How to Say “Do You/Have You Ever…?” in Japanese

How to Say “Do You/Have You Ever…?” in Japanese.

Have you ever…?

Asking “Have you ever…?” in Japanese is quite easy. Just add the phrase ~ことがありますか (koto ga arimasu ka) after the verb. Because the question refers to something done in the past, the verb will be conjugated in the plain past tense (also known as the ta-form).

In the example below, we are using 行く (いく / iku), meaning “to go.” The past tense of 行く (いく / iku) is 行った (いった / itta).

For example:
ヨーロッパに行ったことがありますか?
(ヨーロッパにいったことがありますか?)
Yoroppa ni itta koto ga arimasuka?
Have you ever been to Europe?

I have / I haven’t

To respond to “Have you ever…?” the verb is still conjugated in the plain past tense, but the phrase ~ことがありますか (koto ga arimasu ka) changes:

– To say “I have” → ~ことがあります (koto ga arimasu)
– To say “I haven’t” → ~ことがありません (koto ga arimasen)

The phrases above are in their polite forms. The casual form for “I have” is ~ことがある (koto ga aru), and the casual form for “I haven’t” is ~ことがない (koto ga nai). The particle が (ga) is typically used when a new subject/information is discussed, so depending on the conversation, it can be replaced with は (wa).

For example:
ヨーロッパに行ったことがありません。
(ヨーロッパにいったことがありません。)
Yoroppa ni itta koto ga arimasen.
I haven’t been to Europe.

ヨーロッパに行ったことがあります。
(ヨーロッパにいったことがあります。)
Yoroppa ni itta koto ga arimasu.
I have been to Europe.

Do you ever…?

To ask “Do you ever…?” in Japanese, the same phrase ~ことがありますか (koto ga arimasu ka) is used. However, because this refers to something in the present or an action that is ongoing, the verb will use its present plain form.

In the example below, we are using する (suru), which means “to do,” or in this instance, “to play.”

For example:
ビデオゲームをすることがありますか?
(ビデオゲームをすることがありますか?)
Bideo gēmu o suru koto ga arimasu ka?
Do you ever play video games?

Related Post:
How to say “I know” and” I don’t know” in Japanese
How to say “let’s” in Japanese