ことがある · godan verb (-ru, irregular)
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | ことがある | ことがない |
| Polite | ことがあります | ことがありません |
| Past polite | ことがありました | ことがありませんでした |
| Past | ことがあった | ことがなかった |
| Te-form | ことがあって | ことがないで |
| Desire | ことがありたい | ことがありたくない |
| Volitional | ことがあろう | |
| Polite volitional | ことがありましょう | |
| Imperative | ことがあれ | ことがあるな |
| Conditional | ことがあれば | ことがなければ |
| Tara conditional | ことがあったら | ことがなかったら |
expression, godan verb (-ru, irregular)
have done (something); something has occurred
Used with a verb in the past tense (た-form) to express that one has had the experience of doing something, or that something has happened before. Often corresponds to 'have ever done' or 'there have been times when'.
See also: ことがない
expression, godan verb (-ru, irregular)
sometimes; there are times when
Used with a verb in the non-past (dictionary form) to express that something happens occasionally or that there are times when something occurs. Often translated as 'sometimes' or 'there are occasions when'.
See also: ことがない
Have you ever been to Japan?
He has never been late.
There are times when I don't eat breakfast.
He sometimes suddenly gets angry.
The negative form of ことがある. Sense 1: 'have never done' (past tense verb + ことがない). Sense 2: 'never happens' (non-past verb + ことがない).
事がある states that something has happened or occurs sometimes, while 事がない is its negative counterpart, stating that something has never happened or never occurs.
Combination of the nominalizer こと (thing, fact) and the verb ある (to exist, to happen). The construction literally means 'there is a thing/fact that...' and grammaticalized into an experiential or occasional aspect marker.