Learn Japanese
Lesson 39: Nouns and the past tense
To make a positive statement in the past tense, we simply use でした instead of です.
| English | Japanese |
|---|---|
| Was it you? |
あなたでしたか？ anata desita ka? |
To make sentences that are both negative and in the past, we use じゃ なかった です.
| English | Japanese |
|---|---|
| Was it not food? |
食べ物じゃなかったですか？ tabemono zya nakatta desu ka? |
| That was not beef. |
それは牛肉じゃなかったです。 sore ha gyuuniku zya nakatta desu. |
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Was it you? |
あなたでしたか？ anata desita ka? |
| (concrete) thing |
物 mono |
| food |
食べ物 tabemono |
| Was it not food? |
食べ物じゃなかったですか？ tabemono zya nakatta desu ka? |
| meat |
肉 niku |
| beef |
牛肉 gyuuniku |
| That was not beef. |
それは牛肉じゃなかったです。 sore ha gyuuniku zya nakatta desu. |
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