Now you will learn how to speak about places you have visited. English speakers often use two tenses for this:
Present perfect – for life experiences: I have been to…, I have visited….
Past simple – to add details: I went there in 2019, It was beautiful.
Here are useful phrases for your conversation.
Phrase
When to use it
I have been to…
to name a place you visited
I went there in / last…
to say when you went
It was amazing / lovely / great
to describe the place
Have you ever been to…?
to ask a friend
I want to visit…
to say a future plan
I would like to go to…
a polite way to say a wish
Tip: when you answer Have you ever been to…?, start with Yes, I have or No, I haven't. Then add one or two short sentences with the past simple to give more information, for example Yes, I have. I went there last summer. It was lovely.
Listen to the model dialogue, read the example sentence aloud, and then have a short live chat with the AI about a place you have been to and a place you would like to visit.
Generating translation…
Two friends, Emma and Tom, talk about places they have visited. Listen to how they use the present perfect.
E
EmmaHi Tom! Have you been on holiday this year?
T
TomYes, I have. I went to the mountains last month.
E
EmmaNice! Was it beautiful?
T
TomIt was lovely. Have you ever been to a beach outside the country?
E
EmmaYes, I have. I visited a beach in Turkey last summer.
T
TomI would like to go to Turkey one day.
I have been to three countries, and I would like to visit Japan next.
Read this aloud. It uses both tenses: present perfect for past trips and 'would like to' for a future wish.
Required
Read the sentence aloud. Try to sound natural and clear.
I have been to a beach in Turkey, and it was beautiful.
Required
Read the sentence aloud. This is a polite way to talk about a future plan.
I would like to visit Japan next year.
Required
You are chatting with a classmate about travel. Answer the question and then say where you would like to go next.
Required
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
6
cards
When you talk about places you have been, you need some key words. These words help you name places and describe what you did when you travelled. Most of them are nouns (names of things) and two are verbs (actions).
Look at the table below. Read the example sentences out loud so you can hear how the words sound in real English.
Word
Part of speech
Example sentence
country
noun
Egypt is a beautiful country.
city
noun
Cairo is a very big city.
beach
noun
We walked on the beach in the morning.
mountain
noun
The mountain was covered in snow.
airport
noun
I met my friend at the airport.
hotel
noun
Our hotel was near the sea.
travel
verb
I love to travel in the summer.
visit
verb
I want to visit London next year.
Notice how country and city are different: a country is a whole nation, and a city is a town inside a country. The verbs travel and visit are similar, but we usually travel (move from place to place) and we visit one special place. We say go to a city, but go to or visit a country.
When you talk about past trips, you can use these words with the present perfect (I have visited…) or the past simple (I visited…). Both are correct, but have been to is the most common way to talk about life experiences.
Generating translation…
Here are the eight key words for this lesson. Tap each one to hear it, then say it out loud.
airportˈeəpɔːt
A place where aircraft land and take off, with buildings for passengers to board and exit planes.
beachbiːtʃ
An area of sand or small stones beside the sea or a lake where people go to relax or play.
cityˈsɪt.i
a large town :
any town in the UK that has a cathedral (= large , important church ) :
the government of a cit
countryˈkʌn.tri
an area of land with fixed borders that has full or limited control over its own government and laws :
all the
hotel
a building where travelers pay to sleep.
mountainˈmaʊntɪn
A very large natural elevation of the earth's surface, higher than a hill.
travelˈtrævəl
To go from one place to another, especially over a long distance or to different countries.
visitˈvɪzɪt
To go to see someone or a place for a period of time, often for pleasure or as a tourist.
Required
Match each English word on the left with the correct meaning on the right.
Match each English word on the left with the correct meaning on the right.
country
city
beach
mountain
airport
hotel
a large area of land with its own government
a large town
sand or stones next to the sea
a very high hill
a place where planes take off and land
a place where you pay to sleep
I have visited three countries this year.
Listen and repeat. Notice the verb form: have + past participle.
