Basic Expressions Course

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Marshall
Basic Course
Free
  • 6 lessons
  • 0 quizzes
  • 96 week duration

Basic Expressions Course

Lesson 4: Nounでした/Nounではありませんでした

In this lesson, I will teach you how to describe things in past tense.


Patterns:

PatternMeaning
[Noun] + でしたI was [Noun].
It was [Noun].
[Noun] + でwaありませんでしたI was not [Noun].
It was not [Noun].
[Noun 1] wa [Noun 2] でした[Noun 1] was [Noun 2].
[Noun 1] wa [Noun 2] でwaありませんでした[Noun 1] was not [Noun 2].

Text:

ここは病院でしたか。
Was this a hospital?
Koko wa byouin deshita ka.

はい、そうでした。
Yes, it was.
Hai, sou deshita.

デパートではありませんでしたか。
It wasn’t a department store, right?
depaato dewa arimasen deshita ka.

はい。デパートではありませんでした。
Right. It wasn’t a department store.
hai. Depaato dewa arimasen deshita.


Notes:

①If you know what Noun 1 is, you may omit “Noun 1は/が”. Especially, it is often omitted in the answer to the question.

A: きのうはやすみでしたか。
A: Was it a day off yesterday?

B: いいえ、やすみでwaありませんでした。
B: No, it was not a day off yesterday.

②Besides 【ではありませんでした】(Very formal), you can use the following forms too:
(1)じゃありませんでした:Polite but conversational
(2)ではなかったです:Polite but more conversational
(3)ではなかった:Slightly formal, often written or literary style
(4)じゃなかったです:Casual, everyday speech
(5)じゃなかった:Casual, often male speech

③This lesson is for noun-only, you can learn how to use adjectives in Adjective Course.

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