Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
Used to do; would often do (nostalgic recollection).
🎯 Primary Function
To express a recurring past action or state with a sense of nostalgia or deep feeling.
📋 Grammar Structure
Verb (dictionary form / past form ～た) + ものだ / もんだ
I-adjective (past form ～かった) + ものだ / もんだ
Na-adjective (past form ～だった) + ものだ / もんだ
Verb (past negative ～なかった) + ものだ / もんだ
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Used in speeches or formal writing when reflecting on history or personal growth.
Informal Situations
Very common in conversation with ‘ものだ’ often shortened to ‘もんだ’.
Written Language
Common in essays, novels, and memoirs.
Spoken Language
Frequently used when telling stories or sharing memories.
💡 Common Applications
Nostalgic Recollections
The most common use is looking back at a frequent habit or state in the past with deep emotion.
Example: 子供のころはよくいたずらをしたものだ。 (I used to play many pranks when I was a child.)
Emphasizing General Truths
In its present form (ものだ), it expresses a general truth or social expectation. In the past form (たものだ), it emphasizes how things used to be.
Example: 時間は早く過ぎるものだ。 (Time really does fly by.)
Frequency
High in narrative, storytelling, and casual conversation when reminiscing.
Difficulty
JLPT N3
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Example Sentences
Example #1
子供のころ、よくこの川で泳いだものだ。
Furigana: こどものころ、よくこのかわでおよいだものだ。
Romaji: Kodomo no koro, yoku kono kawa de oyoida mono da.
English: When I was a child, I used to swim in this river often.
Example #2
学生時代は、夜遅くまで友達と語り合ったものだ。
Furigana: がくせいじだいは、よるおそくまでともだちとかたりあったものだ。
Romaji: Gakusei jidai wa, yoru osoku made tomodachi to katariatta mono da.
English: In my student days, I used to talk with my friends until late at night.
Example #3
昔はこの辺りも静かだったものだ。
Furigana: むかしはこのあたりもしずかだったものだ。
Romaji: Mukashi wa kono atari mo shizuka datta mono da.
English: It used to be very quiet around here in the old days.
Example #4
若い頃は無理をしても平気だったものだが、今は無理だ。
Furigana: わかいころはむりをしてもへいきだったものだが、いまはむりだ。
Romaji: Wakai koro wa muri o shite mo heiki datta mono da ga, ima wa muri da.
English: When I was young, I used to be fine even if I pushed myself too hard.
Example #5
昔は、お正月になると家族全員が集まったものだ。
Furigana: むかしは、おしょうがつになるとかぞくぜんいんがあつまったものだ。
Romaji: Mukashi wa, oshougatsu ni naru to kazoku zen’in ga atsumatta mono da.
English: In the past, the whole family used to gather whenever the New Year came.
Example #6
よくこの公園で日が暮れるまで遊んだものだ。
Furigana: よくこのこうえんでひがくれるまであそんだものだ。
Romaji: Yoku kono kouen de hi ga kureru made asonda mono da.
English: I often used to play in this park until the sun went down.
Example #7
父は昔、とても厳しかったものだ。
Furigana: ちちはむかし、とてもきびしかったものだ。
Romaji: Chichi wa mukashi, totemo kibishikatta mono da.
English: My father used to be very strict when I was a child.
Example #8
高校時代、この曲をよく聞いたものだ。
Furigana: こうこうじだい、このきょくをよくきいたものだ。
Romaji: Koukou jidai, kono kyoku o yoku kiita mono da.
English: I used to listen to this song frequently during my high school years.
Example #9
昔の携帯電話は、もっと大きかったものだ。
Furigana: むかしのけいたいでんわは、もっとおおきかったものだ。
Romaji: Mukashi no keitai denwa wa, motto ookikatta mono da.
English: Mobile phones used to be much larger in the past.
Example #10
一人暮らしのときは、毎日のように外食したものだ。
Furigana: ひとりぐらしのときは、まいにちのようにがいしょくしたものだ。
Romaji: Hitorigurashi no toki wa, mainichi no you ni gaishoku shita mono da.
English: When I was living alone, I used to eat out almost every day.外食 (gaishoku) = eating out.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Polite Ending
While ‘ものだ’ is common, ‘ものでした’ (mono deshita) is used to be more polite.
Example: 昔はよく喧嘩したものでした。
Emotional Nuance
‘たものだ’ adds a layer of ‘I remember those days fondly’ or ‘It happened so often’.
Example: よくあそこで遊んだものだ。 (Frequent habit) vs 昔あそこで遊んだ。 (Simple fact)
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ 子供のころ、北海道へ行ったものだ。 (If you only went once)
✅ 子供のころ、一度だけ北海道へ行ったことがある。
‘たものだ’ is for repetitive habits, not one-time events. For one-time events, use ‘～たことがある’.
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Neutral to polite. It is not rude, but because it involves expressing personal feelings, it is most common among friends, family, or in reflective speeches.
Social Situations: Typically used by older people when talking to younger people about ‘the good old days’.
Regional Variations: Standard across Japan, though the contraction ‘もんだ’ is very common in Tokyo/Kanto dialect.
🔍 Subtle Differences
～たものだ vs ～ていた
‘～ていた’ is a simple statement of a past continuous habit. ‘～たものだ’ adds nostalgia and emphasis on the frequency/emotion.
When to use: Use ‘～たものだ’ when you want to sound nostalgic or expressive about the past.
📝 Conjugation Notes
In casual speech, ‘ものだ’ (mono da) frequently becomes ‘もんだ’ (mon da). It is almost always preceded by the plain past form (た-form) of verbs or adjectives.
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
When using the contracted form ‘もんだ’, the ‘n’ sound should be clear but short. The pitch usually drops slightly on ‘da’.
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of ‘もの’ as ‘thing’ or ‘essence’. ‘たものだ’ is literally like saying ‘It was a thing I (frequently) did’. It’s the Japanese way of saying ‘I would often…’.
Other Grammar
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