Have been to vs have been in

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

What’s the difference in meaning between these two sentences below:

 (1) I have been [i]to[/i] Portugal.
 (2) I have been [i]in[/i] Portugal.

     Thanks.
2

to Portugal - this is the most usual form and indicates that you have visited the country.

‘in’ indicates ‘inside the perimeter/boundary of…’ and would not usually be used with countries.
Consider:
I have been to hospital. (I have visited for a purpose not determined by this sentence. I may have been visiting someone, I may have been an outpatient, I may have had business there.)
I have been in hospital. (I was admitted as a hospital in patient.)

3

Hi Foreigner,

Clearly this is the one to use in the sense of visiting -

But I can just see the use of

if you want to say that you understand what it is like to be in that country. You know what conditions are like there. Admittedly you would usually be talking about a country that has suffered from something like an earthquake, poverty, war and so on.

4

Fair enough. I hadn’t considered that use, though I recognised that possibly there was a use I hadn’t considered which is why I used ‘usually.’

5

Thank both of you!..)