ことがある (koto ga aru) after the dictionary form or ない-form means “there are times when ~” or “~ sometimes happens.” It is a JLPT N4 pattern for things that happen occasionally, not every time: 朝ご飯を食べないことがあります — “Sometimes I skip breakfast.”
If that looks familiar, it’s because you learned たことがある at N5 — “have done before.” The only difference is the verb form in front, but the meaning changes completely. 行ったことがある is “I’ve been there”; 行くことがある is “I sometimes go there.”
ことがある after the dictionary form says “this happens now and then.” After the た-form, it says “this has happened to me at least once.”
What does ことがある mean?
こと turns the verb into a noun, “the act of ~,” and がある says that act exists among your usual experiences. Put together: “there are occasions of doing ~.”
- 電車が遅れることがあります。 — The train is sometimes late.
- 兄は夜遅くまで帰らないことがある。 — My brother sometimes doesn’t come home until late.
The feeling is “occasionally, not usually.” It sits between “never” and “often.” The English “sometimes” is the closest match, but ことがある is often a bit less frequent than ときどき, closer to “every now and then” or “it can happen that.”
How to form ことがある
Use the dictionary form for “sometimes do” and the ない-form for “sometimes don’t.” It also works with adjectives and nouns, as a general statement.
| Base | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 遅れる | 遅れることがある | is sometimes late |
| 行く | 行かないことがある | sometimes doesn’t go |
| 寒い | 寒いことがある | is sometimes cold |
| 静か | 静かなことがある | is sometimes quiet |
| 休み | 休みのことがある | is sometimes closed / a day off |
Politeness goes at the end: ことがあります. For extra emphasis on “also sometimes,” swap が for も: 休むこともあります — “There are times I take the day off, too.”
Two useful relatives with the same structure:
- ことが多い — often: 週末は家にいることが多い — “I’m usually at home on weekends.”
- ことはない / ことがない — never happens: 父は怒ることがない — “My father never gets angry.”
When is ことがある used?
- Describing habits with exceptions: いつもは電車で行くけど、自転車で行くこともある.
- Warnings and notices: 雨の日は運休することがあります — “Service may be suspended on rainy days.” This polite, factual use is common on signs and in instructions.
- Describing people’s tendencies: 彼は時間を忘れることがある — “He sometimes loses track of time.”
- Softening a statement: saying 遅れることがあります instead of 遅れます makes it clear the problem isn’t constant.
The pattern is neutral in register. It works in casual speech (ことがある), polite speech (ことがあります), and written notices.
ことがある example sentences
忙しいと、朝ご飯を食べないことがあります。
When I’m busy, I sometimes skip breakfast.
この電車は雪の日に遅れることがあります。
This train is sometimes late on snowy days.
兄は優しいけど、たまに怒ることがある。
My brother is kind, but every now and then he gets angry.
夏でも、山の上は寒いことがあります。
Even in summer, it can be cold at the top of the mountain.
月曜日は、あのレストランは休みのことがあります。
That restaurant is sometimes closed on Mondays.
普段はバスで行きますが、歩いて行くこともあります。
I usually take the bus, but sometimes I walk too.
祖母は病気をすることがほとんどない。
My grandmother hardly ever gets sick.
Notice the time words that often sit next to ことがある: たまに, 時々, 〜の日に, 〜と. They signal “in certain situations,” which is exactly what the pattern expresses.
Nuance of ことがある
ことがある describes a repeated possibility, not a single event. It answers “does this ever happen?” rather than “will this happen?” So it fits general facts about people, places and systems, but not one specific future moment. For tomorrow’s weather, you need かもしれない: 明日は雨が降るかもしれない, not 降ることがある.
It also doesn’t go with words that mean “always” or “every time.” 毎日遅れることがある contradicts itself, because ことがある already implies “not every time.”
In notices, ことがあります has a slightly formal, cautious tone. A shop sign saying 売り切れることがあります (“may sell out”) is warning you without promising anything.
Quick test: look at the verb right before こと. Dictionary or ない-form → “sometimes.” た-form → “have done before.” Nothing else in the sentence needs to change.
ことがある vs たことがある
Same ending, different verb form, completely different meaning.
A question like 富士山に登ったことがありますか asks about experience, so reply with the た-form. A question like 自分で料理することがありますか asks about habits, so reply with the dictionary form. See たことがある for the experience pattern in full.
Common mistakes with ことがある
For experience, use the た-form. The dictionary form means you go there from time to time.
ことがある describes things that happen repeatedly. For one specific future possibility, use かもしれない.
毎朝 means every time, but ことがある means only sometimes. Drop one of them.
Is ことがある on the JLPT?
Yes. ことがある is standard N4 grammar, and the test loves to put it next to たことがある in the same question.
At N4 you should be able to:
- Choose between 見ることがある and 見たことがある from context
- Use the ない-form for “sometimes doesn’t”
- Understand ことがあります on notices as “may happen”
Look for clues like 今までに or 一度も (experience → た) versus たまに, 時々 or 〜の日は (occasional → dictionary form).
Practice questions for ことがある
Show answer
週末はカフェで勉強することがあります。 — On weekends I sometimes study at a café.
Show answer
今までに一度も入院したことがありません。 — I’ve never been in hospital.
Show answer
スマホがインターネットにつながらないことがあります。 — My phone sometimes won’t connect to the internet.
Show answer
私はたまに遅れることがあります。 — I’m occasionally late.
Learning path for ことがある
Related grammar to review next
- たことがある — the experience pattern; same ending, but after the た-form.
- ことができる — another dictionary form + こと pattern, meaning “can.”
- かもしれない — “might,” for one specific possibility rather than something that happens now and then.
- こと — the nominaliser that makes all the こと patterns work.
Learn ことがある with Hane
Hane mixes ことがある and たことがある in the same drills, so you learn to read the verb form before the meaning. Practise N4 grammar in Hane.
FAQ about ことがある
What does ことがある (koto ga aru) mean in Japanese?
ことがある (koto ga aru) means “there are times when”. It is JLPT N4 grammar. こと turns the verb into a noun, “the act of ~,” and がある says that act exists among your usual experiences. Put together: “there are occasions of doing ~.
How do you form ことがある (koto ga aru)?
Use the dictionary form for “sometimes do” and the ない-form for “sometimes don’t.” It also works with adjectives and nouns, as a general statement.
What is the difference between ことがある and たことがある?
る／ない + ことがある: sometimes happens. た + ことがある: have done before.
What is an example sentence with ことがある (koto ga aru)?
忙しいと、朝ご飯を食べないことがあります。 — When I’m busy, I sometimes skip breakfast.