How to Say “I Have Done It Before” in Japanese: 〜たことがあります

Imagine a friend asks whether you have ever eaten sushi, visited Japan, or tried karaoke. Japanese has a useful pattern for talking about experiences you have had at least once: 〜たことがあります (ta koto ga arimasu): have done before / have experienced doing.

A useful answer is すしをたべたことがあります (sushi o tabeta koto ga arimasu): I have eaten sushi before.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to talk about things you have and have not experienced, and ask other people about their experiences.

The basic pattern

Use the action in its た (ta) form, then add ことがあります (koto ga arimasu). たべたことがあります (tabeta koto ga arimasu) means “I have eaten it before”; いったことがあります (itta koto ga arimasu), “I have been there before”; and みたことがあります (mita koto ga arimasu), “I have seen it before.”

Japanese often leaves out “I” when it is already clear who you are talking about. So にほんにいったことがあります (nihon ni itta koto ga arimasu), “I have been to Japan before,” does not need a separate word for “I.”

The important idea is experience. You are saying that something has happened at least once in your life or within the period you are talking about.

Talking about experiences

Suppose someone asks すしをたべたことがありますか (sushi o tabeta koto ga arimasu ka): Have you ever eaten sushi? You can answer briefly with はい、あります (hai, arimasu), “Yes, I have,” or give the full answer: はい、すしをたべたことがあります (hai, sushi o tabeta koto ga arimasu), “Yes, I have eaten sushi before.”

To say you have never done something, end with 〜たことがありません (ta koto ga arimasen). For example, にほんにいったことがありません (nihon ni itta koto ga arimasen) means “I have never been to Japan.”

That gives you three immediately useful patterns:

• 〜たことがあります (ta koto ga arimasu): I have done it before.
• 〜たことがありますか (ta koto ga arimasu ka): Have you ever done it?
• 〜たことがありません (ta koto ga arimasen): I have never done it.

Everyday examples

Start with experiences you have had. These talk about food you have tried, your travel, an activity, and a movie that is not new to you:

1. すしをたべたことがありますSushi o tabeta koto ga arimasu.I have eaten sushi before.
2. にほんにいったことがありますNihon ni itta koto ga arimasu.I have been to Japan before.
3. カラオケをしたことがありますKaraoke o shita koto ga arimasu.I have done karaoke before.
4. このえいがをみたことがありますKono eiga o mita koto ga arimasu.I have seen this movie before.

Add か to ask about someone else’s experience, such as whether they have tried a particular food or been on a plane:

1. なっとうをたべたことがありますかNattou o tabeta koto ga arimasu ka.Have you ever eaten natto?
2. ひこうきにのったことがありますかHikouki ni notta koto ga arimasu ka.Have you ever been on an airplane?

And use ありません to say that something is not yet part of your experience, like visiting Japan or trying sashimi:

1. にほんにいったことがありませんNihon ni itta koto ga arimasen.I have never been to Japan.
2. さしみをたべたことがありませんSashimi o tabeta koto ga arimasen.I have never eaten sashimi.

How to build the pattern

The action before ことがあります (koto ga arimasu) needs to describe something that happened.

Compare the three steps with たべます (tabemasu), “eat”: the past form is たべた (tabeta), “ate,” and the experience is たべたことがあります (tabeta koto ga arimasu), “have eaten before.”

The same steps work with みます (mimasu), “see” or “watch”: みた (mita), “saw” or “watched,” then みたことがあります (mita koto ga arimasu), “have seen or watched before.” And with します (shimasu), “do”: した (shita), “did,” then したことがあります (shita koto ga arimasu), “have done before.”

Some actions change less predictably, so do not try to guess every た (ta) form from the polite ます (masu) form yet.

For example, いきます (ikimasu), “go,” becomes いった (itta), “went,” so the experience is いったことがあります (itta koto ga arimasu), “have been before.”

For now, learn useful experience phrases as complete chunks while gradually learning how た (ta) forms work.

“I went” and “I have been” are different

Compare these two sentences. きょねん、にほんにいきました (kyonen, nihon ni ikimashita) means “I went to Japan last year.” にほんにいったことがあります (nihon ni itta koto ga arimasu) means “I have been to Japan before.”

The first sentence tells someone about a particular past event. The second tells someone that visiting Japan is part of your experience. If someone asks what you did last year, use the first kind of sentence. If someone asks whether you have ever visited Japan, the 〜たことがあります (ta koto ga arimasu) pattern fits the question.

You can see the difference clearly in a conversation:

1. AにほんにいったことがありますかNihon ni itta koto ga arimasu ka.Have you ever been to Japan?
2. Bはい、あります。きょねん、いきましたHai, arimasu. Kyonen, ikimashita.Yes, I have. I went last year.

The first answer confirms the experience. The second sentence tells when the particular trip happened.

Asking someone about their experiences

Turn the pattern into a question by adding か (ka): 〜たことがありますか (ta koto ga arimasu ka), “Have you ever…?” Ask about food with ラーメンをたべたことがありますか (raamen o tabeta koto ga arimasu ka), “Have you ever eaten ramen?” Ask about travel with おおさかにいったことがありますか (oosaka ni itta koto ga arimasu ka), “Have you ever been to Osaka?” And ask about activities with カラオケをしたことがありますか (karaoke o shita koto ga arimasu ka), “Have you ever done karaoke?”

