📘 Grammar 15: How to Use ~ㄴ/은 적이 있다 – Talking About Past Experiences in Korean

📘 How to Use ~ㄴ/은 적이 있다 – Talking About Past Experiences in Korean

Do you want to say things like “I have been to Korea”, “I have eaten kimchi”, or “I have met him before” in Korean?

Then you need the grammar structure ~ㄴ/은 적이 있다, which is used to express past experiences — something you've done at least once in your life.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to form and use this structure properly with various verbs, real-life examples, and common mistakes to avoid!

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🧠 What Does ~ㄴ/은 적이 있다 Mean?

~ㄴ/은 적이 있다 means “I have (done something) before” or “I’ve had the experience of…”

• 먹은 적이 있어요 – I’ve eaten it before
• 간 적이 있어요 – I’ve gone (been there) before
• 만난 적이 있어요 – I’ve met (someone) before

It’s used to recall something that happened in the past at least once.

🔤 Conjugation Rule

• For verbs ending in a vowel → add ㄴ + 적이 있다
• For verbs ending in a consonant → add 은 + 적이 있다

Structure:

Verb stem + ㄴ/은 적이 있다

Examples:

• 보다 → 본 적이 있다 – have seen
• 가다 → 간 적이 있다 – have gone
• 먹다 → 먹은 적이 있다 – have eaten

📊 Summary Table

Verb	Form	Meaning	Romanization
하다	한 적이 있다	have done	han jeok-i it-da
만나다	만난 적이 있다	have met	man-nan jeok-i it-da
보다	본 적이 있다	have seen	bon jeok-i it-da
읽다	읽은 적이 있다	have read	ilg-eun jeok-i it-da

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📙 Example Sentences

• 저는 한국에 간 적이 있어요 – I have been to Korea
  jeo-neun han-guk-e gan jeok-i i-sseo-yo
• 김치를 먹은 적이 있어요 – I have eaten kimchi
  gim-chi-reul meok-eun jeok-i i-sseo-yo
• 그 사람을 만난 적이 있어요 – I have met that person
  geu sa-ram-eul man-nan jeok-i i-sseo-yo

🚫 Negative Form: ~적이 없다

To say "I have never (done something)," use ~적이 없다

• 저는 일본에 간 적이 없어요 – I’ve never been to Japan
• 이 영화를 본 적이 없어요 – I’ve never seen this movie

💬 Variation: ~적 있어요 / ~적 없어요

In casual conversation, Koreans often shorten the phrase:

• 먹은 적 있어요 → 먹어 본 적 있어요 → 먹어 봤어요
• 가 본 적 있어요 → 가 봤어요

All of these are grammatically okay and commonly used!

🧪 Mini Quiz – Test Yourself!

1. How do you say “I have eaten it before”?
   a) 먹는 적이 있어요
   b) 먹은 적이 있어요
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ b) 먹은 적이 있어요

2. Translate: “I have never been to Korea.”
   a) 한국에 간 적이 없어요
   b) 한국에 가는 적이 없어요
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ a) 한국에 간 적이 없어요

3. Which is correct?
   a) 읽는 적이 있다
   b) 읽은 적이 있다
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ b) 읽은 적이 있다

✅ Conclusion

Now you can talk about your life experiences in Korean using ~ㄴ/은 적이 있다!

• Use ~ㄴ/은 적이 있다 to say you’ve done something
• Use ~적이 없다 to say you’ve never done it
• Perfect for sharing travel, food, or cultural experiences

Try saying things like:

• “I have been to Jeju” → 제주도에 간 적이 있어요
• “I have never eaten sushi” → 초밥을 먹은 적이 없어요

📘 Coming Up Next

Next lesson: How to Use ~기로 하다 – Making Plans or Promises in Korean
Learn how to say “I decided to…”, “We agreed to…” using ~기로 하다!

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