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JLPT N5Verb Forms

た Form— Plain Past

The plain (casual) past tense. It follows the exact sound mutations of the て-form — just swap て→た and で→だ. It marks a completed action.

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Pro lessonUNIT 10 · VERB FORMS

Structure · 形

Same rules as the て-form, with て→た / で→だ.

Examples · 例文

  • きのう、彼に会った。

    Kinou, kare ni atta.

    I met him yesterday.

    会う (au) → て-form 会って → た-form 会った (atta).

  • ご飯を食べた？

    Gohan o tabeta?

    Did you eat?

    With rising intonation it becomes a casual question.

  • 死んだ。

    Shinda.

    It/He died.

    死ぬ (shinu) → て-form 死んで → た-form 死んだ (shinda).

Usage notes · 注意

  • The Golden Key: the た-form unlocks many N4 patterns — たら (if/when), たことがある (have done), ほうがいい (should), たあとで (after doing).
  • Exception: 行く (to go) is irregular — its て/た form is 行って / 行った (not ×行いて/×行いた).

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones た is tested against.

vsました (polite past)

た is plain/casual; ました is polite. 食べた vs 食べました — same tense, different register.

vsて-form

Identical sound mutations, but て CONNECTS/continues (no tense of its own) while た asserts a completed PAST action and can end a sentence.

More verb forms

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