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Summary
Learn the key differences between "went," "have gone," and "have been" in English — when to use each tense and what they reveal about whether someone has returned or not.
Key vocabulary
past simplepast participlepresent perfect simpleauxiliary verbfinished time expressionweak formidiomatic phraseaspectlife experiences
Grammar notes
Past simple vs. present perfect with aspect — "went" describes completion alone, while "have gone" shows present relevance — The past simple tells you an action finished but says nothing about the current situation: "She went to London" (we don't know if she's still there). The present perfect connects the past to now: "She's gone to London" implies she's there or traveling there currently.
Finished time expressions require past simple, not present perfect — When you mention a specific past time (last week, an hour ago, yesterday), you must use went, not have gone: "He went to the shop about an hour ago" (correct), never "He's gone to the shop about an hour ago."
Question formation in past tense uses did + infinitive base, not did + past participle — The correct form is "Did you go?" not "Did you went": "Did you go on the roller coaster yesterday?"
About this video
Lucy teaches the core difference between two common past tenses that confuse many learners: went (past simple) versus have gone (present perfect simple). She illustrates this with a concrete example: "She went to London last week" describes a completed action with no indication of where she is now, whereas "She's gone to London" (in response to "Where's Claire?") means she is either there currently, traveling there, or on her way back — the action is relevant to the present moment. The lesson also covers when NOT to mix tenses with time expressions, showing that "He's gone out an hour ago" is incorrect, and introduces have been as a bonus, explaining how it differs from have gone: they've gone to Spain means they're still there, while they've been to Spain means they went and returned.
This video is excellent for shadowing because Lucy speaks at a natural conversational pace with clear, standard British pronunciation. She repeats key structures multiple times, provides multiple example sentences, and invites a North American speaker to demonstrate pronunciation variation — giving learners exposure to different accents. Her explanations are direct and uncluttered, making it easy to follow the logic of the grammar rules.
The material suits B1 learners and above who understand basic past tenses but need clarification on aspect and present relevance. Shadowing this lesson will develop your ability to choose the right past tense naturally, understand why native speakers make certain choices, and recognize regional variations in usage.
Idioms & expressions
been and gone — someone was in a place for a short time and then left — Used to indicate a brief visit that is now over. "Yes, but he's been and gone. He was here for a moment and then he left."
have been vs. have gone — "have been" means the person traveled there and returned; "have gone" means they are still there or traveling — "They've gone to Spain" (they're in Spain now), but "They've been to Spain" (they went and came back).
(not) here yet; (someone is) in a rush — expressions Lucy uses to explain the timing and urgency of brief visits — "He was in a rush" captures why the visitor "been and gone" so quickly.
