How do you make Japanese verbs past tense?

Question

I know for example tabemasu is 'eat'
So would i take off 'masu' and add on 'mashita' to make it past tense?

Thanks

Answer 1

Yes, "tabemashita(食べました)" is the past tense of "tabemasu(食べます)".

ex.:
I eat lunch.
私は昼食を食べます。watashi wa chuushoku wo tabemasu
I ate lunch.
私は昼食を食べました。watashi wa chuushoku wo tabemashita

There are a lot to be explained. So, please visit the site below.
http://www.studyjapanese.org/content/view/16/49/

Answer 2

Yes, you are correct for this example. Tabemasu - Tabemashita. This is the polite past tense form of this verb. However there is also a way to say this to your friends in an informal setting. Informal past tense for the verb Tabemasu - Tabe ta . You dont need the masu in there just add a "ta" . In general you can do this for a very lot of the verbs in Japanese. Mimasu - Mita = See - Saw . Okiru - Okita = Wake Up - Woke Up. Note here that verbs that end with a TSU sound are a little different in that you lengthen the final T in TA for example. Utsuru - Utsutta = Catch - Caught (as in catch a cold) . Matsu (polite tense= Machimasu) - Matta = Wait - Waited . And so on . This is also true of verbs ending in RU in general. Ride - Rode = Noru - Notta. Suck - Sucked = Suu - Sutta. Getting further into technicalities can come later for you for now. But be aware of the transitive and intransitive verbs, sometimes these dont necessarily always follow the rule of drop the RU and add a TTA and vice versa, to make it past tense. Kakaru - Kakatta . Aru - Atta . These verbs are not actions performed by a person but happen naturally by themself and are "intransitive". Whereas an action performed by somone such as in Miru - Mita would be transitive. This concept can be explained where the verb to shut is performed on a door by someone or by the wind. Shimeta and Shimatta respectively, however they both mean the door shut. I hope this helped. Cheers.

Answer 3

big question. first of all, there are different ways for different types of verbs like a -ru verb or a -u verb or an irregular verb.
then there is the formal past and the informal past and then there is the formal past negative and the informal past negative.

ex: taberu (-ru verb) to eat

formal past: tabemashita
informal past: tabeta
formal past negative: tabemasen deshita
informal past negative: tabenakatta

ex: kaku (-u verb) to write

formal past: kakimashita
informal past: kaita
formal past negative: kakimasen deshita
informal past negative: kakanakatta

yomu (-u verb) to read

yomimashita
yonda
yomimasen deshita
yomanakatta

ex: suru (irregular) to do

formal past: shimashita
informal past: shita
formal past negative: shimasen deshita
informal past negative: shinakatta

kuru (to come)
kimashita
kita
kimasen deshita
konakatta

aru (to be, to have)
arimashita
atta
arimasen deshita
nakatta

here are some examples. i think you will be able to fit most verbs into these examples. notice in -u verbs, the last vowel at the end like the "u" in kiku and "u" in yomu becomes an "a" when doing the informal past. also, informal can also be called plain. don't get ahead of yourself though. you need to learn when to use the different tenses like when to use the formal tense and the plain tense. then these will come easy because they come in context with what you are saying and how you want to say it. hope this isn't too confusing....

Answer 4

I - adjectives: present positive: ureshii desu/ ureshii past positive: ureshikatta desu/ ureshikatta present negative: ureshiku arimasen/ ureshiku nai past negative: ureshiku arimasen deshita Ureshii means sad. The ureshii desu is formal, as opposed to just ureshii, whis is infmoral. Ureshi is an i - adjective. na - adjectives are conjugated differently. Therefore, I was sad = Watashi wa ureshikatta desu (formal) or ureshikatta (informal).

Answer 5

yes, to make a verb in its past form you add mashita instead of imasu.

taberu= to eat
tabemasu = i eat
tabeMASHITA = i ate

Answer 6

Ohayo Gosaimas. You are right. mimas= see mimashita=saw mashita is past tense

Answer 7

Yes you are correct
Polite Form/authority/elders/strangers:
Eat
tabemasu(present tense) - tabemashita(past tense)

Sleep:
-Nemasu (present )-Nemashita(past)


Informal/casual/speaking to people you know well
Eat
-Taberu(present) -Tabeta(past)

Sleep:
Neru (present) - Neta (past)

Answer 8

Does excrement have to be refrigerated, or it will go bad?