に行った
ni itta
In Japanese, the phrase "I went to" is expressed as に行った (ni itta).
This phrase is used to express that someone traveled to a specific place in the past.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 行った is the past tense of the verb 行く (to go).
Which one should you use?
While に行った is the standard way to express going to a destination, the form 行ってきた is used informally to add a sense of completion, indicating that the person went to the place and has now returned.
How do you pronounce it?
ni itta
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using both the particles へ and に together as へに行った. In this context, using just に is more standard for a destination.
Did you know?
- Japanese uses a specific 'honorific' version of the verb for others going to a place, meaning you cannot use に行った when describing the movement of a boss or a customer.
- In Japanese, the verb 行く (to go) is often replaced by 来る (to come) if the speaker is currently at the destination they are talking about, even if they are describing a past movement.
- When talking about going to a place in the past, Japanese speakers often omit the subject 'I' entirely, as the context makes it clear who performed the action.
Examples in context
- 病院に行った。I went to the hospital.This sentence is useful for saying you went to the hospital.Tatoeba #2661778 by e4zh1nmcz, translation #2661742 by CK
- 私は駅に行った。I went to the station.This sentence is useful for saying you went to the station.Tatoeba #2226546 by tommy_san, translation #256270 by CK
- 昨日動物園に行った。I went to the zoo yesterday.This sentence is useful for saying you went to the zoo.Tatoeba #5217 by bunbuku, translation #1876 by Swift
- 街へ行きました。I went to the city.
- 昨日公園へ行って参りました。Yesterday, I went to the park (polite).
- 会議室に行きました。I went to the conference room.
- 昨日、友達の家に行った。Yesterday, I went to my friend's house.
- 京都へ行ってきたよ。I went to Kyoto (and I'm back)!
- 公園に行ったけど、誰もいなかった。I went to the park, but there was no one there.
- 部屋に行ったんや。I went to the room (Kansai dialect).
- 神戸へ行ってきたんやで。I went to Kobe (and I've come back) (Kansai dialect).
- 53 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Hiroto are talking about their weekend activities.
- 結衣 Yui週末、どこかに行った？Shūmatsu, dokoka ni itta?Did you go anywhere over the weekend?
- 大翔 Hirotoうん、海に行った。Un, umi ni itta.Yeah, I went to the sea.
- 結衣 Yuiいいなあ。私も海に行きたかった。Ii nā. Watashi mo umi ni ikitakatta.That sounds nice. I wanted to go to the sea too.
- 大翔 Hiroto結衣も今度一緒に行こうよ。Yui mo kondo issho ni ikō yo.Let's go together next time, Yui.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
