If you’re like me and mostly want to speak Japanese, not read or write it, this post is for you. Everything here is written in romaji (the Romanized version of Japanese). If you’re interested in learning hiragana, katakana, or kanji, I recommend using other resources, or even asking ChatGPT for a custom plan.
(Feel free to check out the r/languagelearning and r/LearnJapanese subreddits for extra resources or recommendations).
🔰 I don’t have any certificates, just a learner sharing what I know, so if I get something wrong, feel free to double-check or correct me!
💬 I’m still learning Japanese too, (on my journey from bronze to grandmaster), I document everything in my weekly language progress logs.
Every week I post a page with:
- A short speaking video or update
- My test assessment
- Notes and improvements
- What rank I’m at (from Bronze to Grandmaster)
👉 Check out the Language Progress Glossary Here
⚠️ There will be three parts to past tense, this first part will cover only the informal and formal past tenses, -ta form.
There are two forms:
- Informal Past Tense
- Formal Past Tense
Example:
- Informal: Sushi wo tabeta – I ate sushi
- Formal: Sushi wo tabemashita – I ate sushi (polite)
If you haven’t yet studied the -te form or -masu form, I highly recommend reading those first:
👉 Japanese Request Form – Te Form
👉 Japanese Formal Form – Masu Form
1. 🗣️ Informal Past Tense (Plain Form)
This form is used in casual conversations with friends, family, or people your age. It’s very simple once you know how to make the -te form.
🧠 How to Conjugate:
- Take the verb
- Conjugate it to -te form
- Change -te → -ta
(or -de → -da for some verbs)
💡 Think of this like flipping a light switch from present to past.
🔸 Examples:
| Verb | –Te Form | Past Tense | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| taberu | tabete | tabeta | ate |
| miru | mite | mita | saw/watched |
| matsu | matte | matta | waited |
| iu | itte | itta | said |
| naru | natte | natta | became |
| yomu | yonde | yonda | read |
| asobu | asonde | asonda | played |
| shinu | shinde | shinda | died |
| isogu | isoide | isoida | hurried |
| osu | oshite | oshita | pushed |
| suru | shite | shita | did (irregular) |
| kuru | kite | kita | came (irregular) |
📝 Informal Past Tense Example Sentences:
- Kino sushi wo tabeta. – I ate sushi yesterday.
- Eiga wo mita. – I watched a movie.
- Tomodachi to asonda. – I hung out with a friend.
- Gakkou ni itta. – I went to school.
- Hon wo yonda. – I read a book.
- Hayaku isoida. – I hurried.
2. 💼 Formal Past Tense (Masu → Mashita)
Use this when speaking politely to:
- Strangers
- Teachers
- Superiors
- Customers or in public settings
🧠 How to Conjugate:
Take the -masu form (polite present), and change -masu → -mashita to make it past tense.
🔁 Think of this as going from:
Base Verb → Masu Form → Mashita (Polite Past)
🔸 Examples:
| Base Verb | –Masu Form | Past Tense | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| taberu | tabemasu | tabemashita | ate |
| miru | mimasu | mimashita | watched |
| matsu | machimasu | machimashita | waited |
| kaku | kakimasu | kakimashita | wrote |
| kangaeru | kangaemasu | kangaemashita | thought |
| kesu | keshimasu | keshimashita | erased |
| kaeru | kaerimasu | kaerimashita | went home |
| iku | ikimasu | ikimashita | went |
| kiku | kikimasu | kikimashita | listened |
| nomu | nomimasu | nomimashita | drank |
📝 Formal Past Tense Example Sentence :
- Kino, sushi wo tabemashita. – I ate sushi yesterday.
- Eigakan de eiga wo mimashita. – I watched a movie at the theater.
- Nihon ni ikimashita. – I went to Japan.
- Tomodachi to hanashimashita. – I talked with a friend.
- Kurasu de nihongo wo benkyou shimashita. – I studied Japanese in class.
- Denki wo keshimashita. – I turned off the light.
✅ Summary
| Form Type | Example Verb | Past Tense |
|---|---|---|
| Informal | taberu | tabeta |
| Formal | taberu | tabemashita |
| suru (Irregular) | suru | shita / shimashita |
| kuru (Irregular) | kuru | kita / kimashita |
💡 Tip: The informal form is more common in anime, texting, and casual conversation, while the formal form is better for class, jobs, or respectful situations.
💬 Want to Practice?
Use ChatGPT to:
- Conjugate new verbs for you
- Quiz you on plain vs formal past
- Give you more example sentences based on your level
🧱 Why I Learn This Way
While I continue learning Japanese and other languages, I also make money online through beermoney apps. It’s not much, but it helps me feel like I’m turning my free time into something more productive and fun.
👇 Check out my glossaries below
💸 Beermoney Glossary:
Curious how much money you can realistically make online from surveys, games, ads, and small tasks? Check out my Beermoney Glossary page, where I break down every app and site I’ve tried with videos, payment proof, and my personal experiences. I always recommend doing beermoney while watching shows, anime, gaming, or handling small tasks around the house.
👉 Beermoney reviews
📈 Monthly Earnings Tracker:
Want to see exactly what I cashed out every month? My Monthly Earnings Tracker has screenshots of my app cashouts, plus updates on my trading and investment accounts, all in one place, month by month.
👉 Monthly earnings
🌍 Language Learning Glossary:
Curious what languages I’m learning? Check out my Language Learning Glossary for weekly progress updates. I post short speaking videos, track my progress, share my personal study notes, and break down the rank criteria I follow.
👉 Language progress