ました (Past Tense)
Talk about what happened in the past.
What did you do yesterday?
Imagine you are meeting a friend on Monday morning. They ask you about your weekend. To answer, you need to describe actions that are already finished.
しゅうまつ、なにをしましたか？
週末、何をしましたか？
What did you do over the weekend?
えいがをみました。
映画を見ました。
I watched a movie.
Forming the past tense
To talk about actions that have been completed, replace the polite present suffix ます with ました.
Tip
Examples in action
See how the past tense works with common daily verbs.
昨日、日本語を勉強しました。
I studied Japanese yesterday.
朝ごはんを食べました。
I ate breakfast.
友達に会いました。
I met a friend.
私はデパートへ行【きました】。
Hint: Past tense of 行きます
I went to the department store.
When to use ました
The ました form is the standard polite past tense. It is used in formal settings, with strangers, or with superiors.
Polite vs Casual
〜ました
Polite past (used with です/ます)
行きました
〜た
Casual past (dictionary form)
行った
Which form is appropriate when talking to your teacher?
- ✓ 食べました
- 食べた
Use the polite ました form when speaking to teachers or superiors.
Deep dive: nuance
A few extra details about the past tense.
What about the negative?
Lesson Summary
You have learned how to turn present tense verbs into past tense by using the ました suffix. This is a key building block for describing your life and experiences in Japanese.