Tom has been to China
Am I right in thinking this sentence is present perfect?
When forming the present perfect we use Has/have + been + past participle.
In this sentence I cannot figure out what the past participle is?
1 Answer
This is present perfect. It is an unusual use of the verb "to be"
The present perfect is formed from "have" + PP. In this case the past participle is the word "been". What makes this structure unusual is that the verb "to be" in this sense is only used in perfect tenses.
The present perfect is not have+been+PP. That does exist; it is a present perfect passive voice. But "I have been to China" is active voice.
The meaning is idiomatic.
I have been to China = I have gone to China. = I have visited China.
But though you can say "I will go to China" or "I went to China", you can't say *"I will be to China" or "I was to China". Those are not correct (not idiomatic).
