Breakdown of reshiito o kakuninshitara, nedan ga machigatte imashita.
をo
direct object particle
がga
subject particle
〜て いる〜te iru
progressive form
〜て〜te
connective form
確認するkakuninsuru
to check
〜たら〜tara
conditional form
値段nedan
price
レシートreshiito
receipt
間違うmachigau
to be wrong
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Questions & Answers about reshiito o kakuninshitara, nedan ga machigatte imashita.
Why is を used after レシート?
Because レシートを確認する literally means “to check/confirm the receipt.” を marks the direct object of the transitive verb 確認する. You “check” something, so that something takes を.
What does the たら in 確認したら mean?
It’s the conditional -たら form of 確認する. Here it means “when/after I checked.” In Japanese, ～たら can mean both “if” and “when,” but in this sentence it expresses a sequence: “When I checked the receipt…”
Why is 確認したら in the plain form even though the sentence ends with polite いました?
Subordinate clauses (like the ～たら clause) always use the plain form, regardless of the main clause’s politeness level. The main clause ends with the polite 間違っていました, but the “when I checked” part remains in plain 確認したら.
What’s the difference between 間違っていました and 間違った?
- 間違った is the simple past of 間違う, focusing on the moment an error occurred: “it was wrong/got mistaken.”
- 間違っていました is past progressive (the -ている form in past), describing a continuing state: “it was (still) in a wrong state,” i.e. “it turned out to be wrong.”
Why is が used after 値段 instead of は?
が marks the subject or new information: “The price was wrong.” Since this is the first time you mention the price being wrong, が is natural. If you used は (値段は間違っていました), you’d be topicing it or implying contrast (e.g. “As for the price, it was wrong [but everything else was fine]”).
What is the dictionary form of 間違っていました, and how do we conjugate it?
The dictionary form is 間違う. To get 間違っていました you:
- Convert 間違う to its -て form: 間違って.
- Add the polite progressive います and then past ました: 間違って
- いました → 間違っていました.
Why is there no explicit subject like “I” in the sentence?
Japanese often omits subjects when context makes them clear. Here it’s obvious you’re talking about yourself checking your own receipt, so there’s no need to say 私が.
Could I say レシートをチェックしたら、値段が間違っていました instead?
Yes. チェックする is a common loanword equivalent to 確認する. Using レシートをチェックしたら is perfectly natural and a bit more casual, while 確認する sounds slightly more formal or precise.