Past-Tense Verb Formation
1. Affirmative Present/Future

Do you remember how to say "I get up at 8 everyday" in Japanese? We use the verb-ending form ます to refer to both habitual and future actions and events.
wake up

1. Habitual Action/Event

わたしは　まいにち　８じに　おきます。
"I get up at 8 everyday."  
2. Future Action/Event
あした　９じに　おきます。
"I will get up at 9 tomorrow."  
  Slide 1 of 6
2. Affirmative Past
 

The past tense of Japanese verbs is formed as follows.

Change the end of the verb from ...ます to ...ました.
e.g., おきます ("get up") right arrow おきました ("got up")

Change the following verbs into the past-tense verbs. Click on the Play button to hear the answers.

Habitual or Future   Past  
おきます right arrow おきました  
たべます right arrow ?
かえります right arrow ?
よみます right arrow ?
  Slide 2 of 6
3. Negative Past
 

To obtain the negative habitual and future form, you can change the ます ending to ません. For the negative past form, you change the ました ending to ませんでした.

　 Affirmative   Negative  
Non-Past ねます right arrow ねません
Past ねました right arrow ねませんでした

Examine the following. Person A asks, きのう がっこうへ いきましたか. Person B responds, はい、いきました while person C says, いいえ、いきませんでした.

A: きのう　がっこうに　いきましたか。
"Did you go to school yesterday?"
B: はい、いきました。
"Yes, I did [go]."
C: いいえ、いきませんでした。
"No, I didn't [go]."
  Slide 3 of 6
4. Past Tense Questions with なんじ and なに
 

You can combine the question word なんじ with the particle に to ask what someone ate:

A: なんじに　あさごはんを　たべましたか。
"What time did she eat breakfast?"
B: ６じ２５ふんに　たべました。
"She ate at 6:25."

You can also combine the question word なに with the particle を to ask what someone did. Note that the question word doesn't have to be at the beginning of a sentence (Scrambling Rule).

A: ６じ２５ふんに　なにを　しましたか。
"What did she do at 6:25?"
B: あさごはんを　たべました。
"She ate breakfast."
  Slide 4 of 6
5. Past Tense Questions with どこ
 

You can combine the question word どこ with the particle に or へ to ask for the destination someone went to.

A: ８じに　どこへ／に　いきましたか。
"Where did she go at 8?"
B: がっこうへ／に　いきました。
"She went to school."

By changing the particle to で, you can ask where someone did something.

A: どこで　ひるごはんを　たべましたか。
"Where did she eat lunch?"
B: レストランで　たべました。
"She ate at a restaurant."
  Slide 5 of 6
6. Past Tense Questions with だれ
 

You can combine the question word is だれ with the particle と to ask with whom someone did something.

A: だれと　べんきょうしましたか。
"With whom did she study?"
B: かわむらさんと　しました。
"She did it with Mr. Kawamura."
  Slide 6 of 6