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 (transcribed ta) or sometimes だ (transcribed 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 Transcription: miru Translation: see	見た Transcription: mita Translation: saw
  起きる Transcription: okiru Translation: get up	起きた Transcription: okita Translation: got up

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

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

• i-adjectives → replace the い (transcribed i) with かった (transcribed katta):

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

• na-adjectives and nouns → add だった (transcribed datta) after the stem:

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

In some circumstances, you may use the past tense of a 〜ている (transcribed te iru) form before ことがある (transcribed 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 (transcribed koto ga aru), like ことがあった (transcribed 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。

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

  Translation: 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。

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

  Translation: 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 (transcribed koto ga aru), like ことがない (transcribed 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 (transcribed 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 (transcribed 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 (transcribed ga) is still acceptable in this context, but も (transcribed mo) is more common, and using it here will help you sound more like native speakers!

The expression ことある (transcribed 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 (transcribed wa) can be used instead of が (transcribed ga), as it accentuates the contrast between the two contexts.

In a casual situation, it’s generally possible to drop the particle が (transcribed 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 (transcribed 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 (transcribed 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

  Transcription: Sushi o tabeta

  Translation: I ate sushi.
• ta-formことがある [koto ga aru]

  すしを食べたことがある

  Transcription: Sushi o tabeta koto ga aru

  Translation: 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 (transcribed koto ga aru) and the 〜ている (transcribed 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。

  Transcription: JLPT no N1 wa ukete iru.

  Translation: 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。

  Transcription: JLPT no N1 wa uken shita koto ga aru.

  Translation: 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。

  Transcription: Mō tabete iru yo.

  Translation: (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。

  Transcription: Izen ni mo tabeta koto ga arimasu.

  Translation: (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!