This makes the pattern especially useful for getting to know someone. You can ask about food, travel, hobbies, movies, sports, and other experiences without needing a complicated sentence.

Common mistakes

Using the present form before ことがあります

For “I have eaten sushi before,” すしをたべることがあります (sushi o taberu koto ga arimasu) is not the experience pattern taught here. Use すしをたべたことがあります (sushi o tabeta koto ga arimasu). The た (ta) form is important because you are talking about an experience that has happened.

Using ありません after the action itself

To say “I have never eaten sushi,” use すしをたべたことがありません (sushi o tabeta koto ga arimasen). Keep the whole pattern together: 〜たことがありません (ta koto ga arimasen), “have never done.”

Using the experience pattern for a specific past event

If you want to say “I ate sushi yesterday,” you are talking about one particular event, not whether you have ever had the experience. Say きのう、すしをたべました (kinou, sushi o tabemashita): I ate sushi yesterday. Use 〜たことがあります (ta koto ga arimasu) when the experience itself is the important information.

Practise talking about your experiences

Say these three lines aloud. One states an experience, one denies it, and one asks about it:

1. すしをたべたことがありますSushi o tabeta koto ga arimasu.I have eaten sushi before.
2. にほんにいったことがありませんNihon ni itta koto ga arimasen.I have never been to Japan.
3. カラオケをしたことがありますかKaraoke o shita koto ga arimasu ka.Have you ever done karaoke?

Now complete the frame ___ ことがあります (___ koto ga arimasu), “I have ___ before,” using たべた (tabeta), eaten; みた (mita), seen or watched; した (shita), done; or いった (itta), gone or been.

Then make the sentences personal by adding something you have actually experienced. For example, アニメをみたことがあります (anime o mita koto ga arimasu) means “I have watched anime before.”

Mini conversation

Two friends compare foods they have tried. The second question is just なっとうは？, “What about natto?”, because the first question already set up the pattern:

1. AすしをたべたことがありますかSushi o tabeta koto ga arimasu ka.Have you ever eaten sushi?
2. Bはい、ありますHai, arimasu.Yes, I have.
3. Aなっとうは？Nattou wa?What about natto?
4. Bいいえ、たべたことがありませんIie, tabeta koto ga arimasen.No, I have never eaten it.

Now answer these questions about yourself:

1. にほんにいったことがありますかNihon ni itta koto ga arimasu ka.Have you ever been to Japan?
2. すしをたべたことがありますかSushi o tabeta koto ga arimasu ka.Have you ever eaten sushi?
3. カラオケをしたことがありますかKaraoke o shita koto ga arimasu ka.Have you ever done karaoke?

Try answering with はい、あります (hai, arimasu), “Yes, I have,” or いいえ、ありません (iie, arimasen), “No, I haven’t.” Then try giving the full sentence.

Quick check

Choose the sentence that best matches the English.

1. “I have eaten ramen before.”

• A. ラーメンをたべます (raamen o tabemasu)
• B. ラーメンをたべたことがあります (raamen o tabeta koto ga arimasu)

2. “Have you ever been to Japan?”

• A. にほんにいったことがありますか (nihon ni itta koto ga arimasu ka)
• B. にほんにいきますか (nihon ni ikimasu ka)

3. “I have never seen this movie.”

• A. このえいがをみたことがありません (kono eiga o mita koto ga arimasen)
• B. このえいがをみます (kono eiga o mimasu)

4. Which sentence focuses on a specific event last year?

• A. にほんにいったことがあります (nihon ni itta koto ga arimasu)
• B. きょねん、にほんにいきました (kyonen, nihon ni ikimashita)

5. Turn した (shita), “did,” into an experience: “I have done it before.”

Answers

1. B. ラーメンをたべたことがあります (raamen o tabeta koto ga arimasu): I have eaten ramen before.
2. A. にほんにいったことがありますか (nihon ni itta koto ga arimasu ka): Have you ever been to Japan?
3. A. このえいがをみたことがありません (kono eiga o mita koto ga arimasen): I have never seen this movie.
4. B. きょねん、にほんにいきました (kyonen, nihon ni ikimashita): I went to Japan last year.
5. したことがあります (shita koto ga arimasu): I have done it before.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “Have you ever…?” in Japanese?

A useful beginner pattern is 〜たことがありますか (ta koto ga arimasu ka), “Have you ever…?” For example, すしをたべたことがありますか (sushi o tabeta koto ga arimasu ka) means “Have you ever eaten sushi?”

How do you say “I have never…” in Japanese?

Use 〜たことがありません (ta koto ga arimasen), “I have never….” For example, にほんにいったことがありません (nihon ni itta koto ga arimasen) means “I have never been to Japan.”

Can I answer あります without repeating the whole sentence?

Yes, when the context is clear. If someone asks カラオケをしたことがありますか (karaoke o shita koto ga arimasu ka), “Have you ever done karaoke?”, you can answer はい、あります (hai, arimasu), “Yes, I have.”

Does 〜たことがあります mean something happened recently?

Not by itself. It tells the listener that you have had the experience. If the exact time matters, you can add that information separately.

Continue learning

Build the everyday words you need to talk about your own experiences with the YapaneseAI vocabulary lessons.

If reading the hiragana in forms such as たべた (tabeta) and いった (itta) is still difficult, strengthen your recognition with the YapaneseAI kana lessons.

Continue with more beginner Japanese in the YapaneseAI learning hub.