Have you ever ....?




We use the Present Perfect form (have + past participle) to talk about our experiences. We do not specify the time of the action(s).
  • I have been to Florida. RIGHT
  • I have been to Florida last year. WRONG
  • I went to Florida last year. RIGHT

  • He's worked for some of the top companies. RIGHT
  • We've seen this film three or four times. RIGHT
  • We saw this film three or four times. WRONG
  • They've met the King of Spain. RIGHT
  • They've met the King of Spain when he visited Cantabria. WRONG
  • She's lived in a few different countries. RIGHT
  • Have you eaten in this restaurant before? RIGHT
In the above examples we only talk about the experiences without specifying when the action(s) happened.


We can use "ever" in a question to ask about life experiences:
  • Have you ever ridden a horse?
  • Has she ever studied languages?
  • Has anyone ever climbed that mountain?
We use "never" to say that we don't have the experience:
  • She's never been to the opera.
  • They've never flown before.
  • I have never played padel.


We can use the Present Perfect form to talk about the number of times we have had a particular experience:
  • I have been to London many times.
  • She's only driven on a motorway once before.
  • This is the third time we have moved house.

Consider the following conversations:
  • A: Have you ever travelled by AVE?
  • B: No, never.
  • A: Have you ever flown with Iberia?
  • B: No, I haven't.
  • A: Have you ever been on a long car journey?
  • B: Yes, once I drove from Madrid to Rome.
  • A: How long did it take?
  • B: About 48 hours. We stayed one night in the south of France.

  • C: Have you ever eaten frogs' legs?
  • D: Yes, I have - a few times.
  • C: Do you like them?
  • D: They are OK. They taste a bit like chicken.

  • E: Have you ever read a novel in English?
  • F: Yes, I have.
  • E: What one (did you read)?
  • F: I read the first Harry Potter book.
  • E: Did you like it?
  • F: I preferred the film.

  • G: Have you ever been to New York?
  • H: Yes, I have.
  • G: When did you go there?
  • H: About 12 years ago.
  • G: Did you visit the Empire States building?
  • H: No, we didn't have time but we went up the Statue of Liberty.
  • G: Have you ever been to London?
  • H: Yes, I have been there three or four times.
  • G: What all have you seen?
  • H: We have seen most of the sights but we've never been up the London Eye.
  • G: When did you last go there?
  • H: Last summer. We found a cheap flight but we were only there for three days.

Notice in the above conversations; after a "yes" answer, we use the Past Simple to talk about a specific experience.



Now write similar conversations using some of the ideas below. If you give a "yes" answer, write further (logical) questions.
  • stay in an expensive hotel
  • go to Asia
  • forget an important date
  • wear a fancy dress costume
  • see a film in English
  • work for a big company
  • win a competition
  • appear on TV
  • have a bad job interview
  • send a text to the wrong person
  • take the AVE
  • meet a famous person
  • eat something really strange
  • write a letter of complaint
  • get lost in a foreign city
  • play a team sport
  • drive a sportscar
  • get a fine
  • go to a gym
  • miss a flight
  • be given a present that you don't like
  • buy something and never wear it

Comments

Montse said…
Graham, I've read the post.
Montse said…
Hi, Graham. How are you doing?. I've done the exercise:

• Have you ever stayed in an expensive hotel?
• Yes, I have.
• Where did you stay?
• I stayed in a five star hotel in Salamanca.

• Have you ever been to Asia.
• No, I’ve never been there.

• Have you ever forgotten an important date.
• Yes, I have.
• What date did you forget?
• I forgot an appointment with the dentist.

• Have you ever worn a fancy dress costume?
• No, I haven’t.

• Have you ever seen a film in English?
• I’ve never seen a whole film in English.
• Why haven’t you ever seen it?
• Because I don’t understand English very well.

• Have you ever worked for a big company?
• Yes, I have.
• What big company did you work for?
• I worked for the ONCE for two months.

• Have you ever won a competition?
• I suppose so but I don’t remember which one.

• Have you ever appeared on TV?
• I’ve never appeared on TV.
• Would you like to appear on TV?
• No, I wouldn’t.

• Have you ever had a bad job interview?
• Yes, I have.
• When did you have it?
• A lot of years ago.

• Have you ever sent a text to the wrong person?
• No, I haven’t.

• Have you ever taken the AVE?
• No, I haven’t.
• Why have you never taken it?
• Because it’s very expensive.

• Have you ever met a famous person?
• No, I haven’t.

• Have you ever eaten something really strange?
• No, I haven’t.

• Have you ever written a letter of complaint?
• Yes, I have.
• Who was the letter addressed to?
• It was addressed to a car insurance company.

• Have you ever got lost in a foreign city?
• No, I haven’t

• Have you ever placed a team sport?
• No, I haven’t.

• Have you ever driven a sportscar?
• No, I haven’t.

• Have you ever got a fine?
• No, I’ve never got a fine

• Have you ever gone to a gym?
• Yes, I have.
• When did you go to a gym?
• I usually go a gym twice a week.

• Have you ever missed a flight?
• No, never.

• Have you ever been given a present that you don’t like?
• Yes, I have.

• Have you ever bought something and never worn it?
• Yes, I have.
• What was it?
• It was a blouse.

See you tomorrow!
Graham said…
Hi Montse,

I used to give classes at ONCE a few years back. I worked there for 3 years.

The only mistakes I can find are:

• I’ve never seen a whole film in English.
• Why haven’t you ever seen ONE?


• What big company did you work for?
• I worked FOR ONCE for two months.


• Have you ever BEEN TO a gym?
• Yes, I have.