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~たものだ: meaning, usage and examples

~たものだ means: used to... (recalling the past).

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. 子こどものころは、よく山やまで遊あそんだものだ。

   When I was a child, I used to play in the mountains.

2. 学生がくせい時代じだいは、毎日まいにち図書館としょかんに通かよったものだ。

   When I was a student, I used to go to the library every day.

3. 昔むかしはよく、祖母そぼの家いえに泊とまったものです。

   I used to stay at my grandmother's house a lot.

4. 若わかいころは、夜よる遅おそくまで友ともだちと話はなしたものです。

   When I was young, I would often talk with friends until late at night.

When to use it

Used to look back with feeling on something you often did in the past: "used to," "would often." It recalls a habit or repeated experience, often with nostalgia: 昔むかしはよくこの川かわで泳およいだものだ. Time words like 子こどものころ, 学生がくせい時代じだい, 昔むかし, and よく usually appear with it.

Nuance

Nostalgic and a little emotional; common in adult conversation and in essays. It is for repeated habits, not one-time events. ものだ after the dictionary form has a different meaning (a general truth or advice: 時間じかんは早はやくたつものだ), so check the verb form.

Compare

Compare たものだ with たことがある: 昔むかしはよく釣つりをしたものだ (I used to go fishing often, and I miss it) vs 釣つりをしたことがある (I have been fishing at least once, just experience). たものだ needs repetition and feeling; たことがある only says it happened.

Tip: If you can add よく ("often") and a sigh of nostalgia, たものだ fits. A one-time event takes たことがある instead.