Learn Hardcore Japanese: watasi ha sono eiga wo nando mo mimasita.

Japanese sentences often start by marking the topic with は, which is not always the same thing as the grammatical subject. You could drop 私 (and therefore は) if it’s clear you’re talking about yourself:

その映画を何度も見ました。
= (I) have seen that movie many times.

But saying 私その映画を何度も見ました without は is ungrammatical in standard Japanese; 私 needs a role (topic, subject, object, etc.), and here it’s the topic, so you mark it with は.

Why is を used after その映画?

を is the direct object marker. It marks what the verb is acting on.

その映画 = that movie
その映画を見ました = (I) watched that movie.

In this sentence:

見る = to see / to watch
What did you see? → その映画
Therefore, その映画 is the direct object of 見る, so it gets を.

So the structure is:

私は (topic: me)
その映画を (object: that movie)
何度も (many times)
見ました (watched / have seen)

What exactly does その mean, and how is it different from この and あの?

These are all demonstratives (this/that), but they differ in distance / context:

この映画 = this movie (near me, the speaker)
その映画 = that movie (near you, the listener, or already known in the conversation)
あの映画 = that movie over there / that movie (not near either of us, or just “that” in general)

In practice, その映画 often means:

“that movie (we both know what we’re talking about)”
– maybe you both just mentioned it, or it’s obvious from context.

So 私はその映画を … implies “that particular movie we’re already talking about.”

What does 何度も mean, and how is it different from just saying “many times”?

何度も literally breaks down as:

何 = what / how many
度 = time(s), occurrence(s), degree
も (here) = an emphasis marker meaning “so many / quite a lot”

Together:

何度も ≈ “many times”, “over and over”, “again and again”.

It often has a nuance of repetition, sometimes with a bit of emphasis or feeling (e.g., “I’ve seen it so many times.”)

You’ll also see:

何回も (using 回, another counter for times/occurrences)

For everyday conversation, 何度も and 何回も are both fine and mostly interchangeable here.

What is the role of も in 何度も? Isn’t も “also/too”?

Yes, も often means “also/too”, but it has another common function: emphasis or “so many / even that many.”

In 何度も, the も adds the nuance of “so many times / repeatedly”.

Compare:

何度見ましたか。
= How many times did you watch (it)?
何度も見ました。
= I watched (it) many times / over and over.

You’ll see this pattern with other quantities too:

何回も = many times
何時間も = many hours
何百回も = hundreds of times

In all of these, も adds an “a lot / so much” feeling.

Why is the verb 見ました at the end of the sentence?

Japanese basic word order is S–O–V (Subject–Object–Verb), unlike English S–V–O.

Here’s the structure:

私は = I (topic)
その映画を = that movie (object)
何度も = many times (adverbial phrase)
見ました = watched / have seen (verb)

So the verb naturally goes at the end:

I (topic) + that movie (object) + many times (adverb) + watched (verb).

You can move some parts around for emphasis, but the main verb almost always comes last in standard Japanese sentences.

Could I say 私はその映画を何度も見た instead of 見ました? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can. The difference is politeness level, not meaning:

見ました = past polite form
見た = past plain (casual) form

So:

私はその映画を何度も見ました。
= I have seen that movie many times. (polite; to someone you’re not very close to, in formal settings, etc.)
俺は / 僕はその映画を何度も見た。
= I’ve seen that movie many times. (casual; with friends, family, etc.)

Grammatically they both express simple past. Context decides whether it corresponds to English “have seen” or “saw”. Japanese doesn’t have a separate present perfect tense.

Does 見ました mean “saw” or “have seen”? Which English tense is it?

見ました is simply the past tense (polite) of 見る.

Japanese basically has two tenses:

Non-past (covers present and future)
Past

Which English tense you pick depends on context:

If you’re just reporting a past action:
→ “I saw that movie.”
If you’re emphasizing life experience or repetition up to now:
→ “I have seen that movie many times.”

In this sentence, because of 何度も (“many times”), English usually prefers the present perfect:

私はその映画を何度も見ました。
→ “I’ve seen that movie many times.”

But in Japanese, it’s still just past; the “many times until now” nuance comes from 何度も + context, not a special tense.

Can I leave out 私 or other parts of the sentence? Japanese often drops subjects, right?

Yes. Japanese often omits things that are obvious from context.

Possible natural omissions:

Drop 私 (and は), if it’s clear you’re talking about yourself:
- その映画を何度も見ました。
  = (I) have seen that movie many times.
In very casual speech, you might also simplify other parts, depending on context, but you would not normally drop を or 何度も here without changing the meaning.

However, you cannot drop just は and leave 私 naked:

✗ 私その映画を何度も見ました。 (unnatural in standard grammar)
私 would need some particle like は / が / を / も, etc.

So the most natural shorter version is:

その映画を何度も見ました。

How is 私はその映画を何度も見ました different from saying 私はその映画を何度も見たことがあります?

Both can translate as “I have seen that movie many times,” but there’s a nuance difference.

私はその映画を何度も見ました。
- Simple past (polite) + “many times”
- Fairly direct, can feel like you’re describing actual repeated actions in your life/story.
- Often used in narratives, explanations, etc.
私はその映画を何度も見たことがあります。
- 〜たことがある = “have the experience of having done ~”
- Emphasizes experience or life history
- Closer to English “I have (the experience of) having seen that movie many times.”

In everyday conversation, both are fine. #2 sounds a bit more like you’re explicitly talking about your experiences, rather than just recounting actions.

Why are there spaces between the words here? Japanese usually doesn’t use spaces, right?

Correct: normal Japanese writing does not put spaces between words. The sentence would usually appear as:

私はその映画を何度も見ました。

The version with spaces:

私　は　その　映画　を　何度　も　見ました。

is a teaching aid, used in textbooks and explanations to show where the word boundaries and particles are. It helps learners see each part more clearly, but you wouldn’t write Japanese like this in real life.