N4

Experience: 〜たことがある

Use 〜たことがある to talk about life experience, things you have and have not done, and broad experience up to now.

Form experience sentences with verb past plain form + ことがある.Make negative experience sentences such as 〜たことがない.Read and answer experience questions in conversation and short texts.

Guided study

What counts as experience

〜たことがある means “have done before” or “have ever done.” It describes experience at some point up to now, not a single completed event with a clear time focus.

京都へ行ったことがあります。

I have been to Kyoto before.

Plain past + ことがある means past experience.

Interactive word chips will appear once token metadata is added.

馬に乗ったことがありません。

I have never ridden a horse.

Negative experience is often ことがありません in polite speech.

Interactive word chips will appear once token metadata is added.