Plain Past Form: 〜た (Completed action & perfective aspect)
Form the casual past tense and perfective aspect using identical sound shifts to the て-form: replace te with ta, and de with da. Unlock essential superstructures like 〜たことがある and 〜たほうがいい.
Plain Past Completed Action (〜た)
kinou eiga o mita
I watched a movie yesterday.
Plain Past Affirmative (〜た) vs Plain Past Negative (〜なかった)
Micro-Shift昨日 本を 読んだ。
Completed action in the pastI read a book yesterday.
Plain past affirmative used in casual conversations and diaries.
Example Sentences
I went to the hospital
I met a friend
Verb Endings Matrix
8 rules| Form | Ending change | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Group 2 · Ichidan | るた | 食べる食べた |
| Group 1 · Godan | う · つ · るった | 買う買った |
| Group 1 · Godan | くいた | 書く書いた |
| Group 1 · Godan | ぐいだ | 泳ぐ泳いだ |
| Group 1 · Godan | すした | 話す話した |
| Group 1 · Godan | ぬ · ぶ · むんだ | 飲む飲んだ |
| Group 3 · Irregular | 行くいった | 行く行った |
| Group 3 · Irregular | する · くるした / きた | する / 来るした / きた |
Mental Model: The Sister of the て-Form
If you already know how to form the て-form, you already know how to form the た-form:
- The phonetic sound shifts are 100% identical.
- Every verb that ends in 〜て in the te-form simply ends in 〜た in the past tense.
- Every verb that ends in voiced 〜で simply ends in voiced 〜だ.
Verb Family Derivation Rules
Apply the identical sound shifts you learned for the connective form:
- Group 2 (Ichidan / ru-verbs): Drop る and attach た: 食べる → 食べた (“ate”) · 見る → 見た (“saw”) · 起きる → 起きた (“woke up”).
- Group 1 (Godan / u-verbs):
- ku → ita: 書く → 書いた (“wrote”)
- The Great Exception: 行く → 行った (“went”, with a small tsu, never *iita!)
- gu → ida: 泳ぐ → 泳いだ (“swam”)
- su → shita: 話す → 話した (“spoke”)
- tsu, u, ru → tta: 待つ → 待った (“waited”) · 買う → 買った (“bought”) · 取る → 取った (“took”)
- mu, bu, nu → nda: 飲む → 飲んだ (“drank”) · 遊ぶ → 遊んだ (“played”) · 死ぬ → 死んだ (“died”)
Beyond Past Tense: Perfective Realization
In English, the past tense only refers to things that happened in the past. In Japanese, 〜た marks perfective aspect—the realization or discovery that a state now exists:
- Discovery: You find your lost keys and shout: あった！ (“There they are!” / literally, “They have come into existence!”).
- Arrival: You see the bus approaching the stop: バスが 来た！ (“Here comes the bus!” / literally, “The bus has materialized!”).
Essential Structures Built on 〜た
Mastering 〜た unlocks foundational Japanese grammar patterns:
- Past Experience: 〜たことがある (“Have done before”) → 日本へ 行ったことがあります。 (“I have been to Japan before.”)
- Non-Exhaustive Listing: 〜たり〜たりする (“Do things like A and B”) → 本を読んだり 音楽を聞いたりしました。 (“I did things like reading books and listening to music.”)
- Friendly Advice: 〜たほうがいい (“You should / had better...”) → 早く 寝たほうがいいですよ。 (“You had better go to sleep early.”).
In Dialogue
Kenji昨日の夜、何をした？
What did you do last night?
Yuki友達と映画を見たよ。
I watched a movie with a friend.
Tips and Common Traps
Quick Check
Which is the correct plain past form of the irregular phonetic verb 行く (to go)?