Components

Grammar detail: verb plain past form

verb plain past form
176 words
My current mastery of this grammar point:
LOG IN to view grammar mastery data
The plain past form of a verb is used for sentence-ending verbs in casual conversation, and whenever a past tense verb is used in a clause that forms part of a larger sentence in both casual and polite speech. (In polite speech, the simple past form is used.)
The Japanese past tense is used for two common English tenses - the English simple past (I came, I saw, I conquered etc), as well as the present perfect (I have read, I have understood etc).
The plain past is easy to form for ichidan verbs - just replace the る with た. For example:
べる (eat) ➜
べた ate
For godan verbs it's a little more complicated - the past ending depends on the consonant used in the plain form (the dictionary form) of the verb:
Plain formPlain past form
かくto writeかいた
およぐto swimおよいだ
まつto waitまった
しぬto dieしんだ
はなすto speakはなした
Please LOG IN for free flashcards

Kanji used in this grammar

ショク   ジキ    food   たべる to eat   く to eat   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
Problem with this grammar? Question or comment? Please CONTACT US.
Kanshudo is your AI Japanese tutor, and your constant companion on the road to mastery of the Japanese language. To get started learning Japanese, just follow the study recommendations on your Dashboard. You can use Quick search (accessible using the icon at the top of every page) to look up any Japanese word, kanji or grammar point, as well as to find anything on Kanshudo quickly. For an overview, take the tour.
×