Page 172 - Basic Japanese

Today, the sky was clear, no strong wind, and so

it was an ideal day for hanging out the wash.

4.7. Uses of the plain imperfect and perfect

Both imperfect and perfect are used before the particle kara
with the meaning ‘because’:

soko ni aru kara because it’s
there

soko ni atta kara because it
was there

Notice the difference in meaning between GERUND + kara

and PERFECT + kara:

Tomodachi ga kite kara, issho ni go-han o tabemashita.

After my friend came, we had dinner together.

Tomodachi ga kita kara, issho ni go-han o tabemashita.
Because my friend came, I had dinner with him.

Before keredomo ‘however, but,’ both imperfect and

perfect occur:

Watashi wa gakkō e itta keredomo benkyō shimasen
deshita.
I went to school, but I didn’t study.