What does it mean word for word?
The literal breakdown of 旅行はどうでしたか？ is: 旅行 (ryokō) trip, は (wa) topic marker, どう (dō) how, でした (deshita) was and か (ka) question marker. It translates literally to "As for the trip, how was it?"
Which one should you use?
While 旅行はどうでしたか？ asks about a completed trip, using the present tense 旅行はどうですか？ changes the meaning to "How is the trip?", which asks about a trip that is currently in progress.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
There are several ways to ask this depending on the social setting. 旅行はいかがでしたか？ is a formal way to ask the question. For casual settings, you can use the informal 旅行はどうだった？, which replaces the polite でしたか with the plain past form だった? or 旅行どうだったの？
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase 旅行はどうでしたか？ uses the polite past tense of the copula, でした, to ask about a completed event.
How do you pronounce it?
ryokō wa dō deshita ka?
When do people say it?
A common way to respond to this question is to use an adjective in its polite past form, such as 楽しかったです (it was fun).
Did you know?
- If a person is returning from a long-distance trip, instead of asking about the trip itself, you might first say お疲れ様でした (otsukaresama deshita). This acknowledges the effort of traveling before asking for details.
- In a very formal setting, a person might answer 旅行はどうでしたか？ by saying おかげさまで (okagesama de), which attributes the success of the trip to the kindness of others or a higher power.
- If a traveler returns with a souvenir, the phrase 旅行はどうでしたか？ is often bypassed entirely in favor of お土産ありがとうございます (thank you for the souvenir).
Examples in context
- 先生、京都旅行はいかがでしたか？Teacher, how was your trip to Kyoto?
- ゆうた、京都の旅行はどうだった？Yuta, how was your trip to Kyoto?
- さやかちゃん、沖縄旅行どうだったの？Sayaka, how was your trip to Okinawa?
- 旅行はどうでしたか？ryokou wa dou deshita ka?How was your trip?
- 先週の旅行はどうでしたか？senshuu no ryokou wa dou deshita ka?How was your trip last week?
- 北海道への旅行はどうでしたか？hokkaido e no ryokou wa dou deshita ka?How was your trip to Hokkaido?
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are talking after Yui returns from a vacation.
- 健太 Kentaおかえりなさい。旅行はどうでしたか？Okaerinasai. Ryokou wa dou deshita ka?Welcome back. How was your trip?
- 結衣 Yuiとても楽しかったです！Totemo tanoshikatta desu!It was very fun!
- 健太 Kentaそれはよかったですね。Sore wa yokatta desu ne.That's great.
- 結衣 Yuiまた一緒に行きたいです。Mata issho ni ikitai desu.I want to go together again.
