Main usages of the た-Form


A couple of weeks ago I learned in my course the usage of the て-Form which
were:

  * Chaining verbs together , all of which are written in the で-Form and the last one is written with the polite form. The last verb can indicate if the action happened in the past or present/future (ます／、ました)
  * Asking someone to do something, for example: **まって** ください
  * Saying that you are currently doing an action: アメリカに **すんで** います

I want to learn about the other usages of the た-Form since I know that both
forms are written very similarly. I tried to search online about the Usage and
no luck. All I know about it is that it's the plain past form.

So, in practice, all I know is the I can write in two ways something I did in
the past:

  * ビルを のみました.
  * ビルを のんだ.

My main question is what are the main usages of the た-Form? Is it like the
て-Form ? Is there a site that explains it more deeply ?




According to Kunihiro there are 9 usages for ーた form.

  1. A situation completed in the past or that lasted for a certain length of time in the past:

> `Haha ni tegami o kai-TA` ‘I WROTE a letter to my mother.’

  2. Habitual repetition in the past:

> `Ano koro wa yoku undoo si-TA` ‘I USED TO EXERCISE frequently in those
> days.’

  3. A situation that occurred under a certain circumstance in the past:

> `Kaeru to sugu ni te o arat-TA` ‘I WOULD WASH my hands immediately after I
> got home.’

  4. A situation that materialized in the past and still exists:

> `Ookiku nat-TA ne` ‘You’VE GROWN, haven’t you?’

  5. Sudden discovery that a certain state has continuously existed (the so-called TA form of discovery; a special case of (4):

> `A, soko ni i-TA no` ‘Oh, there you ARE!’

  6. Sudden recalling of a future event or plan that the speaker has known as definite:

> `A, asita siken ga at-TA` ‘Oh, I HAVE an exam tomorrow!’

  7. A request for hearer’s confirmation of a fact (normally only in questions):

> `Anata wa donata desi-TA ka` ‘Who ARE you?’

  8. Proclamation or assertion of the realization of a situation which has not been realized:

> `Yosi kat-TA` ‘All right, (I’m sold) I’LL BUY it!’

  9. A command:

> `Doi-TA, doi-TA` ‘STEP back! STEP back!’

