How to Say ‘Was; were (polite past form)’ in Japanese
ございました
gozai mashi ta
[go-zai mah-shee tah]
💬 Usage Tip: In [ありがとうございました], [ございました] makes the expression politely past. Japanese often uses this past form when thanking someone for something that has just been completed, like help or a finished purchase.
Phrase Breakdown
ござい
gozai
[go-zai]
to be; to exist (very polite)
The polite verb stem used in past polite expressions such as ございました.
空席がござい ました。
There were vacant seats.
まし
mashi
[mah-shee]
polite past marker
This part helps form the polite past tense in verbs like ございました.
問題はござい まし た。
There was no problem.
た
ta
[tah]
past tense ending
This ending completes the polite past tense form.
空席がございまし た。
There were vacant seats.
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