We will use activities from the list with the ‘～ことがある’ construction to express that we have or have not had the experience of doing certain things. This construction follows a verb in the short form past tense. Remember to conjugate the final ‘ある’ into the present tense.

In English, we express the idea that we experienced doing something by using the verb ‘have’ and its various conjugations as auxiliary verbs (verbs that lend more nuance to other verbs). This verb form can express other ideas, as in ‘I have been working every day.’ A common mistake is to think that the ‘～ことがある’ construction can be extended to similar meanings in Japanese—this is not the case. ‘ことがある’ can only be used to express the idea that you have experienced something.

We will say that we have made Japanese food, ridden the subway, and slept in class. We answer as follows:
A.　日本料理を作ったことがあります。（日本りょうりをつくったことがあります。）
B.　地下鉄に乗ったことがあります。（ち下てつにのったことがあります。）
C.　クラスで寝たことがあります。（クラスでねたことがあります。）

We will use activities from the list with the ‘～ことがある’ construction to express that we have or have not had the experience of doing certain things. This construction follows a verb in the short form past tense. Remember to conjugate the final ‘ある’ into the present tense.

In English, we express the idea that we experienced doing something by using the verb ‘have’ and its various conjugations as auxiliary verbs (verbs that lend more nuance to other verbs). This verb form can express other ideas, as in ‘I have been working every day.’ A common mistake is to think that the ‘～ことがある’ construction can be extended to similar meanings in Japanese—this is not the case. ‘ことがある’ can only be used to express the idea that you have experienced something.

Usually the verb 住む（すむ）is conjugated into the て-form, but in the context of this verbal construction, we do not need to do so.

We will say that we have not lived in a foreign country, learned to play piano, and taught English. We answer as follows:
A.　外国に住んだことがありません。
B.　ピアノを習ったことがありません。（ピアノを習ったことがありません。）
C.　英語を教えたことがありません。（えい語をおしえたことがありません。）