The grammar structure “でした” is the past tense form of the copula “です” (desu), which is a verb-like word used to express a state of being or existence “to be”.

“でした” is formed by adding the past tense marker “でした” to the end of the plain form of the copula “だ” (da).

In Japanese, the copula “です” (desu) is used to indicate that something exists or is in a certain state, and it is commonly used in sentences to express politeness or formality. The past tense form “でした” (deshita) is used to indicate that the state of being or existence occurred in the past.

For example,

Overall, “でした” is a commonly used past tense form in Japanese and is essential for expressing past events or states of being in a polite or formal manner.

“どうでしたか” (dou deshita ka) is a common phrase in Japanese that translates to “How was it?” or “How did it go?” It is a polite way to ask for feedback or opinions about a past experience or event.

To use “どうでしたか” in a conversation, you can follow these steps:

Introduce the topic: Start by mentioning the event or experience that you want to ask about. For example, if you want to ask about a movie that your friend watched, you can say “映画を見ましたね” (eiga o mimashita ne), which means “You watched a movie, right?”

Ask for their opinion: After introducing the topic, use “どうでしたか” to ask for their feedback or opinion. For example, you can say “どうでしたか？” (dou deshita ka?), which means “How was it?”

Listen to their response: Allow the person to share their thoughts and opinions about the event or experience. You can use follow-up questions to clarify or ask for more details.

For example, a conversation using “どうでしたか” might go like this: