In this workshop you will practice talking about food from a past trip. You will hear and use polite past-tense adjectives and the past tense of the verb taberu (to eat). The recordings give you clear model lines. You will first understand each line, then use it in guided speaking, then check your understanding in a short exchange, and finally recall the lines with the correct roles. You can play both roles with the audio, but there is no automatic assessment, so use the answer keys to check yourself.
Describing Food in the Past
When you talk about a trip that already happened, you often describe how the food was. In Japanese, i-adjectives change form in the past. For example, the line «イタリアの 食べ物は すごかったです。» means 'The food in Italy was amazing.' Here sugokatta is the past form of sugoi, and desu makes it polite. Another example is «パスタは おいしかったです。», which means 'The pasta was delicious.' The word oishikatta is the past form of oishii. For na-adjectives and nouns, use deshita. The line «ジェラートは とても 人気でした。» means 'The gelato was very popular.' Here ninki deshita means 'was popular.' Notice that totemo means 'very.' Practice saying each line slowly, then at a natural speed. Pay attention to the held consonant represented by kk in both sugokatta and oishikatta.
Saying What You Ate and How Often
To say what you ate in the past, use the polite past tense of taberu: tabemashita. The line «毎日 ピザを 食べました。» means 'I ate pizza every day.' Mainichi means 'every day,' and piza o tabemashita means 'ate pizza.' The particle o marks pizza as the object. You can replace pizza with other foods you know, but for this workshop, use the recorded foods. To answer how often, mainichi gives the frequency: every day. When you speak, keep the rhythm steady: ma-i-ni-chi pi-za o ta-be-ma-shi-ta. Do not rush the particles. The line «すごかったです！ 毎日 ピザを 食べました。» combines two ideas: 'It was amazing! I ate pizza every day.' Notice how the speaker uses sugokatta desu first, then adds the eating habit. This is a natural way to answer a question about a trip.
Asking and Answering About a Trip
A simple exchange about a past trip can follow a clear pattern. One person asks a question, and the other answers with a past-tense description. The line «イタリアの 食べ物は どうでしたか。» means 'How was the food in Italy?' The ending dō deshita ka makes it a polite past question. The answer can be «すごかったです！ 毎日 ピザを 食べました。», which means 'It was amazing! I ate pizza every day.' Then the first speaker can ask a follow-up question, as in «パスタは おいしかったですか。»: 'Was the pasta delicious?' The answer «はい、とても おいしかったです。ジェラートも 人気でした。» means 'Yes, it was very delicious. The gelato was also popular.' Notice that mo in jerāto mo means 'also.' When you practice, copy the recorded rhythm and listen for the question ending ka. Do not assume every question must rise or every answer must fall.
Listen once, then say the phrase yourself. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Checking available voices…
イタリアの 食べ物は すごかったです。
The food in Italy was amazing.
Itaria no tabemono wa sugokatta desu.
毎日 ピザを 食べました。
I ate pizza every day.
Mainichi piza o tabemashita.
パスタは おいしかったです。
The pasta was delicious.
Pasuta wa oishikatta desu.
ジェラートは とても 人気でした。
The gelato was very popular.
Jerāto wa totemo ninki deshita.
Read one side aloud, then answer in your own words. The goal is to make the exchange yours.
イタリアの 食べ物は どうでしたか。
How was the food in Italy?すごかったです！ 毎日 ピザを 食べました。
It was amazing! I ate pizza every day.パスタは おいしかったですか。
Was the pasta delicious?はい、とても おいしかったです。ジェラートも 人気でした。
Yes, it was very delicious. The gelato was also popular.Your turn
Try each prompt out loud. Choose a guided start, the full sequence, or a challenge pass after your first attempt.
Guided Exchange: Ask and Answer About Food
You will play both roles in a short conversation about a past trip to Italy. Use the recorded lines as your model. Read the question aloud, then read the answer aloud. Then switch roles.
Your task: First, say the question from «イタリアの 食べ物は どうでしたか。». Then answer with «すごかったです！ 毎日 ピザを 食べました。». Next, ask the follow-up question from «パスタは おいしかったですか。». Finally, answer with «はい、とても おいしかったです。ジェラートも 人気でした。». Repeat the whole exchange two times. Focus on clear past-tense endings: deshita, sugokatta, tabemashita, oishikatta, and deshita.
Reply Comprehension: Choose the Correct Response
You will hear or read a question and choose the best answer from the recorded lines. This checks whether you understand the meaning of the past-tense forms.
Your task: Question 1: Someone asks «イタリアの 食べ物は どうでしたか。». Which recorded line is a good answer: «すごかったです！ 毎日 ピザを 食べました。» or «パスタは おいしかったですか。»? Question 2: Someone asks «パスタは おいしかったですか。». Which recorded line is a good answer: «はい、とても おいしかったです。ジェラートも 人気でした。» or «毎日 ピザを 食べました。»? Say your chosen line aloud. Then check the answer key below.
Recall and Role Play: Who Says What?
In this task you will recall the recorded lines without looking at them. Then you will say them with the correct speaker roles. The original exchange has two speakers: one asks questions, and one answers.
Your task: First, cover the lines and try to say «イタリアの 食べ物は どうでしたか。», «すごかったです！ 毎日 ピザを 食べました。», «パスタは おいしかったですか。», and «はい、とても おいしかったです。ジェラートも 人気でした。» from memory. Then look at the exchange lines again. Decide which lines are questions and which are answers. Repeat the questions and answers with their recorded rhythm. Then play both roles: ask «イタリアの 食べ物は どうでしたか。», answer «すごかったです！ 毎日 ピザを 食べました。», ask «パスタは おいしかったですか。», answer «はい、とても おいしかったです。ジェラートも 人気でした。».
Common questions
How do I know when to use sugokatta instead of sugoi?
Use sugokatta when you describe something that was amazing in the past. The line «イタリアの 食べ物は すごかったです。» shows this: it means 'The food in Italy was amazing.' If you are talking about now, you would use sugoi, but for a past trip, use the past form sugokatta. The polite ending desu stays the same.
What is the difference between tabemashita and taberu?
Taberu is the plain present or future form, meaning 'eat' or 'will eat.' Tabemashita is the polite past form, meaning 'ate.' The line «毎日 ピザを 食べました。» uses tabemashita to say 'I ate pizza every day.' When you talk about a past trip, use tabemashita for polite conversation.
Sources and further reading
- japanese: share travel experiencesChecked September 2026
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