Translation guide
The English word 'did' is the past tense of 'do', used as an auxiliary verb for questions, negatives, and emphasis, and as a main verb meaning 'perform' or 'complete'. In Japanese, there is no direct equivalent; instead, past tense is expressed through verb conjugation, and questions/negatives use particles and sentence-final forms. This guide covers how to express the various functions of 'did' naturally in Japanese.
Expressing that someone performed or completed an action in the past, equivalent to 'did' as the past tense of 'do'.
The polite past tense form of a verb. Replace V with the verb stem in its polite form. This is the most common way to express a completed action in polite speech.
宿題をしました。
I did my homework.
昨日、掃除をしました。
I did the cleaning yesterday.
The plain past tense form of a verb. Used in casual speech or in written language. Replace V with the verb stem in its plain form.
A casual verb meaning 'to do'. Often used for physical actions or tasks. Its past tense is やった.
宿題をやった。
I did my homework.
Asking whether an action occurred in the past, equivalent to 'Did you...?' or 'Did he...?'.
The polite way to ask a yes/no question about a past action. Simply add か to the polite past form.
宿題をしましたか。
Did you do your homework?
昨日、買い物に行きましたか。
Did you go shopping yesterday?
Saying that an action did not happen, equivalent to 'did not' or 'didn't'.
The polite negative past form. Used to say 'did not do'.
宿題をしませんでした。
I didn't do my homework.
昨日、何もしませんでした。
I didn't do anything yesterday.
Emphasizing that an action definitely happened, as in 'I DID do it!'.
Using んです (or のです) after the plain past tense adds explanatory or emphatic force. It stresses that the action was indeed performed.
宿題をしたんです。
I DID do my homework.
ちゃんとやったんです！
I did do it properly!
Responding to a yes/no question about a past action with a short answer.
In Japanese, short answers typically repeat the verb from the question in its appropriate form, rather than using a generic 'did'.
A: 宿題をしましたか？ B: はい、しました。
A: Did you do your homework? B: Yes, I did.
Adding a tag question to confirm or check information, like 'You did your homework, didn't you?'.
Using でしょう (deshou) after the plain past form creates a tag question seeking confirmation. It can be polite or casual depending on intonation.
宿題をしたでしょう？
You did your homework, didn't you?
Casual tag question using よね (yo ne). It assumes the listener agrees.
There is no single Japanese word for 'did'. Instead, Japanese uses verb conjugations to indicate past tense. Trying to insert a separate word for 'did' will result in unnatural Japanese.
The choice between ました/ませんでした and た/なかった depends on the social context. Use polite forms with strangers, superiors, and in formal settings; use plain forms with close friends, family, or in casual writing.
Casual question form. Just use the plain past tense with rising intonation. Often used with the question particle の (no) for explanation-seeking.
宿題した？
Did you do your homework?
昨日、買い物に行ったの？
Did you go shopping yesterday?
The plain negative past form. Used in casual speech.
宿題をしなかった。
I didn't do my homework.
Adding adverbs such as ちゃんと (properly) or 確かに (certainly) can convey emphasis without changing the verb form.
ちゃんと宿題をしました。
I did do my homework (properly).
A: Did you do your homework? B: Yeah, I did.
A: 昨日、映画を見ましたか？ B: いいえ、見ませんでした。
A: Did you watch a movie yesterday? B: No, I didn't.
宿題したよね？
You did your homework, right?