Davood
Have you ever been to....? and Did you ever be to....? I know it's common in American English to use the simple past tense instead of the present perfect tense. for instance they say Did you ever.....? instead of Have you ever....? In British English they say A: Have you ever been to New York? B: I've been there twice then in American English They might say A: Did you ever be to New York? B: I was to New York twice Am I correct?
Jan 31, 2017 4:35 PM
Answers · 4
3
Not correct. In American English (and also British for that matter), you could say "Were you ever in New York", or "Did you ever go to New York", to which the answers would be "I was in New York twice", and "I went to New York twice".
January 31, 2017
2
Hi Davood, When people say 'Did you ever...' it would be followed by 'go' instead of 'be' if asking if the person went there. Did you ever go to New York? Yes, I went there twice. I think that 'Have you ever been' is more common when asking if someone has been to a place, but I have heard people use 'Did you ever..'. I suppose it depends on the person's dialect. Also, sometimes 'Did you ever...' doesn't mean the same thing as 'Have you ever...' Sometimes 'ever' is just used for emphasis. For example: Bob has been talking about a business trip that was delayed. His friend, James, wonders if he went or not. James: "Hey Bob, did you ever go to New York?" Bob: "Yes, I finally went. I just got back yesterday." I hope this helps. Have a great day! Kind Regards, Cynthia
January 31, 2017
2
The sentences you've written for British English apply to American English as well. The following sentences are correct: A: Have you ever been to New York? B: I've been there twice. The other ones, regrettably, aren't.
January 31, 2017
Still haven’t found your answers?
Write down your questions and let the native speakers help you!