した
shita
The English phrase 'did' is translated into Japanese as した (shita).
した is the past tense of the verb 'to do', used to describe an action that was completed.
How does it change in a sentence?
In casual speech, you can turn the statement 'did' into a question simply by using a rising intonation at the end of した.
How do you pronounce it?
shita
Did you know?
- While した means 'did', adding the particle っ to make しちゃった implies that the action was done accidentally or is regrettable.
- In Japanese, the word した can function as a standalone sentence meaning 'I did it', but it can also be used to indicate that a person's character or 'nature' is a certain way in specific grammatical constructions.
- In certain literature, using した instead of its more polite forms can instantly signal to the reader that a character is of lower social standing or is speaking very informally to a friend.
Examples in context
- 誰がしたの？Who did it?This sentence is useful for asking who performed an action using した.Tatoeba #137013 by small_snow, translation #276223 by CK
- 髪乾かした？Did you dry your hair?This sentence is useful for asking if someone completed the action of drying hair using した.Tatoeba #6144807 by mshins0925, translation #6377070 by pinkfreud
- 契約したの？Did you sign the contract?This sentence is useful for asking if a contract was signed using した.Tatoeba #8877775 by small_snow, translation #3334032 by CK
- 食べましたAte
- 行きましたWent
- 買ったBought
- 昨日、友達に会いました。Yesterday, I met my friend.
- 先週、海に行きました。Last week, I went to the beach.
- 昨晩、映画を見ました。Last night, I watched a movie.
- 855 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are talking in the kitchen about chores.
- 美咲 Misaki掃除した？souji shita?Did you clean?
- 蓮 Renうん、さっきしたよ。un, sakki shita yo.Yes, I did it a little while ago.
- 美咲 Misakiありがとう、助かる。arigatou, tasukaru.Thank you, that helps.
- 蓮 Renいいよ、気にしないで。ii yo, ki ni shinaide.It's okay, don't mention it.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
