has gone vs. went

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi,

Can someone help me out with this?

She has gone out with friends
vs.
She went out with friends

Can I know what’s the difference between these sentences?

thanks.

2

She has gone out - implies that not only did she go out, but she’s not here at the moment.
She went out - suggests that at some point in time she went out, and whether she’s here or she’s still out is unclear without further context.

3

Thanks for the reply.

Let me create a phone dialogue:

Adam: Hi, can I speak to Mr. Smith
Jen: I’m sorry. He has gone out to the pharmacy.

In this context, is there any difference if Jen says “He went to the pharmacy.”?

Thanks.

4

'He’s gone to the pharmacy ’ is the correct alternative.

He went… changes the tense and sets the visit to the pharmacy in the past instead of in the present.

5

Hi Rickyrocky,

There is of course the difference in the two tenses - present perfect simple (has gone) and past simple (went). By saying: He has gone out, you are explaining why he is not there. By saying: he went, you are explaining what he did and there would usually be an expectation of when this was. To make this conversation sound right, you would have to say: He went to the pharmacy about five minutes ago.

Alan

6

The picture is getting clearer to me now and I appreciate your help very much )
thanks.