Introduction
In this post, we will learn how to use adjectives in the past tense in Japanese. Understanding this is important for talking about how things were in the past.
What it Means
Adjectives describe things. In Japanese, there are two types of adjectives: い-adjectives (i-adjectives) and な-adjectives (na-adjectives). To talk about the past, we change the ending of these adjectives.
When You Use It
Use the past tense of adjectives to describe something that happened before now. For example, if you want to say “It was cold” or “It was lively,” you need to use the past tense form.
Examples
い-Adjectives (i-adjectives)
For い-adjectives, change the last い to かったです (katta desu) for the affirmative past tense. For the negative past tense, change くない (kunai) to くなかったです (kunakatta desu).
| Affirmative | Negative | |
| さむい (samui) – cold | さむかったです (samukatta desu) – It was cold. | さむくなかったです (samukunakatta desu) – It was not cold. |
な-Adjectives (na-adjectives)
For な-adjectives, add でした (deshita) for the affirmative past tense. For the negative past tense, change じゃない (janai) to じゃなかったです (janakatta desu).
| Affirmative | Negative | |
| 元気 (genki) – healthy | 元気でした (genki deshita) – I was healthy. | 元気じゃなかったです (genki janakatta desu) – I was not healthy. |
Irregular い-Adjective: いい (ii) – Good
The い-adjective いい (ii) is irregular. It changes to よかったです (yokatta desu) in the affirmative and よくなかったです (yokunakatta desu) in the negative.
| Affirmative | Negative | |
| いい (ii) – good | よかったです (yokatta desu) – It was good. | よくなかったです (yokunakatta desu) – It was not good. |
Examples in Conversations
テストは難しかったですか (tesuto wa muzukashikatta desu ka)? – Was the exam difficult?
いいえ、ぜんぜん難しくなかったです (iie, zenzen muzukashikunakatta desu). – No, it was not difficult at all.
お祭りはにぎやかでしたか (omatsuri wa nigiyaka deshita ka)? – Was the festival lively?
いいえ、にぎやかじゃなかったです (iie, nigiyaka janakatta desu). – No, it was not lively.
Conclusion
Now you know how to use い-adjectives and な-adjectives in the past tense. Practice these forms to talk about past experiences easily. Remember, the key is to change the ending correctly based on the type of adjective.
