Breakdown of tomodati ha mada hikouki ni nottakoto ga arimasen.
はha
topic particle
にni
destination particle
友達tomodati
friend
まだmada
yet
飛行機hikouki
airplane
乗るnoru
to board
〜たこと が ある〜takoto ga aru
to have done something before
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Questions & Answers about tomodati ha mada hikouki ni nottakoto ga arimasen.
Why is the particle は used after 友達 instead of が?
The particle は marks 友達 as the topic of the sentence (“as for my friend…”), setting the context for what follows. If you used が, you would be simply identifying or introducing a new subject (“a friend did X”), whereas は emphasizes contrast or what you want to say about that friend’s experience.
What does まだ mean here, and why is it necessary?
まだ means “still” or “not yet.” Placed before a negative verb or phrase, it conveys “has not happened up to now.” Without まだ, you’d simply say “my friend has no experience of flying,” but まだ highlights that perhaps they might fly in the future—they just haven’t done so yet.
Could まだ appear somewhere else in the sentence, for example 飛行機にまだ乗ったことがありません?
Yes. As an adverb, まだ is quite flexible. You can place it immediately before the verb phrase or at the very beginning. Both
• まだ飛行機に乗ったことがありません。
• 飛行機にまだ乗ったことがありません。
are natural and mean the same thing.
Why is the particle に used after 飛行機?
When talking about boarding or riding a vehicle, Japanese uses ～に乗る. The に marks the vehicle as the location or means by which you travel:
• 飛行機に乗る “to board/ride on an airplane”
Similarly, you’d say バスに乗る “to ride a bus.”
Why is the verb in the past tense (乗った) when the statement is negative?
This is the standard “experience” grammar: verb (past tense) + ことがある／ない. You always use the past tense of the verb (here 乗った) to refer to having done something. Then you add ことがない to say you have never had that experience.
What is the function of こと in 乗ったことがありません?
こと nominalizes the verb phrase 乗った into “the act/experience of having boarded.” You need this noun form so you can attach がある／ない (“there is/there isn’t”) to talk about whether that experience exists in your life.
Why does the sentence use ありません rather than the plain ない?
ありません is the polite (formal) negative of あります. In casual speech you would say 乗ったことがない. In polite speech or writing you use 乗ったことがありません to be more respectful or formal.
How is 乗ったことがない different from 乗らない?
• 乗らない is a simple non-past negative (“doesn’t ride / won’t ride”), implying habit or future intent.
• 乗ったことがない literally means “has no experience of having ridden,” focusing on past occurrences (or lack thereof), not on current habits or future plans.