Asking About Past Experiences in Japanese: The Past Tense Question Pattern
Learn to ask friends and acquaintances what they did in the past using the polite past tense question pattern, with the question particle ka and time expressions like senshūmatsu.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In this lesson you will learn to ask other people about their past experiences in Japanese, rather than talking about your own. The key skill is forming questions such as Shūmatsu nani o shimashita ka, meaning What did you do last weekend. You will use the polite past tense verb ending mashita plus the question particle ka, and combine it with past time words such as kinō (yesterday) and senshū (last week). By the end you will be able to ask a partner about their weekend, their holiday and their free time, and respond naturally when they ask you the same questions.
By the end, you can…
- ask someone what they did last weekend using the polite past tense question pattern.
- use past time expressions such as kinō, senshū and senshūmatsu correctly in questions.
- answer a past tense question about my own activities with a short natural reply.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
週末は何をしましたか。
What did you do last weekend?
Shūmatsu wa nani o shimashita ka.
The most common way to ask about someone's weekend. The particle wa marks shūmatsu as the topic, and ka makes the sentence a polite question.
昨日は何をしましたか。
What did you do yesterday?
Kinō wa nani o shimashita ka.
Use kinō for yesterday. This is a natural follow-up question when you are chatting with a friend or colleague.
先週は何をしましたか。
What did you do last week?
Senshū wa nani o shimashita ka.
Senshū means last week. Use this when the time frame is a whole week rather than a single day.
どこへ行きましたか。
Where did you go?
Doko e ikimashita ka.
A useful follow-up question. The particle e marks the destination, and ikimashita is the polite past form of ikimasu (to go).
楽しかったですか。
Was it fun?
Tanoshikatta desu ka.
An i-adjective past tense question. Use it to show interest after someone describes an activity.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is [time expression] wa nani o shimashita ka. The verb shimashita is the polite past form of shimasu, meaning did. For example, Senshūmatsu wa nani o shimashita ka means What did you do last weekend. You can replace nani o with a more specific question word such as doko e (where to) or dare to (with whom). If you want to ask about a specific activity, you can say Eiga o mimashita ka, meaning Did you watch a movie. The question particle ka stays at the end in polite speech, and the verb always comes at the end of the sentence.
When to use it
Use these past tense questions when you want to invite someone to share a recent experience, for example after a weekend or a holiday. They are polite and safe with acquaintances, coworkers and new friends. If you are speaking with a close friend, you can drop the final ka and use a rising intonation, as in Shūmatsu nani o shita, which uses the plain past form shita. However, in a first conversation or with someone older, keep the polite mashita ka form. Also remember that Japanese questions do not change word order; only the ending changes, so Nani o shimashita ka is simply the question version of Nani o shimashita.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
週末は何をしましたか。
What did you do last weekend?Shūmatsu wa nani o shimashita ka.友達と映画を見ました。
I watched a movie with a friend.Tomodachi to eiga o mimashita.いいですね。映画は楽しかったですか。
That sounds nice. Was the movie fun?Ii desu ne. Eiga wa tanoshikatta desu ka.はい、とても楽しかったです。あなたは何をしましたか。
Yes, it was very fun. What did you do?Hai, totemo tanoshikatta desu. Anata wa nani o shimashita ka.A little context goes a long way
In Japanese conversation, asking about someone's past weekend or holiday is a common and friendly way to start small talk, but it is usually done with polite distance unless you know the person well. Avoid pressing for details if the answer is short, and respond with a brief reaction such as ii desu ne or sore wa yokatta desu ne before asking your next question.
One thing to watch for
Using the present tense shimasu ka when asking about a past event, as in Kinō nani o shimasu ka.
Try this instead: Use the past tense shimashita ka for past events: Kinō wa nani o shimashita ka. The present form shimasu ka asks about a habit or a future plan, so it sounds wrong with kinō (yesterday).
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask a coworker what they did last weekend in polite Japanese?
Show a sample answer
週末は何をしましたか。 (Shūmatsu wa nani o shimashita ka.)
This uses the past tense shimashita plus the question particle ka, and marks shūmatsu as the topic with wa. A valid alternative is 週末に何をしましたか, using ni to mark the time, which is also natural.
2What is the polite past tense question form of 行きます (ikimasu, to go)?
Show a sample answer
行きましたか。 (Ikimashita ka.)
The polite past form is ikimashita, and adding ka makes it a question. This is the form you use in Doko e ikimashita ka, meaning Where did you go.
3Someone answers 映画を見ました (Eiga o mimashita). What is a natural follow-up question to show interest?
Show a sample answer
楽しかったですか。 (Tanoshikatta desu ka.)
This asks Was it fun and uses the past tense of the i-adjective tanoshii. You could also ask どこで見ましたか (Doko de mimashita ka, Where did you watch it), which is equally natural.
To ask about past experiences in Japanese, use the polite past verb form mashita plus ka, and pair it with a past time word such as kinō, senshū or shūmatsu.
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