せんしゅう

Let's learn how to use the Japanese word せんしゅう (senshuu), which means "last week." This is a fundamental word for talking about past events, so it's very useful in many everyday situations.

DEFINITION

Last week.

§ Basic Usage

The most straightforward way to use せんしゅう is simply to put it at the beginning of a sentence or phrase to indicate that the action happened last week.

• Senshuu, Kyouto e ikimashita.

• Hint: Last week, (I) went to Kyoto.

Notice how it functions like a time adverb. You don't need any particles directly after せんしゅう when it's indicating a specific point in time.

§ In Daily Conversations

You'll hear せんしゅう often in casual chats about what people did or are planning to do based on last week's events.

• "Senshuu no tesuto, dou datta?"

• "Maamaa deshita."

• Hint: "How was last week's test?" "It was okay."

In this example, 先週の (senshuu no) is used. Adding の (no) makes it an adjective, meaning "last week's."

§ In Formal Settings: Work and News

Whether you're in a business meeting, discussing project timelines, or reading a news report, せんしゅう is used in the same straightforward way to refer to the previous week.

• Senshuu no kaigi de kettei shimashita.

• Hint: It was decided at last week's meeting.

Here, it's 先週の会議 (senshuu no kaigi) – "last week's meeting." This structure is very common and important to grasp.

• Senshuu happyou sareta keizai shihyou ni yoru to…

• Hint: According to the economic indicators announced last week…

In news or official reports, you often see 先週 (senshuu) followed by a past-tense verb that describes an action that happened last week. This is a very common construction.

§ Common Phrases with せんしゅう

Here are a few more common phrases where you'll hear and use せんしゅう:

• 先週の金曜日: Last Friday

• 先週の週末: Last weekend

• 先週から: Since last week

Understanding せんしゅう is a key step in building your ability to discuss past events in Japanese. Pay attention to how it's used in the examples above, and try to incorporate it into your own practice sentences.