Explanation
Use "didn't" or "did not" to make a past simple sentence negative. After "didn't", the verb stays in the base form, not the past form.
For example, "I didn't go to work yesterday." Here "didn't" shows the past and the negative meaning, "go" is the base verb, and "yesterday" tells us when. In Japanese, you say "行かなかった" with one past negative verb, but English uses "didn't" plus the base verb. Do not add a past ending after "didn't."
過去の否定を言うときは "didn't" または "did not" を使います。"didn't" の後ろの動詞は過去形にせず、原形のままです。
たとえば "I didn't go to work yesterday." では、"didn't" が「過去」と「否定」を表し、"go" は原形、"yesterday" が時を表しています。日本語では「行かなかった」のように1語で表しますが、英語では "didn't" に原形動詞を続けます。"didn't" の後に過去形を置かないようにしましょう。
Examples
- I didn't eat lunch today. 今日は昼ごはんを食べませんでした。
- She didn't call me last night. 彼女は昨夜、私に電話しませんでした。
- We didn't see the game on TV. 私たちはテレビでその試合を見ませんでした。
- Did you not hear the message? そのメッセージを聞かなかったのですか。
- He didn't want any help. 彼は手伝いを必要としていませんでした。
- They didn't live here before. 彼らは前はここに住んでいませんでした。
Common Mistakes
Japanese learners often say "I didn't went" or "She didn't called." After "didn't," use the base verb: "I didn't go" and "She didn't call."
日本人学習者は "I didn't went" や "She didn't called" と言いがちです。"didn't" の後ろは過去形ではなく原形なので、正しくは "I didn't go"、"She didn't call" です。