〜ていました~te imashita

Te imashita (〜ていました) means “past repeated habit”.

子供こどもkodomoのnoころ、koro、私わたしwatashiはわwa毎日外まいにちそとmainichisotoでde遊んあそんasonでdeいました。imashita。

When I was a child, I used to play outside every day.

Use 「〜ていました」 for actions repeated as a habit during a past period.

In the course

How it works

Think back to playing outside every day as a child: this describes something done repeatedly during that time.
「子供のころ」 and 「小学生のとき」 first tell us when in the past the habit took place.
Add 「いました」 to the verb’s て-form: 遊ぶ→遊んでいました。
It can also describe ongoing actions in the past; this lesson’s examples focus on repeated past habits.
It only describes the past. This pattern alone does not tell us whether the habit continues now.
In the examples, 「毎日」 means “every day” and 「よく」 means “often.” Both signal repeated actions.
「行きました」 can describe a single visit; 「よく行っていました」 emphasizes a habit at that time.

子供こどもkodomoのnoころ、koro、私わたしwatashiはわwa毎日外まいにちそとmainichisotoでde遊んあそんasonでdeいました。imashita。
When I was a child, I used to play outside every day.

A
子供こどものころ、どんなお子さんなおこさんでしたか。
A: What kind of child were you when you were young?
B
私わたしはわのびのびした子供したこどもで、毎日まいにち遅くおそく

Level 1 · Recognise
Which sentence is correct?
Level 1 · Recognise
Listen and choose the meaning
Level 2 · Build
Put the words in order
When I was a child, I used to play outside every day.
Level 3 · Use
What goes in the blank?
子供のころ、私は毎日外で____。
When I was a child, I used to play outside every day.