You already know polite past (ました). Casual past is the te-form’s twin — the exact same sound changes, but ending in た/だ instead of て/で: 食べた (ate), 行った (went), 飲んだ (drank). If you can make the te-form, you already know the plain past.
Today's words
今年
this year
箱
box; case
夏
summer
遺体
(dead) body; corpse
Write today's kanji — tap to replay
今
年
箱
夏
遺
体
See it in real sentences
彼には手を焼いた。
I didn't get anywhere with him.
脳しんとうを起こしました。
I had concussion.
日本から来ました。
I come from Japan.
肉離れを起こしました。
I pulled a muscle.
長い晴天続きでした。
We had a long spell of fine weather.
心臓発作を起こしました。
I had a heart attack.
Practice
Spaced review — recall from earlier days (tap to flip)
failure
失敗
1d ago
guest
客
1d ago
water (esp. cool or cold)
水
3d ago
how much
いくら
3d ago
explanation
説明
7d ago
to pay (e.g. money, bill)
払う
7d ago
Recall
Which word means “(dead) body”?
Which word means “summer”?
Which word means “box”?
Which word means “this year”?
Listen and choose
What did you hear?
What did you hear?
What did you hear?
Your turn — say it, then check
Say: “I didn't get anywhere with him.”
彼には手を焼いた。
Say: “I had concussion.”
脳しんとうを起こしました。
👀 Today’s input · ~15 min — where fluency actually comes from
Real-world Japanese
NHK News Web Easy is now within reach — simplified news with furigana *and* audio, so you can read and listen at the same time. Do one short article a day; hover past what you don’t know.