AmgedIsmail's Japanese Language Class

[AmgedIsmail]

Hello,
I will go with my first kind of question, here I go.
[Yes, No Questions]

Is it right to say：

Did you play yesterday
kinou shimashitaka.
きのうしましたか。

Did you eat yesterday?
kinou tabemashitaka.
きのうたべましたか。

[ACGalaga]

Originally Posted by AmgedIsmail

Did you play yesterday
kinou shimashitaka.
きのうしましたか。

Hi,

I think this might be better:

kinou asobimashitaka
きのうあそびましたか。

if you were referring to doing something yesterday, maybe you might have to add nanika
きのうなにかしましたか。
It becomes: Did you do something yesterday?

[AmgedIsmail]

Thanks for your info.
But what I am asking for is that if my grammar correct here in the question?

I am still beginning to learn Japanese Grammar
Did you play yesterday?

And what I studied so far is that "didn't" is not in Japanese but it makes the verb in Past tense and adds the suffix "mashita" to the verb "wakarimashita"

And I also learned that we don't need to mention pronouns in our Japanese questions, so "you" is not needed.

So, we only have the verb here and "yesterday"...
I studied that "play" means "shimasu" just like "do" which has the same meaning "Shimasu"....

I studied that words of adverbs of time like "yesterday" "tomorrow" and "today" comes at the beginning of the sentence... and that I don't forget to add "ka" to the form of the verb to make the sentence a question.....

So, from applying these grammar lessons I answered:-
Kinou shimashitaka.
きのうしましたか。
Did you eat yesterday?
Kinou tabemashitaka.
きのうたべましたか。

If I have an object like:
Did you read a book yesterday?

I studied that we use the word 'yesterday" before the object and then we use the object and an object marker after it then we end the question with our verb having "ka" at it's end.

kinou hon o yomimashitaka.
きのうほんをよみましたか。

[MMM]

The problem is that します is not the verb for "to play" but for "to do".

[AmgedIsmail]

So, is that website wrong then?
Look:
A: What will Lucy do tomorrow?
Ashita Lucy wa nani o shimasu ka.

B: Lucy will play tennis.
Tenisu o shimasu.

Look at the site.
Dialogue, Say It Out Loud - Lesson 4 - Language - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan

[MMM]

Originally Posted by AmgedIsmail

So, is that website wrong then?
Look:
A: What will Lucy do tomorrow?
Ashita Lucy wa nani o shimasu ka.

B: Lucy will play tennis.
Tenisu o shimasu.

Look at the site.
Dialogue, Say It Out Loud - Lesson 4 - Language - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan

No the website isn't wrong. Just you need to know that "shimasu" means "to do".

shimasu = to do
tenisu wo shimasu = play tennis
sanpou wo shimasu = to take a walk
aisatsu wo shimasu = to give a greeting
shigoto wo shimasu = to work

In Japanese we don't say "play tennis" but more accurately "do tennis".

[Sumippi]

I think 「きのうほんをよみましたか。」is grammatically perfect.

「きのうたべましたか。」sounds unnatural. If you say this, it'll sound to me like you're saying I didn't eat anything at all yesterday-- and I think maybe you can add an 'object' here, like 「きのう、なにかたべましたか。」(Did you eat anything yesterday?) , which would make its meaning clearer.
Or maybe in a colloquial use, when the asker and the hearer already know what food they're talking about, then I think 「○○を」,「あれを」or「それを」can be implied so you can say 「きのう、たべましたか？」.

「きのうしましたか」also sounds unnatural to me and here again I think you should add an 'object', like きのうテニスをしましたか？(Did you play tennis yesterday?)　because する is usually used with an object, like when you say 'play games' 'play catch' 'play a role' 'play a trick' etc.
So 'to play' without an object, as in 'Did you play yesterday?' would be translated 「あそぶ」, not 「する」.

[AmgedIsmail]

Well,
Can I use the verb "to do" shimasu with any verb?
Like "sing" , to do sing or to do singing.
to do drinking...??
to do eating??

[KyleGoetz]

No. There are set verbs you use する to make. There are thousands of them, though. Think of it this way: really important verbs for things that have been around hundreds of years will have their own verbs. する verbs are often for highly technical verbs, newer words (テニス isn't exactly a thousand year old Japanese concept), and things like that.

But what I've just said is not a hard-and-fast rule. It's just something to show you that する verbage is very expansive.

Also, to sing = 歌う
to drink = 飲む
to eat = 食べる

Now, I mentioned する is often used for more technical/formal words. Here:
to sing an aria = 詠唱する
to imbibe/ingest [fancy words for eat/drink] = 摂取する

[AmgedIsmail]

What will Lucy do tomorrow?
Ashita Lucy wa nani o shimasu ka.

The adverb of time "tomorrow Ashita" here began the sentence and the came the Subject "Lucy".....

Where will Kenta go tomorrow?
Kenta wa ashita doko e ikimasu ka.

While here in this sentence the Adverb of time "Ashita" didn't began the sentence but instead it came after the subject....

Can you please explain me why to understand what is the difference between them?