"I have been to Germany and France."

Translation: ドイツとフランスに行ったことがあります。

[JOKOJOKO83]

Could someone explain this ...こと structure please?

[drane2]

Plain た form verb+ごとがあります。is the structure for saying that you have done something (more literally translated it's like "have the experience of doing).

日本料理を食べたことがあります。I have eaten Japanese food.

中国語を勉強したことがありません。I have not studied Chinese.

カナダに住んだことがある。I have lived in Canada (Plain form).

ロシアに住んだことがない。I have not lived in Russia (Plain form).

Here's Tae Kim on the topic: http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar/genericnouns#Using_to_say_whether_something_has_happened

[MarkSmith148943]

Does this mean Japanese has a perfect verb form- not that it is always a perfect verb- just often?

[overflowcat]

There is no 完了形 in Japanese. You can use …ていた, or some adverbs like もう.

I had already finished my homework when my father came home.
私は父が帰宅した時、すでに宿題を終えていた。

I had not finished my homework when my father came home.
私は父が帰宅した時、まだ宿題を終えていなかった。

I had never been to Tokyo before I was ten years old.
私は10歳になるまで、一度も東京に行ったことがなかった。

Had she finished her homework when her mother came home?
彼女は、彼女の母親が帰宅した時宿題を終えていました。

A：スミスさんはいますか。
B：もう帰りましたよ。

[Mokuhazush]

You can definitely leave out が in this sentence. It's not ungrammatical and very common. But with が should be the standard answer.

[DaniBolger]

So how does this statement change leaving out the こと ?

[mattcfz]

What is wrong with mine
ドイツとフランスに行ったことがありました。

One cannot use past tense ...mashita with ...koto structure?

[drane2]

this structure is always -たごとがある。to make ある past tense would be like saying you used to have had the experience of having gone to germany and france, but you no longer do, which is impossible (at least, not without time machines to go back and change the past). hth

[mattcfz]

Thanks

So it's something like saying

"It was true that I've been to Germany"

It makes no sense to use past tense there.

[MattyGridley]

I should be able yo not have to have "ga"

[Purple_Elite333]

You will hear the omission of ga and ha in common speech, but it isn't correct grammar. You dont go to English 101 and expect slang to get good grades, either.

[kiiin2]

Common speech is not equal to slang

[drane2]

Yes but you need to learn the long forms first to know that something is being abbreviated when it happens.

[cherubl]

Isnt が always used with あります? Apart from question form?

[kisuke3]

If not ga, you would need ha, but I can't remember exactly why right now :/

[LaserDuck]

Why is 「ドイツやフランスに行ったことがあります。」wrong?

[mattcfz]

because the original sentence does not have this type of "incoplete list of things や”

If the original sentence were "I've been to places like Germany and France", then your translation would be right.

When you use や to list some things, it's an incomplete list.
When you use と, its a complete list.

more examples:

ヨーロッパに行きました。ドイツやフランスに行ったことがあります。

I've been to europe。I've been to countries like France and Germany. (this implies, that you also visited more countries, but do not bother to list them all)

ヨーロッパに行きました。ドイツとフランスに行ったことがあります。

I've been to europe. I've been to France and Germany.
A complete list of two things, does not imply, that there are more countries that you visited.

[LaserDuck]

Thanks