How to Say ‘I was working.’ in Japanese
働いていました。
hatarai te i mashi ta
[ha-ta-RA-ee teh ee mah-shee tah]
💬 Usage Tip: In casual speech the い often drops out, so 働いていました sounds like (hataraitemashita).
Phrase Breakdown
働い
hatarai
[ha-ta-RA-ee]
work (te-form stem)
Stem of 働く 'to work', changed to 働い before て.
銀行で働いています。
I work at a bank.
て
te
[teh]
and; -te form
A linking form used to connect verbs to following grammar, such as progressive or polite forms.
仕事を探している人と話しました。
I spoke with a person who is looking for work.
い
i
[ee]
be; ongoing state part
Part of the continuous form that shows an action is currently happening.
今も条件を比べている最中です。
I am still in the middle of comparing conditions.
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.
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