聞いたことがある
kiita koto ga aru
In Japanese, "I have heard" is said as 聞いたことがある (kiita koto ga aru).
This phrase is used to express that something is familiar to you because you have encountered the information before, or to indicate that you have received certain information or have knowledge of something from the past.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the past tense of 'to hear' (聞いた), the noun for 'thing/matter' (こと) and the verb 'to exist' (ある).
Which one should you use?
While 聞いた simply means "heard" (a completed action), 聞いたことがある specifically emphasizes the experience of having heard it. Additionally, the informal version 聞いたことある can be literally translated as "I have a heard thing."
How do you pronounce it?
kiita koto ga aru
Did you know?
- Japanese has a specialized 'evidential' grammar system. Using 聞いたことがある signals to the listener that the speaker is not the original source of the truth, which is a crucial social cue to avoid taking undue responsibility for the information.
- The verb 聞く (kiku) is a homonym that can mean both 'to hear' and 'to ask'. Depending on the context, 聞いたことがある could potentially be interpreted as 'I have asked about that' in specific scenarios.
- In professional settings, 聞いたことがある is often replaced by 伺っております (ukagatte orimasu). This uses 'humble' Japanese to lower the speaker's status relative to the source of the information.
Examples in context
- ええ、聞いたよ！何か特別なメニューあるって本当？Yeah, I heard! Is it true they have some special menu?
- その話は聞いたことがある。Sono hanashi wa kiita koto ga aru.I have heard that story.
- 彼はとても親切だと聞いたことがある。Kare wa totemo shinsetsu da to kiita koto ga aru.I have heard that he is very kind.
- そんな噂は聞いたことがある。Sonna uwasa wa kiita koto ga aru.I have heard such a rumor.
Example conversation
Kenta and Himari are talking about a famous local restaurant.
- 健太 Kentaあのお店、美味しいって聞いたことがある？Ano omise, oishii tte kiita koto ga aru?Have you heard that the restaurant is delicious?
- 陽葵 Himariうん、聞いたことがあるよ。Un, kiita koto ga aru yo.Yes, I have heard that.
- 健太 Kentaじゃあ、今度一緒に行ってみない？Jaa, kondo issho ni itte minai?Then, do you want to go there together sometime?
- 陽葵 Himariいいよ、ぜひ行きたい！Ii yo, zehi ikitai!Sure, I'd love to go!
