Can someone explain the difference between 楽しかったです and 楽しいでした, because as far as I can see they both mean fun in the past tense. I've been studying for a year now, but only just started language classes of which I'm already being moved upto to the 2nd level after the first week since my knowledge was much higher than everyone else's at the time. Yet I'm still abit lost as to how they differ in meaning.. any help?
As you may know, tanoshii is one of the two types of japanese adjetives. In this case, we are talking about i-adjetives.
You always get the past tense of all i-adjetives by dropping last "i" and adding "katta". So,
「楽しい」（O）Correct
「楽しいだ」（Ｘ） You can't add "da" after i-adjetive. Only na-adjetive admites this.
「楽しいです」（O）Correct
「楽しいでした」（Ｘ）This is wrong (answering your question)
「楽しかった」（O）Correct Past Tense
「楽しかったです」（O）Correct
「楽しかっただ」（Ｘ）You can't add "da" to any i-adjetive, no matter how they can be conjugated
There is a way of adding "だ" using i-adjetive but you must use a sustantive between the adjetive and "desu/da" copule.
楽しいものだ - 楽しいことだ - 楽しい人だ would be good examples (also, you can use copula "desu/deshita" with no problems here
If you can see "da" after and adjetive, then it is only possible with na-adjetive....Examples
好き (means to like something or someone...This is a na adjetive.
好きです - 好きだ - 好きでした all are possible.
Hopes this help.
PD. Feel free to ask me if you want (I'm not native but have some confidence in my knowledge - it's not a big deal but at least it's not so bad.)
@Freddy,
Excellent answer!
