How to Say ‘Was thinking (casual; short for 考えていた)’ in Japanese
考えてた
kangae te ta
[kahn-gah-eh teh tah]
💬 Usage Tip: Casual contraction: [考えていた] → [考えてた]. Very common in speech. Polite: [考えていました].
🇯🇵 In Japan: Casual shortening like this sounds natural and intimate—good for dates, but switch to polite if the mood is formal.
Phrase Breakdown
考え
kangae
[kahn-gah-eh]
think; consider (stem)
Stem of 考える (to think/consider). Used before 「てた」 to show an ongoing thought in the past.
ずっと考えてた。
I’ve been thinking about it.
て
te
[teh]
-te form connector
In 「てた」, this 「て」 links to 「た」 (past) and makes the contraction of 「ていた」 (was doing).
関係について考えてた。
I was thinking about our relationship.
た
ta
[tah]
past marker (casual)
Here 「た」 is the past form, but in 「考えてた」 it’s a contraction of 「考えていた」 (I had been thinking).
僕たちのことを考えてた。
I was thinking about us.
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