Japanese Grammar 11 – Past Tense: た-Form · N5

📋 Formation Reference — Past Tense: た-Form

How to form the plain past tense for all verb groups. Press ▶ to hear examples.

GROUP 1 VERBS (う-verbs) — sound-change rules

Verb ending	→ た-form	Example
う・つ・る	→ った → tta	かう → かった kau → katta
む・ぶ・ぬ	→ んだ → nda	のむ → のんだ nomu → nonda
く	→ いた → ita	かく → かいた kaku → kaita
ぐ	→ いだ → ida	およぐ → およいだ oyogu → oyoida
す	→ した → shita	はなす → はなした hanasu → hanashita

GROUP 2 VERBS (る-verbs) — drop る, add た

Dictionary form	た-form	Meaning	▶
たべる	たべた tabeta	ate
みる	みた mita	saw / watched

IRREGULAR VERBS — memorise these

Dictionary form	た-form	Meaning
する	した shita	did
くる	きた kita	came
いく	いった itta	went (exception: not いいた)

🗣 Example Sentences

See how the た-form works in context. Press ▶ to hear each sentence.

BASIC PAST ACTIONS

Example

きのうすしをたべた。

Kinou sushi wo tabeta.

I ate sushi yesterday.

きのうすしをたべた

kinou sushi wo tabeta

→ "[time] + [object] + [G2 verb drop る + た]"

Example

でんしゃにのった。

Densha ni notta.

I got on the train.

でんしゃにのった

densha ni notta

→ "のる (る ending) → のった (った rule)"

Example

ともだちとあそんだ。

Tomodachi to asonda.

I hung out with friends.

Example

ほんをよんだ。

Hon wo yonda.

I read a book.

COMMON PATTERNS

Example

えいがをみた。

Eiga wo mita.

I watched a movie.

Example

にほんにいったことがある。

Nihon ni itta koto ga aru.

I have been to Japan.

いったことがある

itta koto ga aru

→ "た-form + ことがある = have experienced ~"

Example

さいふをなくした！

Saifu wo nakushita!

I lost my wallet!

Example

きのうあめがふった。

Kinou ame ga futta.

It rained yesterday.

📋 Quick-Reference Cheatsheet ▼

た-form and て-form share the SAME sound changes

✅ た-form (past)

のんだ

nonda

drank

む ending → んだ (same change applies to て-form: のんで)

✅ て-form (connector)

のんで

nonde

drinking / and then drank

Learn one, you know both — only the final vowel changes (た vs て)

いく is irregular — not いいた!

✅ CORRECT

いった

itta

went

いく is an exception — it follows the った rule, not いた

❌ COMMON MISTAKE

いいた

iita

(intended: went)

く normally → いた, but いく is irregular — always use いった

～たことがある = "have experienced / have done before"

✅ CORRECT

にほんにいったことがある。

Nihon ni itta koto ga aru.

I have been to Japan.

た-form + ことがある expresses life experience

❌ COMMON MISTAKE

にほんにいくことがある。

Nihon ni iku koto ga aru.

(intended: I have been to Japan)

Using dictionary form here means "I sometimes go to Japan" — use た-form for past experience

～たり～たりする = "do things like A and B"

✅ CORRECT

たべたりのんだりした。

Tabetari nondari shita.

I did things like eating and drinking.

List non-exhaustive actions: た-form + り, repeated, then する in past

💡 TIP

たり is always た + り

ta + ri

Always build from the た-form

If you know the た-form, たり is automatic

A — Flashcards

Click a card to flip it. Use ▶ to hear the Japanese.

tap to flip

1 / 10

B — Listen & Choose the Meaning

Press ▶ to hear each phrase, then choose the correct English meaning.

D — Listen & Write in Romaji

Press ▶ to hear each phrase, then type what you heard in romaji.

💡 Tip: Long vowels → double the vowel (おう = ou / oo). Double consonants → write them twice (きって = kitte).

📖 Grammar Deep Dive ▼

The sound-change "song" — memorise by pattern

The five た-form patterns can be remembered as a chant: って / んで / いて / いで / して.

  • う・つ・る → った (katte, matta, notta)
  • む・ぶ・ぬ → んだ (nonda, asonda, shinda)
  • く → いた (kaita, kiita)
  • ぐ → いだ (oyoida, isoida)
  • す → した (hanashita, nakushita)

Group 2 (る-verbs) simply drop る and add た — no sound changes needed.

[G1 verb stem] + sound change + た

[stem] + tta / nda / ita / ida / shita

→ plain past tense

あそぶ → あそんだ

asobu → asonda

to play → played (ぶ ending → んだ)

Why these sound changes exist — phonological assimilation

Japanese avoids awkward consonant clusters. When the past-tense marker た follows certain verb stems, the sounds blend to be easier to pronounce.

• のむ + た would be "nomuta" — unnatural. It assimilates to のんだ.
• かく + た would be "kakuta" — unnatural. It assimilates to かいた.

This same assimilation rule also creates the て-form — that is why the two forms are identical except for the final vowel (た vs て).

た-form ↔ て-form

tabeta ↔ tabete

→ same sound change, only the final vowel differs

かいた (kaita) ↔ かいて (kaite)

wrote (past) ↔ writing / and wrote (connector)

Learn one form and the other is free.

た-form + ことがある — experience pattern

Attach ことがある to the た-form to express that you have experienced something at least once in your life. The negative is ことがない (have never done ~).

[verb た-form] ことがある

[verb-ta] koto ga aru

→ "have done ~ before / have experienced ~"

すしをたべたことがある。

Sushi wo tabeta koto ga aru.

I have eaten sushi before.

た-form + あとで — "after doing ~"

Use た-form + あとで to say that one action happens after another is completed. The clause with あとで always describes the first action (the one already done).

[verb た-form] あとで [next action]

[verb-ta] ato de [next action]

→ "after doing ~, [next action]"

たべたあとで、はをみがく。

Tabeta ato de, ha wo migaku.

After eating, I brush my teeth.

たら conditional — preview (if/when ~)

The たら conditional is formed by adding ら to the た-form. It expresses "if/when ~ happens" — covering both hypothetical and time-sequenced conditions. This is one of four conditional forms in Japanese; たら is the most natural for everyday conversation.

[verb た-form] + ら

[verb-ta] + ra

→ "if/when ~ [condition is met]"

たべたら、でかけよう。

Tabetara, dekakeyou.

When I've eaten, let's go out.

📝 Key Vocabulary ▼

Japanese	Romaji	English
すし	sushi	sushi
でんしゃ	densha	train
ほん	hon	book
えいが	eiga	movie / film
にほん	nihon	Japan
さいふ	saifu	wallet / purse
あめ	ame	rain
きのう	kinou	yesterday
ことがある	koto ga aru	have experienced ~ / have done before
あとで	ato de	after (doing ~)