持っていた
motte ita
The English phrase "had" can be translated into Japanese as 持っていた (motte ita).
持っていた is used to describe the past tense of having or possessing something. This includes both physical objects, such as a book and abstract concepts, such as a culture.
How do you pronounce it?
motte ita
Did you know?
- When describing a 'had' experience, such as 'I had a dream', Japanese uses 見た which means 'saw'. Using 持っていた in this context would be considered incorrect.
- If you want to say you 'had' a certain physical characteristic like long hair or a large mole, you would use あった instead of 持っていた.
- Using 持っていた can sometimes imply you were actively holding or carrying something in your hands, rather than just owning it in your house.
Examples in context
- 彼は手に本を持っていた。He had a book in his hand.This sentence is useful for showing how to describe having a physical object in one's hand using 持っていた.Tatoeba #104496 by KK_kaku_, translation #299195 by CK
- 私はその本を二冊持っていた。I had two copies of the book.This sentence is useful for showing how to express the possession of a specific quantity of items using 持っていた.Tatoeba #159852 by bunbuku, translation #254670 by CK
- 彼らは独自の文化を持っていた。They had a culture of their own.This sentence is useful for showing how to use 持っていた for an abstract concept like a culture.Tatoeba #96448 by small_snow, translation #307257 by sundown
- 昨日、食事をしましたか？Did you have a meal yesterday?
- 昨日、食べた？Did you have (eat) yesterday?
- 昨夜、友達と話した。I had a conversation with my friend last night.
- 20 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about old belongings.
- 蓮 Ren昔、かっこいい自転車を持っていた？Mukashi, kakkoii jitensha o motte ita?Did you have a cool bicycle before?
- 陽葵 Himariうん、赤い自転車を持っていたよ。Un, akai jitensha o motte ita yo.Yes, I had a red bicycle.
- 蓮 Renそれはいいなあ。Sore wa ii naa.That sounds nice.
- 陽葵 Himariでも、今はもう持っていないんだ。Demo, ima wa mou motte inai n da.But I don't have it anymore.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
