| Let's look at the sentence pattern. |
| This pattern is the structure that all of our examples will follow. |
| When (subject was) [Noun], [past tense verb phrase] |
| First, we have "Subject は" (Subject wa). This is optional, but it introduces the subject of the sentence, telling us who or what we are talking about. |
| Next is [Noun]. This represents a period in someone's life or a situation. It is the time frame being referred to in the sentence. |
| Following that, we have の (no). This particle connects the noun to the next part of the phrase, とき (toki). It shows possession or attribution, linking the time frame to "when." |
| Then, we have とき (toki). This means "when" or "at the time." It indicates that what follows happened during the specified time frame. |
| Finally, we have [Past tense verb phrase]. This describes what happened during the time expressed in the first part of the sentence. The verb is in its past tense form because it refers to a completed action. |
| Let’s see how a line from the dialogue follows this pattern. |
| わたしは 子どものとき いわてに いました。 |
| In this sentence: |
| わたしは (Watashi wa) is the subject of the sentence, meaning "I was." は could also be used for "is," but this sentence is using the past-tense. |
| 子ども (kodomo) is the noun, meaning "child." This represents the time frame being referred to, that is, "I was a child." |
| の (no) is the particle that connects 子ども (kodomo) to とき (toki), linking the time frame to "when." |
| とき (toki) means "when" or "at the time," establishing the specific moment in the past. |
| いわてに いました (Iwate ni imashita) is the past tense verb phrase. いました (imashita) is the past tense of います (imasu), meaning "to be" or "to exist." The particle に (ni) indicates the location, Iwate. So, いわてに いました (Iwate ni imashita) means "lived in Iwate." |
| So, わたしは 子どものとき いわてに いました。 translates to "When I was a child, I lived in Iwate." |
| Now you can use this structure to talk about different times in your life and describe what happened during them! |
| You can also modify とき (toki) with i-adjectives, like "小さい (chiisai)." When you use an adjective, you don't need to use the particle "の (no)." |
| So, the pattern becomes "i-Adjective + とき + Past tense verb phrase" |
| Now let's look at some speaking examples. |
| 学生のとき 外国に 行きました。 |
| When I was a student, I went abroad. |
| Can you see how the pattern applies here? |
| Let's break it down: |
| Here, 学生 (gakusei) is the noun, meaning "student." This represents the time frame being referred to. |
| の (no) is the particle that connects 学生 (gakusei) to とき (toki), linking the time frame to "when." So, "When I was a student." The "...I was…" is implied without needing to say わたしは (watashi wa). |
| とき (toki) means "when" or "at the time," establishing the specific moment in the past. |
| 外国に 行きました (gaikoku ni ikimashita) is the past tense verb phrase. 行きました (ikimashita) is the past tense of 行く (iku), meaning "to go." The particle に (ni) indicates the destination, "abroad." So, 外国に 行きました (gaikoku ni ikimashita) means "went abroad." |
| So, 学生のとき 外国に 行きました。 translates to "When I was a student, I went abroad." |
| Now you can use this structure to talk about different times in your life and describe what happened during them! |
| Here's another example |
| 子どものとき 本を あまり 読みませんでした。 (Kodomo no toki hon o amari yomimasen deshita.) |
| When I was a child, I didn’t read books very much. |
| 子どものとき 本を あまり 読みませんでした。 (Kodomo no toki hon o amari yomimasen deshita.) |
| When I was a child, I didn’t read books very much. |
| Let's try one more, |
| 9さいのとき きょうとへ 行きました。 (Kyū-sai no toki Kyōto e ikimashita.) |
| When I was nine years old, I went to Kyoto. |
| 9さいのとき きょうとへ 行きました。 (Kyū-sai no toki Kyōto e ikimashita.) |
| When I was nine years old, I went to Kyoto. |
| Another one. |
| 小さいとき 毎週 つりに 行きました。 (Chiisai toki maishū tsuri ni ikimashita.) |
| When I was little, I went fishing every week. |
| 小さいとき 毎週 つりに 行きました。 (Chiisai toki maishū tsuri ni ikimashita.) |
| When I was little, I went fishing every week. |
| One last example. |
| わかいとき 毎日 肉を 食べました。 () |
| When I was young, I ate meat every day. |
| わかいとき 毎日 肉を 食べました。 (Wakai toki mainichi niku o tabemashita.) |
| When I was young, I ate meat every day. |
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