Breakdown of watasi ha syukudai wo wasuremasita.
はha
topic particle
私watasi
I
をwo
direct object particle
宿題syukudai
homework
忘れるwasureru
to forget
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Questions & Answers about watasi ha syukudai wo wasuremasita.
Why is は used after 私?
The particle は marks the topic of the sentence. By saying 私 は, you’re setting “I” as the topic (“As for me…”). This is different from が, which marks the subject and often introduces new information.
Why is 宿題 followed by を?
The particle を marks the direct object of a transitive verb. Here, 宿題 (homework) is what is being forgotten, so you need を before the verb 忘れる.
How do you read 忘れました and what does it mean?
It’s read wasuremashita. This is the polite past form of 忘れる, meaning “forgot.”
- 忘れる → 忘れます (present polite) → 忘れました (past polite).
Why use the polite form 忘れました instead of the casual 忘れた?
忘れました is the polite (ます-form) past tense, appropriate for formal settings or when speaking with someone you don’t know well. 忘れた is the plain past form, used among friends, family, or in casual writing.
Can you omit 私 は and just say 宿題を忘れました?
Yes. Japanese often drops the topic when it’s clear from context. Saying 宿題を忘れました still means “I forgot (my) homework.”
What exactly does the ending ました do?
“ました” is the combination of the polite suffix -ます plus the past tense marker -た. It turns 忘れる into its past polite form: 忘れる → 忘れます → 忘れました.
Is 宿題 always written in kanji?
You can write it in kanji as 宿題 or in hiragana as しゅくだい. Beginners sometimes start in hiragana, but the kanji 宿 (yado, stay) and 題 (dai, topic) are very common in everyday Japanese.