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.
Structure
Same rules as the て-form, with て→た / で→だ.
Examples
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).
• 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
Study Japanese grammar on LenGaki
Everything on this page, free to browse
- 7,788 JLPT vocabulary words, N5 through N1, with readings and audio
- 2,057 kanji with on'yomi, kun'yomi and stroke-order practice
- 444 grammar points with examples and commonly-confused comparisons
- Full-length N5 and N4 mock exams, timed, with real listening audio
Get the Android app