Speakable Japanese

How to Talk About the Past in Japanese: Past Tense Verbs (... shimashita)

Hello! In the previous lesson, you learned to ask about time using "いつ", and a timeline appeared in your conversations.
In this lesson, we will use this timeline to talk about events in the "past" by mastering the most basic expression—「〜しました」. Once you learn to say "I watched a movie yesterday" or "I went shopping on the weekend," your day, and your entire life, will turn into a fascinating story!

🎯 Lesson Goal

Learn to specifically describe your past actions by changing the verb ending from "ます" (masu) to 「ました」 (mashita)!

Step 1 Discover

Let's look at how this is used in a real conversation. Let's see what Emma and Ken did recently.

👩🏼
Emma

週末は何をしましたか？

(Shuumatsu wa nani o shimashita ka?)

👨🏻
Ken

私は京都へ行きました。とてもきれいでしたよ。

(Watashi wa Kyouto e ikimashita. Totemo kirei deshita yo.)

👩🏼
Emma

昨日、さくらさんに会いましたか？

(Kinou, Sakura-san ni aimashita ka?)

💡

Did you notice?

Notice how Emma asks questions about the past by simply adding 'ka' (か) to the end of 'shimashita' (しました), and Ken answers by changing the verb ending from 'masu' (ます) to 'mashita' (ました)!

Step 2 The Pattern

Putting a verb into the past tense is very simple. Here is the basic structure.

Basic Chunk

ました。

( mashita.)

🔑 Key Point 1: Expressing the Past

You just need to remove "ます" from the verb and add "ました". This gives the verb the meaning of "did".

❓ Key Point 2: Questions and Answers

To ask a question about a past action, simply add 「か」 to the end: 「〜ましたか？」
Q: 昨日、何をしましたか？ (What did you do yesterday?)
A: 家で本を読みました。 (I read a book at home.)

Step 3 Pattern Practice

Listen and repeat these common past actions!

  • Action 1 Studied yesterday

    昨日、勉強しました。

    (Kinou, benkyou shimashita.)

  • Action 2 Watched a movie

    映画を見ました。

    (Eiga o mimashita.)

  • Action 3 Ate pizza at a restaurant

    レストランでピザを食べました。

    (Resutoran de piza o tabemashita.)

Step 4 Make It Yours!

This is the most important step! Create your own original sentences about what you did recently using the cheat sheet below.

👉 ACTION ました。

Vocabulary Cheat Sheet

Verbs (-mashita form)

  • いきました ikimashita (went)
  • たべました tabemashita (ate)
  • のみました nomimashita (drank)
  • みました mimashita (saw/watched)

Time & Places

  • きのう kinou (yesterday)
  • しゅうまつ shuumatsu (weekend)
  • えいが eiga (movie)
  • かいもの kaimono (shopping)

Bonus Go Beyond the Basics

In real life, you'll also need to say "I did NOT..." and speak casually with friends. Here’s a quick guide to leveling up your conversation about the past!

🙅‍♀️ 1. I did NOT... (Negative)

Formal Negative

行きませんでした。

(Ikimasen deshita. - I didn't go.)

Casual Negative (Friends)

行かなかった。

(Ikanakatta. - I didn't go.)

🤝 2. Friendly & Casual (Past)

Casual Form ("Ta" Form)

行った。

(Itta. - I went.)

Another Example

食べた。

(Tabeta. - I ate.)

Summary Lesson Review

Expressing the Past: Remove "ます" and add ました (mashita) to a verb to describe an action completed in the past.

Asking Questions: Simply add 「か」(ka) to the end of a past-tense sentence to make it a question.

Past Negative: Use ませんでした (masen deshita) or the casual なかった (nakatta) to say you did not do something.

Practice Drill

1 / X Polite

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