Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
Expresses a continuous action, habitual action, or a resultant state that existed at some point in the past.
🎯 Primary Function
To place a continuous or resultant state described by the V-te iru form into the past.
📋 Grammar Structure
Verb Te-form + いた
I-adjective + くなって + いた
Na-adjective + になって + いた
V-て + いなかった (Plain) / V-て + いませんでした (Polite)
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Used as V-ていました (te imashita) in formal settings.
Informal Situations
Used as V-ていた (te ita) in casual conversation. The final ‘i’ is often dropped (te ta).
Written Language
Common in narration, fictional writing, and descriptive passages to set the scene in the past.
Spoken Language
Extremely common. V-てた is frequently heard.
💡 Common Applications
Past Progressive Action
Describes an action that was ongoing or in progress when another event occurred or at a specified time in the past.
Example: 彼は本を読んでいた。(Kare wa hon o yonde ita. – He was reading a book.)
Habitual or Repeated Past Action
Indicates an action that was routinely or habitually performed over a period of time in the past (similar to “used to”).
Example: 若い頃はよく友達と遊んでいた。(Wakai koro wa yoku tomodachi to asonde ita. – When I was young, I used to play with friends often.)
Resultant State in the Past
Used with verbs like 閉める (shimeru, to close) or 結婚する (kekkon suru, to marry) to show the state resulting from the action existed in the past.
Example: 窓が割れていた。(Mado ga warete ita. – The window was broken.)
Frequency
Very High
Difficulty
JLPT N4/N3 Nuances
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Example Sentences
Example #1
家を出る時、強い雨が降っていた。
Furigana: いえでるとき、つよあめふっていた。
Romaji: Ie o deru toki, tsuyoi ame ga futte ita.
English: It was raining heavily when I left the house.
Example #2
昨夜、ずっと日本語を勉強していた。
Furigana: ゆうべ、ずっとにほんごべんきょうしていた。
Romaji: Yūbe, zutto Nihongo o benkyō shite ita.
English: Yesterday evening, I was studying Japanese the whole time.
Example #3
彼は黒いコートを着ていたときに、部屋に入った。
Furigana: かれはくろいコートをきていたときに、へやにはいった。
Romaji: Kare wa kuroi kōto o kite ita toki ni, heya ni haitta.
English: He was wearing a black coat when he entered the room.
Example #4
電話がかかってきた時、シャワーを浴びていた。
Furigana: でんわがかかってきたとき、シャワーをあびていた。
Romaji: Denwa ga kakatte kita toki, shawā o abite ita.
English: When the phone rang, I was taking a shower.
Example #5
着いた時、ドアはすでにもう開いていた。
Furigana: ついたとき、ドアはすでにあいていた。
Romaji: Tsuita toki, doa wa sude ni aite ita.
English: The door was already open when I arrived.
Example #6
昔、毎日あの店で働いていた。
Furigana: むかし、まいにちあのてんで、はたらいていた。
Romaji: Mukashi, mainichi ano mise de hataraite ita.
English: I used to work at that shop every day a long time ago.
Example #7
鍵を探していたが、見つからなかった。
Furigana: かぎをさがしていたが、みつからなかった。
Romaji: Kagi o sagashite ita ga, mitsukaranakatta.
English: I searched for the key, but I couldn’t find it.
Example #8
先生は会議で話していました。
Furigana: せんせいはかいぎではなしていました。
Romaji: Sensei wa kaigi de hanashite imashita.
English: The professor was speaking at the conference. (Polite form)
Example #9
子供たちは公園で楽しく遊んでいた。
Furigana: こどもたちはこうえんでたのしくあそんでいた。
Romaji: Kodomotachi wa kōen de tanoshiku asonde ita.
English: The children were playing happily in the park.
Example #10
誰もそこに立っていなかった。
Furigana: だれもそこにたっていなかった。
Romaji: Daremo soko ni tatte inakatta.
