Key Concept: Understanding Past Forms with “Go”

In English, the verb go has different forms for different situations:

• go (present): “I go to the park every day.”
• went (simple past): “I went to the park yesterday.”
• gone (past participle): “I have gone to the park every day this week.”

When using have (or has), we need to use the past participle form, gone, not the simple past form, went.

Why “I’ve Went” is Incorrect

Saying “I’ve went” combines have with the simple past form went, which doesn’t follow English grammar rules. We only use went by itself to talk about actions completed in the past without have/has:

• Correct: “I went to the store.” (simple past, no have)
• Incorrect: “I’ve went to the store.”

When we add have, we need to use the past participle:

• Correct: “I have gone to the store.” (present perfect with have gone)

Present Perfect vs. Simple Past: The Differences

• Simple Past (went): Used to describe a finished action at a specific time in the past.
  • Example: “She went to Italy last summer.”
• Present Perfect (have gone): Used to describe an action that happened at an unspecified time or has relevance to the present.
  • Example: “She has gone to Italy many times.” (shows experience)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Incorrect: “He has went to the meeting.” ✅ Correct: “He has gone to the meeting.”

Practice Time!

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of go:

1. I _______ to the gym yesterday.
2. She has _______ to the grocery store.
3. They _______ on vacation last month.
4. We have _______ to the same restaurant many times.

Answers:

1. went
2. gone
3. went
4. gone