How to discuss past experiences in Japanese with ことがある (koto ga aru)?

In Japanese, the ta-form is often called the “past tense,” since it is the most common way to discuss a past event in everyday conversation. The ta-form will usually end with た[ta] or sometimes だ[da].

The charts below provide a brief summary of how to form the ta-form, but you can find a more thorough discussion in our post on the Japanese past tense.

• ru-verbs → replace the る (ru) ending with た (ta):

  Dictionary	Ta-form
  見る miru see	見た mita saw
  起きる okiru get up	起きた okita got up

• u-verbs and irregular verbs → The ta-form will always end with た[ta] or だ[da], but the exact ending follows more complex rules.

  Dictionary	Ta-form
  会う au meet	会った atta met
  読む yomu read (present)	読んだ read read (past)
  行く iku go	行った itta went
  書く kaku write	書いた kaita wrote
  泳ぐ oyogu swim	泳いだ oyoida swam
  貸す kasu lend	貸した kashita lent
  来る kuru come → irregular!	来た kita came
  する suru do → irregular!	した shita did

• i-adjectives → replace the い[i] with かった[katta]:

  Dictionary	Ta-form
  大きい ōkī (is) big	大きかった ōkikatta was big

• na-adjectives and nouns → add だった[datta] after the :

  Dictionary	Ta-form
  大変な taihenna is tough	大変だった taihen datta was tough
  学生 gakusei student	学生だった gakusei datta was a student

In some circumstances, you may use the past tense of a 〜ている[te iru] form before ことがある[koto ga aru]. You’ll do this to imply that someone had a past experience that lasted for a while. For example:

Using the regular ta-form would convey the same literal meaning, but would not focus on whether or not your time in Tokyo lasted a long time. For example:

The past tense forms of ことがある[koto ga aru], like ことがあった[koto ga atta], are mostly used to describe an experience that happened once or occasionally in the past. Usually, this happens when you’re talking about what things “used to be like,” so you’ll hear them translated using phrases like “there was a time when—” or “there were times when—.”

• このコンビニは今年はいつも開いていますが、去年は時々閉まっていたことがありました。

  Kono konbini wa kotoshi wa itsumo aiteimasu ga, kyonen wa tokidoki shimatteita koto ga arimashita.

  This convenience store is always open this year, but last year, there were times when it was closed occasionally.

  → Think: “...we had the experience (that) it was closed occasionally.”

• 日本に行く飛行機のチケットは高いですが、安かったことがあります。

  Nihon ni iku hikōki no chiketto wa takai desu ga, yasukatta koto ga arimasu.

  An airplane ticket to Japan is expensive, but there has been a time when it was cheap.

  → Think: “...we had the experience (that) it was cheap.”

You’ll use the present tense negative forms of ことがある[koto ga aru], like ことがない[koto ga nai], when you want to say that someone has never experienced something:

The past tense negative forms of ことがある[koto ga aru] are used when someone had not experienced a situation at some past moment. However, you might have experienced it since. For example:

You’ll quite often hear the expression こともある[koto mo aru] if the experience you’re describing is considered an anomaly — an unusual or unexpected difference from what’s usual.

For example, June is typically hot. There was, however, a time when it was rather cool. In that case, you might say:

Similarly, usually airplane tickets are expensive, but not always:

Usually, the particle が[ga] is still acceptable in this context, but も[mo] is more common, and using it here will help you sound more like native speakers!

The expression ことある[koto wa aru] is mostly used if you’re contrasting two different experiences. For example, if you say:

You are contrasting “having talked with Mami” with “having gone out to eat with Mami,” so は[wa] can be used instead of が[ga], as it accentuates the contrast between the two contexts.

In a casual situation, it’s generally possible to drop the particle が[ga], where it doesn’t lead to confusion. This rule also applies when you’re using it as part of the expression ことがある[koto ga aru].

Check out our post on particle ellipsis to learn more about when and why we drop particles in Japanese!

If you only want to convey the fact that something happened to you in the past, you can just use the ta-form on its own. Adding the expression ことがある[koto ga aru] places more focus on the present situation in which you have experience with something.

• ta-form

  すしを食べた

  Sushi o tabeta

  I ate sushi.

• ta-formことがある [koto ga aru]

  すしを食べたことがある

  Sushi o tabeta koto ga aru

  I have eaten sushi.

With the right adverbs added, the ta-form can sometimes be used a bit like the te-iru form. See an example of this below.

Both the ta-form + ことがある[koto ga aru] and the 〜ている[te-iru] form can be used to discuss past actions that impact the present situation. In some cases, the meaning difference between the two may be fairly small.

• te-iru form

  JLPTのN１は受けている。

  JLPT no N1 wa ukete iru.

  I have taken the JLPT N1 exam.

• ta-formことがある [koto ga aru]

  JLPTのN１は受験したことがある。

  JLPT no N1 wa uken shita koto ga aru.

  I have taken the JLPT N1 exam.

However, there is a difference in what each form claims about the results of that past action. When you use the when you use ことがある to talk about your past experiences, you are simply stating that you are experienced in that situation, but when you use the te-iru form, the result of the previous action must still be in place. Compare:

• te-iru form

  もう食べました。

  Mō tabete iru yo.

  (I) have already eaten.

  → …and now, I do not need another meal.
• ta-formことがある [koto ga aru]

  以前にも食べたことがあります。

  Izen ni mo tabeta koto ga arimasu.

  (I) have eaten before.

  → …but that just means I know what foods I like. I may well be hungry now.

Additionally the te-iru form has many uses that have nothing to do with discussing past experiences. For example:

Check out our post on the te-iru form in Japanese to learn more!