Japanese Past-Tense Questions: Asking 'Did You...?' with the 〜ましたか Pattern
Learn to ask past-tense yes/no questions in Japanese by putting か after a past polite verb, the functional equivalent of English 'Did you call him?'
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In English you ask about the past with 'Did you call him?' — the helper 'did' carries the past meaning and the main verb stays in its base form. Japanese works differently: there is no separate word like 'did'. Instead, the verb itself changes into its past form, and you add the question particle か at the end. In this lesson you will learn the polite past pattern 〜ましたか, which is the standard way to ask 'Did you...?' in everyday polite Japanese. You will practise with common verbs such as 電話する (denwa suru, to call), 食べる (taberu, to eat) and 行く (iku, to go), and you will see how a past question differs from a past statement only by the final か.
By the end, you can…
- turn a polite past verb into a yes/no question by adding か.
- ask and answer simple 'Did you...?' questions about everyday actions.
- tell the difference between a past statement (〜ました) and a past question (〜ましたか).
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
電話しましたか。
Did you call (him/her)?
denwa shimashita ka
Use with する-verbs such as 電話する (denwa suru). The object is usually clear from context, so 'him' is not stated.
きのう、何を食べましたか。
What did you eat yesterday?
kinō, nani o tabemashita ka
With a question word like 何 (nani, what), か is still added at the end. Word order stays subject–object–verb.
学校へ行きましたか。
Did you go to school?
gakkō e ikimashita ka
The particle へ (e) marks direction. 行きましたか is the past polite question form of 行く (iku, to go).
はい、行きました。
Yes, I went.
hai, ikimashita
A past statement, not a question: no か. This is the natural short answer to the question above.
いいえ、行きませんでした。
No, I did not go.
iie, ikimasen deshita
The negative past polite form. Use it for a 'No' answer to a 〜ましたか question.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To ask a polite past yes/no question, take the polite past form of the verb (〜ました) and add the particle か at the end. For example, 食べる (taberu, to eat) becomes 食べました (tabemashita, ate) and then 食べましたか (tabemashita ka, did you eat?). The verb する (suru, to do) becomes しました (shimashita, did) and then しましたか (shimashita ka, did you do?). Notice that the past meaning lives inside the verb, not in a separate word like English 'did'. The か is what turns the statement into a question.
When to use it
Use 〜ましたか in polite conversation with people you do not know well, with teachers, or in service situations. With close friends, the plain past form plus a rising intonation is more common: 食べた？ (tabeta?, did you eat?). In writing, a question mark is optional because か already marks the question. Compare the statement 電話しました (denwa shimashita, I called) with the question 電話しましたか (denwa shimashita ka, did you call?). Only the final か changes the meaning, so listen for it carefully.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
きのう、田中さんに電話しましたか。
Did you call Mr Tanaka yesterday?kinō, Tanaka-san ni denwa shimashita kaいいえ、電話しませんでした。
No, I did not call.iie, denwa shimasen deshitaじゃあ、きょう電話しますか。
Then will you call today?jā, kyō denwa shimasu kaはい、あとで電話します。
Yes, I will call later.hai, ato de denwa shimasuA little context goes a long way
Politeness matters in Japanese questions. The 〜ましたか form is safe and neutral in most situations, but with a close friend it can sound slightly distant; plain 食べた？ is warmer. Also, Japanese speakers often avoid a direct 'No' and may say something like ちょっと… (chotto..., it's a bit...) instead. Listen for the final か and the verb ending together, since they carry the question meaning.
One thing to watch for
Using a separate past word, as in きのう 電話する でしたか (kinō denwa suru deshita ka), copying English 'Did you call?'
Try this instead: Japanese has no 'did'. Put the main verb itself into the past form and add か: きのう 電話しましたか (kinō denwa shimashita ka, did you call yesterday?). The past meaning is inside しました, not in a separate word.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask 'Did you eat?' politely, using 食べる (taberu)?
Show a sample answer
食べましたか。 (tabemashita ka)
The polite past form 食べました plus か makes the question. 食べた？ (tabeta?) is also correct in casual speech with friends.
2Change the statement 行きました (ikimashita, I went) into a question.
Show a sample answer
行きましたか。 (ikimashita ka)
Adding か at the end turns the past statement into a past question. No other word changes.
3What is the negative past polite form of 行く (iku, to go)?
Show a sample answer
行きませんでした。 (ikimasen deshita)
This is the standard negative past polite form, used for 'No' answers. 行かなかった (ikanakatta) is the plain equivalent in casual speech.
To ask 'Did you...?' politely in Japanese, put the verb in its past polite form and add か: 電話しましたか (denwa shimashita ka). The past meaning is in the verb, not in a separate word like 'did'.
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