ことある vs ことあった difference


ことある - I have

For example:

> 食べたことある - I've eaten it before

So what does 食べたことあった mean?




I would describe 「V した＋ことがある」as to convey having a certain experience
determined by the verb. In English it is usually rendered as "have done
something". In much the same vein, 「V した＋ことがあった」also talks about having that
experience, but the _having_ itself is talked about as in the past. With あった
there is a distance between that experience and the current discussion. Let's
look at some examples:

> 福岡で食べたことあったので来てみた
> ([source](https://tabelog.com/fukuoka/A4004/A400502/40050586/dtlrvwlst/B424773861/))  
>  I had eaten (at a similar restaurant) in Fukuoka. That's why I
> visited/tried this place.

Here the English translation conveniently matches the Japanese original in
tense. Just like the Japanese sentence, you backshift the English version,
"have eaten" -> "had eaten". Note that not all 「V したことがあった」sentences can be
rendered this way. The speaker talks about having had an experience (eating at
a restaurant similar to the one they are reviewing), and that experience
having happened prior to their visit to this new restaurant is the reason they
talk about that experience in the comparatively more distant past.

> 「そういえば昔、アシュトがお家のキッチンから果物をくすねてきて、シェリーちゃんと三人で食べたことあったよね」  
>  「あー......そういえばそんなことあったな。あの時はリュドガ兄さんにバレて、こっぴどく叱られたよ」  
>  (『大自然の魔法師アシュト、廃れた領地でスローライフ4』)

Here the experience — one of their friends stealing fruits to share with the
group — is being reminisced about fondly/nostalgically, thus the distance
between the conversation at hand and the experience talked about.

People also say 「何か変わったことあった？」to get updates.




I would describe 「V した＋ことがある」as to convey having a certain experience
determined by the verb. In English it is usually rendered as "have done
something". In much the same vein, 「V した＋ことがあった」also talks about having that
experience, but the _having_ itself is talked about as in the past. With あった
there is a distance between that experience and the current discussion. Let's
look at some examples:

> 福岡で食べたことあったので来てみた
> ([source](https://tabelog.com/fukuoka/A4004/A400502/40050586/dtlrvwlst/B424773861/))  
>  I had eaten (at a similar restaurant) in Fukuoka. That's why I
> visited/tried this place.

Here the English translation conveniently matches the Japanese original in
tense. Just like the Japanese sentence, you backshift the English version,
"have eaten" -> "had eaten". Note that not all 「V したことがあった」sentences can be
rendered this way. The speaker talks about having had an experience (eating at
a restaurant similar to the one they are reviewing), and that experience
having happened prior to their visit to this new restaurant is the reason they
talk about that experience in the comparatively more distant past.

> 「そういえば昔、アシュトがお家のキッチンから果物をくすねてきて、シェリーちゃんと三人で食べたことあったよね」  
>  「あー......そういえばそんなことあったな。あの時はリュドガ兄さんにバレて、こっぴどく叱られたよ」  
>  (『大自然の魔法師アシュト、廃れた領地でスローライフ4』)

Here the experience — one of their friends stealing fruits to share with the
group — is being reminisced about fondly/nostalgically, thus the distance
between the conversation at hand and the experience talked about.

People also say 「何か変わったことあった？」to get updates.

