Hanamaruhanamaru

Say what already happened (plain past)

Vた is the plain past form of a verb, saying an action already happened.

JLPTN5
[verb] + た~ ta

[verb]-ed (plain past)

Example Sentences

Verb Endings Matrix

食べる食べた
う · つ · るった
買う買った
いた
書く書いた
いだ
泳ぐ泳いだ
した
話す話した
ぬ · ぶ · むんだ
飲む飲んだ
行くいった
行く行ったirregular
する · くるした / きた
する / 来るした / きたirregular

The form is the plain (casual) past of a verb, formed with the same sound changes as the form. It states that an action is finished and is used with people you are close to, while ました is its polite equivalent. It is also the foundation for patterns like たら (if/when) and たことがある (have done before).

Tips and Common Traps

Hana· Key point

The form and the form are built the same way — if you know 食べて, just swap to 食べた. Learning one really does give you both.

Maru· Common trap

U-verbs change their ending before : 書く→書いたかく→かいた (wrote), 飲む→飲んだのむ→のんだ (drank). The pattern matches the form exactly — いて/いた, んで/んだ.

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