-은 적이 있다 | Korean past experience grammar | how to use -은 적이 있다 correctly
Meaning of -은 적이 있다
The expression -은 적이 있다 is used to talk about past experience, usually translated as “have done” or “have ever done” in English.
The full pattern is -(으)ㄴ 적이 있다, where -(으)ㄴ turns the verb into a past modifier, 적 means “time” or “occasion,” and 있다 means “to exist.” Literally, the sentence says that there “exists a time” when the action happened.
Because of this structure, -은 적이 있다 does not describe one specific event in detail. Instead, it focuses on the existence of that experience in a person’s life up to now.
When the pattern is negated with 없다, -은 적이 없다 means “have never done.”
For example, “김치를 먹은 적이 있어요” means “I have eaten kimchi (at least once),” while “김치를 먹은 적이 없어요” means “I have never eaten kimchi.”
In daily conversation, this pattern is very common when asking about travel, food, hobbies, and other life experiences.
How to form -은 적이 있다
Basic verb patterns for -은 적이 있다
The pattern -은 적이 있다 attaches to action verbs, not to nouns or adjectives. The verb stem changes first, and then 적이 있다 is added. The main rules are as follows.
- If the verb stem ends in a consonant, add 은 적이 있다.
먹다 → 먹은 적이 있다 → “have eaten”
읽다 → 읽은 적이 있다 → “have read” - If the verb stem ends in a vowel, add ㄴ 적이 있다.
가다 → 간 적이 있다 → “have been / have gone”
오다 → 온 적이 있다 → “have come” - For 하다-verbs, the stem 하 becomes 한 before 적이 있다.
공부하다 → 공부한 적이 있다 → “have studied”
여행하다 → 여행한 적이 있다 → “have traveled”
In polite speech, the verb 있다 at the end is usually conjugated as 있어요 or 있습니다. Therefore, natural sentences look like “간 적이 있어요”, “먹은 적이 있어요”, or more formal “간 적이 있습니다”, “먹은 적이 있습니다”.
Negative and question forms with -은 적이 있다
The negative form simply replaces 있다 with 없다. For example, “간 적이 있어요” (“have been”) becomes “간 적이 없어요” (“have never been”).
In formal speech, this becomes “간 적이 있습니다 / 간 적이 없습니다”.
Typical question forms use rising intonation or a question mark. For example, “한국에 간 적이 있어요?” means “Have you ever been to Korea?” and “불고기를 먹은 적이 있어요?” means “Have you ever eaten bulgogi?”
When answering, learners often repeat the same structure to sound clear and natural:
- 네, 한국에 간 적이 있어요. → “Yes, I have been to Korea.”
- 아니요, 한국에 간 적이 없어요. → “No, I have never been to Korea.”
Usage and nuance of -은 적이 있다
Talking about general life experience
The main nuance of -은 적이 있다 is general life experience up to the present. It is similar to English present perfect “have done,” especially when English uses “ever” or “never.”
For this reason, -은 적이 있다 is usually not used with a very specific past time like “yesterday” or “last night.”
For example, “어제 한국 영화를 본 적이 있어요” is not natural, because 어제 already points to one specific event. In that case, the simple past form “어제 한국 영화를 봤어요” is more appropriate.
On the other hand, “한국 영화를 본 적이 있어요” is natural, because it describes the speaker’s general experience with Korean movies.
Consider the following examples:
- 저는 한국 드라마를 본 적이 있어요.
“I have watched Korean dramas (before).” - 저는 한국 드라마를 본 적이 없어요.
“I have never watched Korean dramas.”
In both sentences, no detailed time is given, and the focus stays on whether the experience exists or not.
Adding frequency and time expressions
The pattern -은 적이 있다 combines often with expressions of frequency such as 한 번 (one time), 두 번 (two times), or 여러 번 (many times). These words show how many times the experience has happened, while -은 적이 있다 still marks it as life experience.
- 한국에 간 적이 한 번 있어요.
“I have been to Korea once.” - 한국에 간 적이 두 번 있어요.
“I have been to Korea twice.” - 일본 음식을 먹은 적이 여러 번 있어요.
“I have eaten Japanese food many times.”
More general time expressions like 예전에 (in the past), 어렸을 때 (when I was young), or 전에 (before) can also appear. They do not point to one exact date, but they give a rough time frame for the experience.
- 어렸을 때 피아노를 배운 적이 있어요.
“I learned piano when I was young (at some time in the past).” - 전에 온라인 수업을 들은 적이 있어요.
“I have taken an online class before.”
-은 적이 있다 vs simple past and -아/어 보다
-은 적이 있다 vs simple past tense
The simple past tense with -았/었- (for example, 갔어요, 먹었어요) describes a finished action at a specific time or in a specific situation. By contrast, -은 적이 있다 does not highlight one event. It presents the action as part of the speaker’s background experience.
