Would you tell me which one is correct: I haven't been at work in a week or I haven't been to work in a week? For example:
I haven't been at/to work in a week, so would you bring me up to speed on what is going on with the project.
asked Aug 19, 2022 at 20:16
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1Please see Avoid using a slash when asking about two versions– David SiegelCommented Aug 19, 2022 at 20:54
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2 Answers
Either of:
- (1) I haven't been at work in a week, so would you bring me up to speed on what is going on with the project.
- (3) I haven't been to work in a week, so would you bring me up to speed on what is going on with the project.
would be grammatically valid, and a fluent speaker might use either form.
I think, without doing any online searches, that the form with at (1) is probably more common, at least in the US. The form with to (2) is probably more likely when referring to physical presence in the workplace, but either form is still just fine. Shorter phrases with essentially the same meaning will often be used, such as:
- I've been away this week, so ....
- I've been out for a while, so ...
- I've been out sick, so ...
- I've been gone for a week, so ... < * I've been on Project G for a week, so ...
answered Aug 19, 2022 at 21:06
Those are both correct but mean slightly different things.
"To" could be used to treat it as an abstract activity (like "I haven't been to the movies recently."), or to emphasize the trip (like "I haven't been to Rome in a decade."), or if you're not trying to emphasize anything but are just not currently at the place.
"At" could be used if you want to specifically emphasize the fact that you're at the location. It would also be more common when you're at the place while speaking.
