How to Say ‘Did something happen?’ in Japanese
何かありましたか？
nani ka ari mashi ta ka
[nah-nee kah ah-ree mah-shee tah ka]
Phrase Breakdown
何
nani
[nah-nee]
what; something (with か)
When combined with か, 何か means 'something' (indefinite). Useful in interview follow-up questions.
改善するために何かしていますか。
Are you doing anything to improve?
か
ka
[kah]
some- (indefinite)
Attached to 何 it makes 'something'.
何か食べたい。
I want to eat something.
あり
ari
[ah-ree]
exist; there is
From ある, used for things that exist or are present.
時間がありました。
There was time.
まし
mashi
[mah-shee]
polite past stem
Part of the polite past ending in a verb phrase.
昨日は多くのことを学びました。
I learned many things yesterday.
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.
か
ka
[ka]
question particle
Indicates a question with previous verb.
飲みませんか？
Won't you drink?
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