Una de las dudas más comunes en inglés es saber cuándo usar was y cuándo usar been.
Aunque los dos vienen del verbo to be, no se usan igual ni significan lo mismo, y este error es muy frecuente en niveles B1 y B2.
En esta guía aprenderás:
👉 Cuándo usar was
👉 Cuándo usar been
👉 La diferencia entre been to, been in y was in
👉 Ejemplos claros
👉 50 ejercicios prácticos con respuestas
Diferencia entre WAS y BEEN
👉 Was → pasado simple, acción terminada
👉 Been → participio pasado, usado con have / has / had
En otras palabras:
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Was habla de un pasado cerrado.
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Been conecta el pasado con el presente o con otro momento pasado.
Cómo usar WAS en inglés
Qué es was
Was es el pasado simple del verbo to be para:
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I
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he
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she
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it
Cuándo se usa
Se usa para hablar de:
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Estados
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Ubicación
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Profesión
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Edad
en un momento concreto del pasado.
Ejemplos con was
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I was tired yesterday.
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She was very happy last night.
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He was a student in 2020.
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I was in Paris last year.
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It was cold in winter.
👉 El pasado está completamente terminado.
Cómo usar BEEN en inglés
Qué es been
Been es el participio pasado del verbo to be y se usa con:
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have been
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has been
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had been
Cuándo se usa
Para hablar de:
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Experiencias
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Duración
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Acciones pasadas que siguen siendo relevantes
Ejemplos con been
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I have been tired all day.
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She has been a teacher for ten years.
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We have been very busy lately.
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I’ve been in Paris for a week.
BEEN como participio de GO
Aquí está una de las claves más importantes.
Been también puede funcionar como participio pasado del verbo to go.
👉 I’ve been to Paris.
(He ido a París)
En cambio:
👉 I’m in Paris.
(Estoy en París ahora)
Cuando hablamos de haber ido a un sitio, usamos been to.
Diferencia entre BEEN TO, BEEN IN y WAS IN
Una sola palabra puede cambiar completamente el significado de la frase.
I’ve been to Paris → experiencia pasada
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I’ve been to Paris twice.
(He estado en París, pero ahora no estoy allí)
I’ve been in Paris → sigues allí
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I’ve been in Paris for a week and I love it here.
(Llevo una semana en París y sigo allí)
I was in Paris → pasado terminado
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I was in Paris last year.
(Estuve en París el año pasado)
Comparación clara
| Frase | Significado |
|---|---|
| I went to Paris last year | Viaje en un momento concreto |
| I’ve been to Paris | Experiencia en tu vida |
| I was in Paris | Estancia pasada |
| I’ve been in Paris for a week | Estancia que continúa |
👉 La preposición cambia totalmente el sentido de la frase.
Errores comunes
🚫 I was to Paris
✅ I went to Paris / I’ve been to Paris
🚫 I’ve been in Paris last year
✅ I was in Paris last year
🚫 I have was tired
✅ I have been tired
50 Ejercicios: WAS / BEEN / BEEN TO / BEEN IN
👉 Completa las frases con was, been, been to o been in.
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I ___ very tired yesterday.
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She has ___ a teacher for ten years.
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I have ___ to Italy twice.
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He ___ at home last night.
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We have ___ very busy this week.
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I ___ happy when I was a child.
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They have ___ in London for three months.
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She ___ late to work yesterday.
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I have never ___ to Germany.
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He has ___ sick all day.
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We ___ at the cinema last night.
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She has ___ studying English for years.
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I ___ in Madrid in 2019.
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They have ___ to New York many times.
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He ___ very nervous before the exam.
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I have ___ in this company for five years.
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She ___ my best friend at school.
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We have ___ ready since 8 a.m.
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I ___ bored yesterday evening.
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He has ___ in Spain for a long time.
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I ___ in Rome last summer.
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She has ___ to France once.
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We ___ very cold yesterday morning.
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I have ___ in this city for two weeks.
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He ___ angry this morning.
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They have ___ very helpful today.
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I ___ at the party last weekend.
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She has ___ to the UK before.
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We have ___ in the same house since 2018.
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He ___ a student when he was younger.
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I have ___ tired all day.
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She ___ in Berlin in 2020.
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They have ___ late recently.
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I ___ sick yesterday.
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He has ___ to London twice this year.
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We ___ very busy last month.
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I have ___ in this job for six months.
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She ___ very shy as a child.
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They have ___ friends for years.
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I ___ at work all day yesterday.
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He has ___ in Ireland for months.
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I ___ nervous before the interview.
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She has ___ to several countries.
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We ___ very happy last weekend.
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I have ___ very busy today.
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He ___ in Barcelona last winter.
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They have ___ in France since 2021.
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I ___ late yesterday morning.
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She has ___ tired recently.
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We ___ in the office until 9 p.m. yesterday.
Respuestas
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Resumen final
👉 Was → pasado simple, terminado
👉 Been → tiempos perfectos
👉 Been to → experiencia
👉 Been in → estancia que continúa
👉 Was in → estancia pasada
Dominar esta diferencia es clave para B1, B2 y C1, especialmente en writing y speaking.