English: There was no one standing there. (Negative)
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Ongoing Action
**Past Continuous (Dynamic Verbs):** For verbs of continuous action (like 走る ‘to run’, 読む ‘to read’), this form means the action was in progress in the past.
Example: 彼はずっと走っていた。(Kare wa zutto hashitte ita. – He was running the whole time.)
Resultant State
**Past Resultant State (Stative Verbs):** For verbs that describe a change in state (like 閉まる ‘to close [intransitive]’, 結婚する ‘to marry’), this form describes the state *resulting* from the action existing in the past.
Example: 窓が閉まっていた。(Mado ga shimatte ita. – The window was closed.)
Past Habitual Action
**Past Habit/Custom:** Can describe actions that were routinely or habitually performed over a long period in the past, often translated as “used to.”
Example: 昔、父は毎朝早く起きていた。(Mukashi, chichi wa maiasa hayaku okite ita. – My father used to wake up early every morning.)
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ 鍵を探した。(Kagi o sagashita. – I searched [instantaneously])
✅ Use V-ていた: 鍵を探していた。
The simple past (V-た) is an instantaneous action. When describing an attempt or process that continued over time in the past, V-ていた is necessary.
❌ 彼女は眼鏡をかけた。(Kanojo wa megane o kaketa. – She put on glasses [instantaneously])
✅ Use V-ていた: 彼女は眼鏡をかけていた。
Wearing accessories (かける, はく, 着る) is a resultant state in Japanese. The state must be described using V-ている (present) or V-ていた (past).
❌ 彼が突然入ってきていた。(Kare ga totsuzen haitte kite ita.)
✅ Use V-た: 彼が突然入ってきた。(He suddenly came in.)
V-ていた suggests the action was ongoing. For sudden, completed actions, the simple past V-た is correct.
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: V-ていた is casual/plain. V-ていました is polite and appropriate for general conversation and professional settings.
Social Situations: The plain form ‘V-ていた’ is used when speaking to family, close friends, or those of lower status. The polite ‘V-ていました’ is mandatory for superiors, elders, and formal interactions.
Regional Variations: Regional variations mostly affect the auxiliary verb ‘iru’. For example, in Kansai dialect, the equivalent of V-ていた is often V-ておった (te otta) or V-てた (te ta).
🔍 Subtle Differences
V-ていた vs. V-た
V-ていた emphasizes the duration or continuity of the action in the past. V-た is the simple past, focusing on completion or a single event.
When to use: Use V-ていた when describing background action, ongoing effort, or a state. Use V-た for narrative sequence or completed actions.
V-ていた vs. 昔はV-た
Both can describe past habits, but V-ていた focuses on the *continuity* of the habit. 昔はV-た simply states that the action happened repeatedly in the past.
When to use: Use V-ていた for habits over a specific period. Use 昔はよくV-た when the focus is just on the fact that the action was done frequently in old times.
V-ていた vs. V-てしまった
V-ていた is continuous/state. V-てしまった (te shimatta) indicates completion, often with a sense of regret or finality.
When to use: Use V-ていた for actions in progress or resultant states. Use V-てしまった for actions that were finished, especially if the completion is regrettable.
📝 Conjugation Notes
The plain form ‘いた’ is the past tense of the auxiliary verb ‘いる’ (iru), which combines with the Te-form of any verb. The polite form is ‘いました’ (imashita). For casual speech, the ‘i’ of ‘ita’ is often elided, resulting in ‘V-てた’ (e.g., 読んでた instead of 読んでいた).
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
In rapid, casual speech, the ‘i’ is often omitted, making the pronunciation closer to ‘V-teta’ (e.g., kitte-ta, nonde-ta). Be aware of this reduction, but practice the full form (te ita) first.
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of V-ていた as “V-ing + was.” Just as ‘V-ing’ is the Te-form, and ‘was’ is the past tense of ‘iru’ (ita). If V-ている is the past version of ‘I am doing/I am in a state’, then V-ていた is the past version: ‘I was doing/I was in a state’.
Other Grammar
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