🚫📍⏳

How to Say ‘I haven't been there yet.’ in Japanese

まだ行ったことがありません。

mada itsu ta koto ga ari mase n

[ma-da EET tah koh-TOH ga ah-ree mah-SEH n]

💬 Usage Tip: Past form + ことがあります means "have done it before"; make it ありません for "never have". Try 食べたことがあります "I've eaten it before".

Phrase Breakdown

まだ行ったことが

mada itsu ta koto ga

the experience of having gone, not yet

まだ (mada) means 'not yet', and 行ったこと (itta koto) means 'the experience of having gone'. Pause briefly at the small っ: 'it-ta'.

Example

まだ行ったことがない店です。

It's a shop I haven't been to yet.

Words in this phrase

まだ

mada

[ma-da]

still

Indicates continuation of an action or state.

Example

まだ終わっていません。

It's not finished yet.

行っ

itsu

[EET]

Te-form stem of iku, 'to go'.

Example

駅まで行ってください。

Please go to the station.

た

[tah]

past tense ending

This ending completes the polite past tense form.

Example

空席がございました。

There were vacant seats.

こと

koto

[koh-TOH]

experience (in ~たことがある)

Nominalizer; after a past verb with がある/ない it expresses having (or not having) done something.

Example

すしを食べたことがあります。

I have eaten sushi before.

が

[ga]

subject marker

A particle marking the subject of the sentence.

Example

興味がある分野を教えてください。

Please tell me the field you are interested in.

ありません。

ari mase n

there isn't / I haven't

The polite negative of 'there is'. Together with the first part it means 'I have never been'.

Example

時間がありません。

I don't have time.

Words in this phrase

あり

ari

[ah-ree]

exist/have

The stem of ある, used for existence or availability of things.

Example

S席はありましたか。

Were S seats available?

ませ

mase

[mah-SEH]

polite negative ending

Part of the polite negative form -masen, making a verb or expression negative and polite.

Example

わかりません。

I don't understand.

ん

[n]

(negative ending)

Contracted form of the polite negative ending, as in ありません.

Example

今日は時間がありません。

I don't have time today.

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