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Lesson 39 / 166
🌸 Japanese Topic 39初級🌱 Beginner

今日明日昨日

Kyō / Ashita / Kinō

Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday

🌸 Time Expressions: Present, Future, and Past 🌸

1

💬 Dialogue

ケン:今日は月曜日です。

Kyō wa getsuyōbi desu.

Today is Monday.

ハナ:明日は火曜日ですね。

Ashita wa kayōbi desu ne.

Tomorrow is Tuesday, right?

ケン:はい。昨日は日曜日でした。

Hai. Kinō wa nichiyōbi deshita.

Yes. Yesterday was Sunday.

ハナ:昨日は休みでしたか?

Kinō wa yasumi deshita ka?

Was yesterday a holiday?

ケン:はい、休みでした。今日は仕事です。

Hai, yasumi deshita. Kyō wa shigoto desu.

Yes, it was a holiday. Today is work.

ハナ:明日は?

Ashita wa?

How about tomorrow?

ケン:明日も仕事です。

Ashita mo shigoto desu.

Tomorrow is also work.

2

📖 Vocabulary

5 words
きょうkyōtoday
あしたashitatomorrow
きのうkinōyesterday
しごとshigotowork / job
やすみyasumiholiday / break
3

Key Sentence

昨日 B でした。

Kinō wa B deshita.

Yesterday was B.

  • Pattern: [Time] は [B] です/でした。
  • Meaning: Expressing time (Present/Future vs. Past).
今日は月曜日です。

Kyō wa getsuyōbi desu.

Today is Monday.

昨日は日曜日でした。

Kinō wa nichiyōbi deshita.

Yesterday was Sunday.

4

🎓 Explanation

To talk about different points in time, you use specific time words like 今日 (kyō), 明日 (ashita), and 昨日 (kinō).

When talking about today or tomorrow, use the polite present/future ending です.

When talking about yesterday (past), you must change the ending to でした (deshita).

Ashita wa yasumi desu.
= 'Tomorrow is a holiday.'

Kinō wa yasumi deshita.
= 'Yesterday was a holiday.'

5

📝 Quiz

Which sentence correctly says 'Yesterday was a holiday'?