Fujisan wa ookikattadesu
Past form of i-adjective
I-adjectives in Japanese undergo specific changes when conjugated into the past and past negative forms. In the past form, the final ‘i’ sound changes to “kattadesu.” In the past negative form, the final ‘i’ sound changes to “kunakattadesu.”
For example:
- “Atsui” (hot) becomes “Atsukattadesu” (was hot) in the past form.
- “Atsui” (hot) becomes “Atsukunakattadesu” (was not hot) in the past negative form.
| ookii | Present | Past |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | ookiidesu | ookikattadesu |
| Negative | ookikunaidesu ookikuarimasen | ookikunakattadesu ookikuarimasendeshita |
It is important to note that the adjective “ii” (good) originally comes from “yoi.” Therefore, its conjugation follows the original form “yoi”:
- “Yoi” (good) becomes “Yokattadesu” (was good) in the past form.
- “Yoi” (good) becomes “Yokunakattadesu” (was not good) in the past negative form.
“ii” does not conjugate as “ikunaidesu,” “ikattadesu,” or “ikunakattadesu.”
| ii (yoi) | Present | Past |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | iidesu | yokattadesu |
| Negative | yokunaidesu yokuarimasen | yokunakattadesu yokuarimasendeshita |
You have learned how to express ‘want to do something’ in Japanese using ‘…taidesu.’ The suffix ‘…tai’ is actually a form of i-adjective. Therefore, it follows the same conjugation patterns as i-adjectives.
| …tai | Present | Past |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | …taidesu | …takattadesu |
| Negative | …takunaidesu …takuarimasen | …takunakattadesu …takuarimasendeshita |
Word
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| kimochi | feeling, thought |
| ii | good |
| kimochiii | feel good |
| tsuyoi | strong |
| tsuyosugimashita | was too strong |
| itai | it hurts |
| ikitai | want to go |
Expression
Justin:
Konomae massaaji ni ikimashita.
Suzuki:
Massaaji wa kimochiyokattadesuka?
Justin:
Tsuyosugimashita. Itakattadesu.
Suzuki:
Watashi mo ikitakattadesu.
Exercise
Question
- Mount Fuji was big. (Mt. Fuji = fujisan, big = ookii)
- He was kind. (kind = yasashii)
- The trip to Korea was good. (the trip to Korea = kankoku e no ryokou)
- The banana didn’t taste good. (taste good = oishii)
Answer
- Fujisan wa ookikattadesu.
- Kare wa yasashikattadesu.
- Kankoku e no ryokou wa yokattadesu.
- Banana wa oishikunakattadesu.