Previous experience with 〜た＋ことがある

Grammar: Experience » 〜た＋ことがある

Usage Notes

Put the verb in its plain past form before こと. The final ある says that such an experience exists. Change ある to ない to say that it does not.

The word after こと carries the tense and politeness of the full pattern: ことがある, ことがあります, ことがない, and ことがあった. The verb before こと stays in the past form.

In conversation, speakers often omit が and say 〜たことある, 〜たことない, or 〜たことあります.

Formation

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こと turns the past-form clause before it into a noun phrase. がある then presents that past action as an experience someone has had.

1. Verb (plain past) + ことがある
   • 富士山(ふじさん)に登(のぼ)ったことがある
   • "I have climbed Mount Fuji before."
2. Verb (plain past) + ことがない
   • 納豆(なっとう)を食(た)べたことがない
   • "I have never eaten natto."
3. Verb (plain past) + ことがありますか
   • 日本(にほん)へ行(い)ったことがありますか
   • "Have you ever been to Japan?"
4. Verb (plain past) + ことがあった
   • 子供(こども)のころ、一人(ひとり)で留守番(るすばん)をしたことがあった
   • "There was a time when I stayed home alone as a child."
5. ことある・ことない (casual omission of が)
   • 見(み)たことある？／見(み)たことない
   • "Have you seen it before? / I have never seen it."

Saying that an experience exists

The affirmative 〜たことがある treats a past action as part of someone’s experience. It does not identify when the action happened.

Talking about drawing, Cocoa is boastful of her own ability.

ココア:

「これでも金賞(きんしょう)もらったことあるんだ」

“Believe it or not, I've actually won a gold medal before.”

リゼ:

「町内会(ちょうないかい)の小学生(しょうがくせい)低学年(ていがくねん)の部(ぶ)とかいうのはナシな」

“And don't tell me it was in the neighborhood association's lower-elementary division.”

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Cocoa presents winning a gold prize as evidence of her drawing ability. She does not say when she won it. Her casual もらったことある omits が.

Akari and President Aria walk with Alicia to her meeting location. Rather than head back home, Akari and President Aria decide to sit at the café across the street until the meeting is over. There, Akari notices a gentleman sitting at another table.

灯里(あかり):

「あのおじさんどこかで会(あ)ったことがあるような？」

“It feels like I have met that man somewhere before.”

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会(あ)ったことがある says that meeting the man belongs to Akari’s past experience. The ending ような shows that she cannot place the memory with confidence.

Sacchan and her friends come across a torn piece of paper with 「あたり１００」 written on it. Thinking it may be for a 100,000 yen prize, the girls head to the shopping district to redeem it. Along the way, their friend Nonoko says she doesn’t recognize where the ticket is from, but Sacchan’s mother says it looks familiar somehow. Kotoha admits it seemed familiar to her as well, but she thought it was just her imagination until now.

結衣(ゆい):

「私(わたし)とさっちゃんとののちゃんは知(し)らなくて」

“Even though Sacchan, Nono-chan, and I don't know it...”

さっちゃん:

「かーちゃんと琴(こと)ちゃんは見(み)たことがある」

“My mom and Koto-chan have seen it before.”

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Here 見(み)たことがある explains why the ticket seems familiar. The pattern points back to an earlier sighting rather than the act of looking at it now.

Asking about experience

An affirmative question asks whether the listener has ever had the experience. Casual speech can use 〜たことある？. Polite speech commonly uses 〜たことがありますか.

After a misunderstanding brings Cocoa and her friends to the teahouse where Syaro works, the group stays to have some tea.

ココア:

「やっぱダンディー・ライオンだよね！」

“Dandy Lion is definitely the one!”

チノ:

「飲(の)んだことあるんですか？」

“Have you drunk it before?”

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Chino asks whether Cocoa has drunk dandelion tea before. The line is conversational, so が is absent. The explanatory んですか connects the question to Cocoa’s confident choice.

Polite あります

Replacing ある with あります makes the pattern polite. が can still disappear in conversation.

Rize and Chino watch as Cocoa and another girl reach for the same teacup in a shop.

チノ:

「こんなシチュエーション漫画(まんが)でみたことあります」

“I've seen this kind of situation in manga before.”

リゼ:

「よく恋愛(れんあい)に発展(はってん)するよな」

“This kind of thing often leads to romance.”

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Chino’s みたことあります is polite because of あります, even though she omits が.

Saying that an experience does not exist

The negative 〜たことがない says that the person has never done something. In casual speech, が is often omitted: 〜たことない.

Chiyo shows her friends in class the panda picture book she bought.

歩(あゆむ):

「私(わたし)　パンダてまだ見(み)たことないねん」

“I haven't seen a panda yet.”

とも:

「私(わたし)　見(み)たことあるよ　ありゃかわいーよー」

“I've seen one. They're cute!”

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Recalling a past occasion with ことがあった

The past 〜たことがあった can recall an occasion that existed in an earlier period. English often translates it as “there was a time when” or simply “once.”

Rize wonders what became of the missing piece from Chiya’s puzzle. Syaro suggets it’ll turn up once it’s no longer being looked for. This reminds Chiya of something else that was forgotten.

千夜(ちや):

「シャロちゃんは学校(がっこう)にランドセルを忘(わす)れたまま帰(かえ)ってきた事(こと)があったわ」

“Sharo-chan once came home having left her backpack at school.”

シャロ:

「明日(あした)学校(がっこう)行(い)けない…」

“I can't go to school tomorrow...”

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が, は, and no particle

が is the neutral particle in this pattern. Conversation often drops it, as several examples above do.

は adds contrast. 食(た)べたことはある can mean “I have eaten it, at least,” often before a qualification. In the negative, 食(た)べたことはない puts contrastive weight on the lack of that experience.

Do not confuse the form before こと

The verb form before こと changes the meaning.

Pattern	Meaning
〜たことがある	have done before
〜ることがある	sometimes do
〜ないことがある	sometimes do not do
〜たいことがある	have something one wants to do

Related Grammar

• Past tense with 〜た・〜だ
  • The clause before こと uses the verb's plain past form.
• Sometimes with 〜ことがある
  • A dictionary-form or negative verb before ことがある describes something that happens occasionally.
• Want to say or do something with 〜たい＋ことがある
  • A たい-form before ことがある introduces something the speaker wants to do or say.

Examples

Want to submit a manga example for this grammar?

Experience with sleepovers with 〜た＋ことがある

Grammar Explanation: Previous experience with 〜た＋ことがある

Cocoa thinks Rize is nervous about staying overnight with her and Chino.

リゼ:

「いや…　親父(おやじ)の部下(ぶか)に誘(さそ)われたワイルドなキャンプしか経験(けいけん)した事(こと)ないから…」

“Well... I've only had the experience of those wild camping trips my dad's subordinates invited me on...”

「こんなの初(はじ)めてで…」

“I've never done anything like this before...”

ココア:

「ワイルド？」

“Wild?”

Supplemental Examples

Try finding this grammar in the following examples:

Not only physical wounds with 〜だけじゃなくても

Grammar » Not limited to just this with 〜だけじゃなくても

くノ一ツバキの胸の内 » Volume 2 » Page 147

Went to see a kindergarden sports day with 運動会

Kanji » Meeting and joining with 会

orange » Volume 4 » Page 67