Past Tense

Japanese Lesson 14 (Past Tense & Colors)

Duration: 30 mins

Lessons Japanese Lessons
Linguistic Japanese Vocabulary
Culture Japanese Phrases
Structure Japanese Grammar

This 14th lesson deals with the past tense in Japanese. In addition I included a vocabulary list about colors, as well as some basic phrases. I will try to give examples using both vocabulary and grammar. That way it will be easy for you to see the words when they are separate and when they are in a sentence. Going through the whole page should take about 30 min. Make sure to read the pronunciation and hear the audio as well. If you have any question about this course, please email me directly at Japanese Classes.

Past

The past is one of the 3 tenses (present, past, and future) we will be discussing in the next 3 lessons. So it is recommended not to skip any of them because they are all related.

Below is a list of 15 sentences conjugated into the past tense. I focused on the examples you might come across or use very often. The table contains 3 columns (English, Japanese, and Audio). Make sure you repeat each word after hearing it by either clicking on the audio button or by reading the pronunciation. That should help with memorization as well as improving your pronunciation.

Past Tense in Japanese

Past Japanese Audio
I saw you私はあなたを見ました。 [Watasi wa anata wo mi masita.]
I wrote with a pen私はペンで書きました。 [Watasi wa pen de kaki mashita.]
You loved applesあなたはリンゴが好きでした。 [Anata wa ringo ga suki desita.]
You gave moneyあなたは金を与えました。 [Anata wa kane wo ataemasita.]
You played tennisあなたはテニスをしました。 [Anataha tenisu wo shimasita.]
He read (past tense) a book彼は本を読みました。 [Kare wa hon wo yomimasita.]
He understood me彼は私を理解しました。 [kare wa watashi wo rikai shi masita.]
She had a cat彼女は猫を飼っていました。 [Kanojo wa neko wo katte imasita.]
She knew my friend彼女は私の友達を知っていました。 [Kanojo wa watashino tomodachi wo shitte imasita.]
We wanted to learn私たちは学びました。 [Watasi tachi wa manabi masita.]
We thought Spanish is easy私たちはスペイン語は簡単だと思いました。 [Watashi tachi wa Supein go wo kantan dato omoi masita.]
You (plural) worked hereあなたたちはここで働きました。 [Anata tachi wa kokode hataraki masita.]
You (plural) spoke Frenchあなたたちはフランス語を話しました。 [Anata tachi wa Furansu go wo hanasi masita.]
They drove a car彼らは車を運転しました。 [Karera wa kuruma wo unten shimasita.]
They smiled彼らはほほえんでいました。 [Karera wa hohoen de imasita.]

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact me If you simply want to ask a question, please Japanese contact form on the header above.

List of Colors in Japanese

Below is a list of 18 words and expressions related to colors.

Colors in Japanese

Colors Japanese Audio
Black黒色 [kuro iro]
Blue青色 [ao iro]
Brown茶色 [cha iro]
Colors色 [iro]
Dark color暗色 [anshoku]
Gray灰色 [hai iro]
Green緑色 [midori iro]
Light color明色 [meishoku]
Orangeオレンジ色 [orenji iro]
Red赤色 [aka iro]
White白色 [siro iro]
Yellow黄色 [ki iro]

Daily Conversation in Japanese

Finally, here are some common sentences to strengthen your conversation skills. For a complete list of commonly used sentences, please visit our Japanese Phrases page. Enjoy!

Common Expressions in Japanese

English Japanese Audio
Black is his favorite color黒は彼の好きな色です [Kuro wa kare no suki na iro desu]
I have black hair私の髪は黒色です [Watasi no kami wa kuro iro desu]
Red is not his favorite color赤は彼の好きな色ではありません [Aka wa kare no suki na iro dewa arimasen]
She drives a yellow car彼女は黄色の車を運転します [Kanojo wa ki-iro no kuruma wo unten simasu]
The sky is blue空が青い [sora ga aoi]
Your cat is whiteあなたの猫は白い [anata no neko wa siroi]
I enjoyed myself very much大変楽しかったよ。 [Taihen tanosi katta yo.]
I agree with youあなたに賛成です。 [Anatani sannsei desu.]
Are you sure?間違いない？ [machigai nai?]
Be careful!気を付けて [ki o tsukete]
Cheers!がんばれ！ [gannbare!]
Would you like to go for a walk?散歩に行きたいですか？ [sanpo ni ikitai desuka?]

Fun Facts

Language Quote: ❝To have another language is to possess a second soul.❞ ‒Charlemagne

Congratulations! You finished your 14th lesson in Japanese about the past tense, and a vocabulary list about colors. Are you ready for the next lesson? We recommend Japanese Lesson 15. You can also simply click on one of the links below or go back to our Learn Japanese homepage.

Lessons Japanese Lessons
Linguistic Japanese Vocabulary
Culture Japanese Phrases
Structure Japanese Grammar