been

Been is the past participle of the verb be in English. It is used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses and the passive voice, and it can function as a participial expression in phrases such as “the experiences that have been shared.”

Forms and general rules: The base form is be; present tense forms are am, is, are; past tense forms are was, were; the present participle is being; the past participle is been. Been cannot stand alone as a finite verb and occurs with an auxiliary such as have or be in passive constructions.

Common uses: Present perfect: “I have been to France.” Past perfect: “They had been waiting for hours.” Future perfect: “By next week, she will have been there.” Passive voice: “The work has been completed.” Questions and negatives: “Have you been to Paris?” “They have not been informed.” In informal speech, contractions such as I’ve been and you’ve been are common.

Etymology and history: Been derives from the Old English verb be, with its modern form developing through Middle English into Contemporary English. It is the standard past participle in Modern English and is cognate with similar forms in other Germanic languages. Its irregular status reflects a long history of morphological change in the English verb system.