Week 2 · now you read · Day 11 of 100

Today, tomorrow — and a taste of the past

Talk about when. きのう / きょう / あした drop onto the front of any sentence you can already make — and here comes past tense, gently.

Understand this — tap “Hear it”
きょう 、 ともだち に あいます
Today I’m meeting a friend.
きょう kyou — todayともだち tomodachi — friend ni — (target)あいます aimasu — meet
あした 、 えいが を みます
Tomorrow I’ll watch a movie.
あした ashita — tomorrowえいが eiga — movie o — (object)みます mimasu — watch
きのう 、 すし を たべました
Yesterday I ate sushi.
きのう kinou — yesterdayすし sushi — sushi o — (object)たべました tabemashita — ate
The pattern you can now use
きのう / きょう / あした、 ___
kinou / kyou / ashita, ___
Yesterday / today / tomorrow, ___.

Time words go up front: きのう (yesterday), きょう (today), あした (tomorrow). And past tense is easy — polite ます just becomes ました: たべます → たべました (ate).

Words to use today — tap a row to hear
きのう kinouyesterday
きょう kyoutoday
あした ashitatomorrow
ともだち tomodachifriend
あいます aimasumeet
みました mimashitawatched
えいが eigamovie
しごと shigotowork
Your turn — say it, then check
Say: “Today I meet a friend.”
きょう ともだち に あいます kyou tomodachi ni aimasu
Say: “Yesterday I watched a movie.”
きのう えいが を みました kinou eiga o mimashita
Quick check
How do you make a polite verb past tense?
ます → ました
What does あした mean?
tomorrow
No new characters

You’ve learned them all — today’s sentences are pure kana. Just read (and listen).

👀 Today’s input · ~10 min — where fluency actually comes from
Read your first real books
You can read kana now — so read. Open a Level 0 Tadoku graded reader: picture books made for absolute beginners, almost all kana. Sound each page out loud and don’t stop to look up every word; getting the gist is the goal.
Tadoku free graded readers — Level 0 →

You can place things in time now. Tomorrow: adding feeling to your sentences.

Audio by your browser.