time.
- I have been to Japan. I have been to Japan.
- Have you ever flown on a plane? Have you ever flown on a plane?
- I have stayed at that hotel before. I have stayed at that hotel before.
- We have never been abroad. We have never been abroad.
- He has visited many countries. He has visited many countries.
pronunciation
Want to actually learn this — with audio, spaced repetition and progress tracking?
Study in the app →