Have/Has + subject + ever + past participle + ?Use this pattern to ask if something happened at any time until now.
Ever and Never
A2Use ever in Present Perfect questions about life experience, and never to say something has not happened at any time until now.
What you'll learn
- Ask about life experience with Have you ever... ?
- Say zero experience with have/has never + past participle.
- Place ever and never after have/has and before the main verb.
- Keep the past participle after have/has with ever and never.
- Choose ever and never for experience up to now, not finished past time.
Structure
subject + have/has + never + past participleUse this pattern to say zero experience up to now. Do not add not.
Build a sentence
Subject
Verb
Haveyouevereatensushi
Have you ever eaten sushi?
Use ever to ask about any time in life until now.
When to use
Life experience questions
Ask if something happened at any time in someone’s life until now: Have you ever driven a truck?
Zero experience
Say that an experience has not happened at any time until now: Maria has never flown business class.
Until now
Use ever and never when the time period includes now and the focus is experience, not a finished date like yesterday or last year.
Markers
in my lifebeforeyetoncetwiceso far
Common mistakes
Wrong
Have you eaten Korean food?
Correct
Have you ever eaten Korean food?
Ever makes the life-experience meaning clear: at any time until now.
Wrong
Tom hasn't never ridden a horse.
Correct
Tom has never ridden a horse.
Never already makes the sentence negative, so do not add not.
Wrong
Has Anna ever saw snow in April?
Correct
Has Anna ever seen snow in April?
After have or has, use the past participle, not the past simple form.
Wrong
Has ever Lisa tried scuba diving?
Correct
Has Lisa ever tried scuba diving?
Put ever after the subject in the question and before the past participle.
Wrong
I have never visited London in 2019.
Correct
I did not visit London in 2019.
A finished past time like in 2019 takes Past Simple, not Present Perfect with never.
Common misconceptions
❝ I need not with never because one negative word is not enough. ❞
Never already means not at any time, so has never tried is complete by itself.
❝ If ever is about life experience, I can use it in any Present Perfect sentence. ❞
Use ever mainly in questions. In plain affirmative statements, ever often sounds wrong or unnatural.
Skills in this rule (6)
USE_EVER_IN_QUESTIONSw5Use ever in Present Perfect questions about life experience
Use ever in questions like Have you ever... ? when you ask if something happened at any time in a person’s life until now.
USE_NEVER_FOR_ZERO_EXPERIENCEw5Use never to say an experience did not happen at any time until now
Use never in affirmative form to show zero experience up to now: I have never tried sushi. Do not add not with never.
PAIR_WITH_PAST_PARTICIPLEw4Keep the past participle after have or has with ever and never
After have/has, the main verb must be in the past participle form: been, seen, tried, gone. Ever and never do not change the verb form.
PLACE_EVER_NEVER_CORRECTLYw4Put ever and never between have or has and the main verb
In Present Perfect, ever and never come after have/has and before the past participle: Have you ever been...? She has never flown.
RECOGNIZE_EXPERIENCE_CONTEXTw3Choose ever and never for life experience up to now
Use these words when the idea is experience in your life until now, not a finished time in the past. Questions often ask about any experience; statements with never show zero experience.
RECOGNIZE_EXPERIENCE_MARKERSw2Recognize experience markers that often go with ever and never
Words and phrases like in my life, before, yet, once, twice, and so far often appear in experience questions and answers with Present Perfect.