I went or I have been?
Learn to tell a finished past event from experience linked to the present.
2 min read · Updated 9/8/2026
The key idea
Past Simple talks about a finished past event: I visited London in 2024. Present Perfect links a past event with the present: I have visited London twice. The second sentence gives no exact finished time; it means experience up to now.
Structure: have/has + past participle. Go → gone, see → seen, visit → visited.
With finished times such as yesterday and last year, choose Past Simple in this basic use.
See an example
I have finished my essay. Can you read it?
The result matters now: the essay is ready.
I finished my essay last night.
Here we say when the action finished.
Wrong: I have finished it yesterday.
Correction: I finished it yesterday.
Now you try
Choose the right option.
- I have seen / saw that film last weekend.
- She has never tried / never tried skiing in her life so far.
Write an experience question with “Have you ever…?”.
A personal draft. It is not saved when you leave or automatically graded.
Reveal the answer and explanation
Answer and explanation
- saw — last weekend is a finished past time.
- has never tried — so far shows the period up to now.
Example: Have you ever studied abroad? When you then ask for the exact time, you can switch to Past Simple: When did you go?
A, an and the: small words, big difference
Official sources for this topic
British Council · Grammar