晩ご飯を食べました
bangohan o tabemashita
To say "I ate dinner" in Japanese, you use 晩ご飯を食べました (bangohan o tabemashita).
This phrase is used to state that the speaker has finished eating their evening meal.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 晩ご飯を食べました breaks down into 晩ご飯 (bangohan, evening meal), を (o, object marker) and 食べました (tabemashita, ate).
Which one should you use?
The phrase 晩ご飯を食べた is an informal version used with friends or family, whereas the default 晩ご飯を食べました is the polite form. Additionally, 夕食を食べました uses 夕食 (yuushoku), which is a more formal or written way to refer to dinner than the common 晩ご飯 (bangohan).
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb 食べました (tabemashita) is in the polite past tense. In casual spoken Japanese, the particle を (o) is often omitted, meaning you might hear just 晩ご飯食べた (bangohan tabeta).
How do you pronounce it?
bangohan o tabemashita
Did you know?
- The word 'gohan' in 晩ご飯 (bangohan) literally means 'cooked rice', which is why it is used to mean 'meal' in general.
- Japanese speakers often say いただきます (itadakimasu) before eating and ごちそうさまでした (gochisousama deshita) after eating. These ritual phrases are more culturally essential than the literal statement that one has finished the meal.
- In Japanese, the subject is often omitted, so 晩ご飯を食べました literally means 'dinner was eaten' or 'ate dinner'. This allows the speaker to avoid saying 'I' unless they want to emphasize that they, and not someone else, did the eating.
Examples in context
- 先日、レストランで晩ごはんを食べましたThe other day, I ate dinner at a restaurant.
- 会議が終わった後、晩ごはんを食べましたAfter the meeting finished, I ate dinner.
- 昨日は友達と晩ごはんを食べたYesterday, I ate dinner with my friend.
- 学校終わりにファミレスで晩ごはんを食べたAfter school, I ate dinner at a family restaurant.
- もう晩ご飯を食べました。mou bangohan o tabemashita.I already ate dinner.
- さっき晩ご飯を食べました。sakki bangohan o tabemashita.I ate dinner a little while ago.
- 一人で晩ご飯を食べました。hitori de bangohan o tabemashita.I ate dinner alone.
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are talking at home in the evening.
- 結衣 Yui健太さん、一緒にご飯に行きませんか？Kenta-san, issho ni gohan ni ikimasen ka?Kenta, would you like to go get some food with me?
- 健太 Kentaすみません、もう晩ご飯を食べました。sumimasen, mou bangohan o tabemashita.I'm sorry, I already ate dinner.
- 結衣 Yuiそうなんですね。残念です。sou nan desu ne. zannen desu.I see. That's too bad.
- 健太 Kentaまた今度誘ってください。mata kondo sasotte kudasai.Please invite me again next time.
