Vocabulary – Difference Between ‘He Is Gone Out’ and ‘He Has Gone Out’

vocabulary

I am confused between

He is gone out

and

He has gone out

Translation of both, the sentences mean the same. Can anyone explain which one should i use.

Best Answer

"He is gone out" is not idiomatic English. It treats "gone out" as an adjective or other description of state. This is not usual.

"He has gone out" is normal present perfect construction. It is saying that, at some point in the past, he went out. Usually, this means he's not in at the moment, though it will occasionally be used when he's already come back - though "he has been out" is more usual, then.

Both contract naturally to "he's gone out", which may be a source of confusion.

If you want to use a descriptive present tense to describe his state, given that he's gone out, you use out as an adjective: "he is out", or contracted to "he's out".


n.b.: You will find "he is gone out" and similar constructions, using is instead of have for the present perfect, in older texts. It was once a normal thing, but hasn't been for some time.

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