The Present Perfect ② Experience — Have Done Before

The experience use of the present perfect expresses having done something at some time in one’s life. It asks whether someone has had a particular experience.

Basic Rule

The form is also have / has + past participle. Common adverbs are ever（ever）/ never（never）/ once（once）/ twice（twice）/ three times（three times）/ before（before）.
“How many times have you 〜?（How many times have you 〜?）” is a frequently used question asking about the number of experiences.
have been to means “have been to 〜” as an experience, while have been in means “have stayed in 〜 / be in 〜.” To is usually used for experiences of visiting places.

Points to Note

① ever is mainly used in questions: “Have you ever 〜?” Do not use it in affirmative sentences (× I have ever been to America.).
② never has a negative meaning but is used in an affirmative sentence: “I have never been to America.（I have never been to America）.” Do not use it together with have not (× I have not never).
③ been to vs gone to: been to means that someone went and returned (experience), while gone to means that someone went and has not returned (the person is away now). “She has been to Paris.（She has been to Paris）” and “She has gone to Paris.（She has gone to Paris and is not here now）.”
④ Ask about the number of experiences with How many times / How often: “How many times have you been to Kyoto?（How many times have you been to Kyoto?）” Answers include “Twice. / Three times. / Many times.”

Practice

1. Write “Have you ever been to Hokkaido?” in English.
2. Write “I have never ridden on an airplane” in English (fly / a plane).
3. Write “She has eaten sushi many times” in English.