Compare the following pairs:
- 저는 한국에 갔어요.
“I went to Korea.” (focus on a particular trip) - 저는 한국에 간 적이 있어요.
“I have been to Korea.” (focus on the fact that a trip to Korea is part of my life experience) - 지난주에 김밥을 먹었어요.
“I ate gimbap last week.” (one event, clear time) - 김밥을 먹은 적이 있어요.
“I have eaten gimbap (before).” (general experience, no fixed time)
When the speaker wants to emphasise “ever” or “never,” -은 적이 있다 / -은 적이 없다 is usually more appropriate than a simple past verb.
-은 적이 있다 vs -아/어 보다 and -아/어 본 적이 있다
The pattern -아/어 보다 literally means “to try doing something.” When used in the past, 먹어 봤어요 often means “I have tried eating it,” with a nuance of trying something new at least once.
On the other hand, 먹은 적이 있어요 simply states that the action has happened before, without highlighting the feeling of “trying” something new.
- 김치를 먹어 봤어요.
“I have tried eating kimchi.” (focus on the experience of trying) - 김치를 먹은 적이 있어요.
“I have eaten kimchi.” (objective fact that the action happened)
There is also a combined form -아/어 본 적이 있다, such as 먹어 본 적이 있다. This structure strongly emphasises that there was at least one attempt or trial.
However, for many everyday situations, -은 적이 있다 alone is enough, and it sounds slightly more neutral and factual.
In summary, -은 적이 있다 focuses on whether the experience exists, -아/어 보다 focuses on trying, and the simple past focuses on a specific event in time.
Common learner errors with -은 적이 있다
Error 1: using the wrong verb ending before 적이 있다
A common error is to use the present modifier -는 instead of the past modifier -(으)ㄴ before 적이 있다. Sentences like “한국에 가는 적이 있어요” are unnatural, because the pattern requires a past action.
Incorrect:
한국에 가는 적이 있어요. ✕
Correct:
한국에 간 적이 있어요. ○
“I have been to Korea.”
The verb must first be converted into the past modifier form (간, 먹은, 본, 한) and then connected to 적이 있다.
Error 2: using specific past time with -은 적이 있다
English speakers often translate literally from “I went there yesterday” or “I watched that movie last night” and try to use -은 적이 있다 with “yesterday,” “last night,” or similar phrases. However, -은 적이 있다 usually does not combine with very precise time expressions.
Incorrect:
어제 그 영화를 본 적이 있어요. ✕
Natural alternatives:
- 어제 그 영화를 봤어요. ○ (simple past)
- 그 영화를 본 적이 있어요. ○ (general experience, no 어제)
Learners can remember that -은 적이 있다 normally answers questions like “Have you ever…?” rather than “What did you do yesterday?”
Error 3: misplacing negation with -은 적이 있다
Another difficulty is the position of negation. The negative form is made by replacing 있다 with 없다, not by placing 안 or 못 in front of the whole phrase.
Incorrect:
한국에 안 간 적이 있어요. ✕ (confusing meaning)
Clear and natural:
한국에 간 적이 없어요. ○
“I have never been to Korea.”
In this correct sentence, the experience “간 적” (a time of going) is followed by 없어요, which clearly shows that such an experience does not exist.
Error 4: using -은 적이 있다 directly with adjectives
The pattern -은 적이 있다 is normally used with action verbs, not with adjectives like 예쁘다 or 크다. Sentences such as “예쁜 적이 있어요” sound unnatural, because being pretty is a state, not an action.
Instead, another verb can be introduced to express the experience more clearly.
Incorrect:
예쁜 적이 있어요. ✕
More natural:
예쁘다는 말을 들은 적이 있어요. ○
“I have been told that I am pretty (before).”
Here, the verb 말을 듣다 (to hear someone say something) becomes 들은 적이 있다, which matches the action-based nature of the pattern.
Summary of -은 적이 있다
The expression -은 적이 있다 is an essential tool for describing past experiences in Korean. It is built from a past verb modifier, the noun 적 meaning “occasion,” and 있다, and it corresponds closely to English “have (ever) done.” With 없다, it becomes -은 적이 없다, meaning “have never done.”
To use -은 적이 있다 correctly, learners need to remember three main points. First, apply the correct past modifier form of the verb before 적이 있다: consonant stems take 은, vowel stems take ㄴ, and 하다-verbs become 한. Second, avoid combining this pattern with very specific past-time expressions and instead use it for general life experience. Third, be careful with negation and verb type, replacing 있다 with 없다 for “never” and using the pattern mainly with action verbs.
By practising questions and answers such as “간 적이 있어요?” and “먹은 적이 없어요”, learners can make -은 적이 있다 a natural part of their Korean and describe their experiences in a clear and accurate way.
