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Minna no Nihongo · Lesson 4

Time and daily actions

Say when things happen, define time ranges, and move polite verbs between non-past and past.

Keep these three
  • Exact clock times take に; relative times usually do not.
  • から and まで independently mark the start and end of a range.
  • ました and ませんでした place an action in the past.

Time に Verb ます

Pin an action to a time

Use に with exact points such as clock times and calendar dates.

I wake up at seven thirty every morning.
I rest on Sunday.Weekdays may use に or omit it.

Time から Time まで

Draw a time span

から marks the starting boundary and まで marks the ending boundary. Either can stand alone.

I work from nine until five.
The lunch break is until one.

Verb ましたか

Ask and answer about the past

Use ました for an affirmative past action and ませんでした for a negative past action.

Did you study yesterday?
No, I did not study.

Close the notes

Can you bring it back?

01Does 毎朝 take に?

Normally no. Relative/repeating time words do not need に.

02What marks the end of a time range?

まで

03Make 働きます past-negative.

働きませんでした