N3 · Expressions (N3)
ことがある: sometimes; have ever
ことがある and たことがある
After the dictionary form ことがある means "sometimes"; after the た-form it means "have ever".
The same three words carry two meanings, and the verb form in front of こと decides which. After the た-form, ことがある reports an experience: at least once in your life, this has happened. 富士山に登ったことがある is "I have climbed Mount Fuji". After the dictionary form or the ない-form it reports an occasional event: 朝ご飯を食べないことがある is "sometimes I skip breakfast".
The experience pattern looks at a whole life, so it sits naturally with 一度, 何度も and, in the negative, 一度も〜ない. たことがない is "have never". It is not used for whether something has happened yet: "Have you eaten yet?" is もう食べましたか.
The occasional pattern is weaker than いつも and often a little vaguer than ときどき: it says there are times when this happens, often without warning. It also works with adjectives and nouns: 忙しいことがある, "it is sometimes busy", 休みのことがある, "it is sometimes closed".
English "have you ever" maps onto the experience pattern well, but English "have" alone does not: "I have read that book" said about last week is a plain past in Japanese. And because the pattern is about notable experience, using it for everyday things — "I have eaten bread" — sounds as odd as it would in English.
The form
| have done (experience) | 行ったことがある |
| have never done | 行ったことがない |
| polite | 行ったことがあります |
| sometimes do | 行くことがある |
| sometimes do not | 行かないことがある |
| with an adjective | 寒いことがある |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
た-form + ことがある: you have had this experience at least once.
北海道に行ったことがあります。I have been to Hokkaido.
た-form + ことがない: you have never had it.
着物を着たことがありません。I have never worn a kimono.
Dictionary form or ない-form + ことがある: it happens now and then.
仕事が忙しいと、夜10時まで働くことがある。When work is busy, I sometimes work until ten at night.
Experience covers a whole life; "have you done it yet" is a plain past with もう.
もう昼ご飯を食べましたか。Have you had lunch yet?
A closer look
Why the same words mean two things
Read literally, ことがある is "there is the case that". With a past verb, "there is the case that I did" — somewhere in my history, this exists — and that is an experience. With a present verb, "there are cases when I do" — some occasions, not all — and that is "sometimes".
Seen this way, the negative forms fall into place. 行ったことがない is "there is no case of my having gone", which is "never". 行かないことがある is "there are cases of my not going", which is "sometimes I do not go". The negation simply moves to wherever the meaning needs it.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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the whole pattern is in the past: ることがあった
it means "there were times when" — something that happened now and then in the past.
学生の頃は、朝まで勉強することがあった。As a student there were times when I studied until morning.
The occasional meaning is kept and simply moved into the past; the verb before こと stays in the dictionary form.
How to spot it
- たことがある
- たことがない
- ことがある
- ないことがある
- 一度
- 何度も
Example sentences
日本の温泉に入ったことがありますか。Have you ever been in a Japanese hot spring?
こんなにきれいな景色は見たことがない。I have never seen such a beautiful view.
子どもの頃、一度だけ入院したことがあります。As a child I was in hospital once.
この電車は雪の日に止まることがある。This train sometimes stops on snowy days.
忙しくて、昼ご飯を食べないことがあります。I am sometimes so busy that I skip lunch.
彼は冗談を言うことがあるが、普段は真面目だ。He sometimes jokes, but usually he is serious.
8 more example sentences
納豆を食べたことがありますか。Have you ever eaten natto?
一度も海外に行ったことがありません。I have never once been abroad.
その話は前に聞いたことがある。I have heard that story before.
姉は有名な歌手に会ったことがあるそうです。I hear my sister has met a famous singer.
冬は道が凍ることがあるので、気をつけてください。The roads sometimes freeze in winter, so please be careful.
母は電話に出ないことがある。My mother sometimes does not answer the phone.
この店は平日でも混むことがあります。This shop is sometimes crowded even on weekdays.
京都には何度も行ったことがあるが、毎回新しい発見がある。I have been to Kyoto many times, and every time I discover something new.
Worth knowing (1)
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Saying how often
一度, 何度か, 何度も and 一度も〜ない belong with the experience pattern; たまに and ときどき with the occasional one.
たまに、会社まで歩いて行くことがある。Every now and then I walk to work.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
たことがある says "at some point in my life", so it cannot sit beside a specific recent time like 昨日. What happened yesterday is simply past: 見ました. English "I have seen" tempts learners into the experience pattern whenever the English uses "have".
Past before こと is experience; present before こと is sometimes.
Your turn
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