N4 grammar

〜ことがある

kotogaaru

It happens sometimes

Formation

On a dictionary form, ことがある says something happens from time to time. Watch the verb closely: put it in the past and you get たことがある, which is the completely different point about having done something once. Present tense is frequency, past tense is experience.

Examples

〜ことがある is marked in each sentence. Tap any word for its dictionary entry.

  1. A few words may betray a man's true character.

  2. Do you have anything to add to his explanation?

  3. Specifications and price are subject to change.

  4. Germs can cause sickness.

  5. Even an expert driver can make a mistake.

The explanation is ours, written for this site. Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR), each machine-checked to actually contain the pattern. Furigana is generated automatically, so a rare reading may be imperfect.