How to Say ‘It didn’t work.’ in Japanese
だめでした
dame deshi ta
[dah-meh deh-shee tah]
💬 Usage Tip: Past form makes it clear you tried something and the result was negative. Handy after a troubleshooting step.
🇯🇵 In Japan: This is a very natural way to report outcomes in Japan: action → result ([だめでした]) without blaming anyone.
Phrase Breakdown
だめ
dame
[dah-meh]
it didn’t work; it was no good
Past form meaning “it didn’t work.” Very useful when reporting prior attempts to fix the hot water.
リセットもしましたが、だめでした。
I also tried resetting it, but it didn’t work.
でし
deshi
[deh-shee]
polite copula stem (part of でした)
Part of でした, the polite past form of です. Makes the statement polite when speaking to a landlord.
結果はだめでした。
The result was no good.
た
ta
[tah]
polite past ending (part of でした)
Completes でした (was). Used to politely say the outcome/result in the past.
だめでした。
It didn’t work.
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