とても楽しかったです
totemo tanoshikatta desu
The English phrase "I had a great time" is expressed in Japanese as とても楽しかったです (totemo tanoshikatta desu).
This phrase is used to express that you enjoyed a past experience or event.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase とても楽しかったです is composed of totemo (very), tanoshikatta (the past tense of fun/enjoyable) and desu (is/am/are).
Which one should you use?
Unlike English, which uses a subject and a verb (I had), the Japanese phrase focuses on the state of the experience being fun.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The phrase とても楽しかったです is polite, making it suitable for speaking to teachers, bosses or strangers. For a more informal tone suitable for friends and family, you can drop the totemo and the desu to say 楽しかった！
How does it change in a sentence?
The past tense is formed by changing the i-adjective tanoshii to tanoshikatta.
How do you pronounce it?
totemo tanoshikatta desu
Did you know?
- While とても楽しかったです expresses joy, Japanese speakers often pair it with すみませんでした ('I am sorry') if the 'great time' was a hosted event, apologizing for the trouble the host took.
- If you had a great time at a business dinner, you might avoid 楽しかったです and instead use 勉強になりました ('it was a learning experience') to show respect to the superior.
- The root adjective 楽しい is related to the ancient word for 'comfortable' or 'easy', linking the idea of a 'great time' to a lack of stress.
Examples in context
- 昨日のパーティー、めちゃくちゃ楽しかったよ！ありがとう！Yesterday's party was so much fun! Thank you!
- 昨日のパーティーはとても楽しかったです。Kinō no pāti wa totemo tanoshikatta desu.Yesterday's party was a lot of fun.
- コンサートはとても楽しかったです。Konsāto wa totemo tanoshikatta desu.The concert was a lot of fun.
Example conversation
After a delicious dinner at a restaurant.
- 陽太 Yota結衣さん、今日はありがとうございました。Yui-san, kyō wa arigatō gozaimashita.Yui, thank you for today.
- 結衣 Yuiいいえ、こちらこそ。とても楽しかったです。Iie, kochira koso. Totemo tanoshikatta desu.No, thank you. I had a great time.
- 陽太 Yotaまた一緒に行きましょう。Mata issho ni ikimashō.Let's go together again.
- 結衣 Yuiはい、ぜひ！Hai, zehi!Yes, definitely!
