been

The word “been” means the past participle of "be," used to form perfect and passive verb tenses. In plain terms, the form of "be" you use after "have/has/had" to talk about experiences or completed states.

Here is “been” used in a sentence: “I have been to Paris twice.”

“Been” is a verb.

The word “been” comes from Old English. From Old English beon, the infinitive form of "be," which later shifted to serve as its past participle.

“Been” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

"Been" is the past participle of "be" and follows have, has, or had ("she has been busy"), while "being" is the present participle and follows am, is, are, was, or were ("he is being careful"). They are never interchangeable: "I have been" is correct, but "I have being" is not.

Both form the present perfect of "be"; the choice depends on the subject. Use "has been" with he, she, it, or a singular noun ("the shop has been closed") and "have been" with I, you, we, they, or plural nouns ("they have been away").

"Have been to" means someone visited a place and has come back ("I have been to Paris twice"). "Have gone to" means they travelled there and are still away ("she has gone to Paris" implies she is there now).

In standard English, "been" always needs an auxiliary verb — have, has, or had — so the standard form is "I have been there" or the contraction "I've been there." "I been there" occurs in casual speech and some dialects but is considered nonstandard in writing.