た / ている【～た + (Noun)】

In Japanese, verbs in the た form (past) or ている form (ongoing/resultant state) can be placed directly before a noun to describe or modify it – functioning like a relative clause in English (e.g., "the book that I bought").

Unlike English, Japanese does not use relative pronouns like "who," "which," or "that." Instead, the verb phrase is simply placed before the noun it modifies.

た + Noun – describing a completed action

The た form before a noun describes something that has already happened or been done in relation to that noun.

The modifying clause can include subjects (marked with が), objects, time expressions, and other elements – all placed before the noun being modified.

ている + Noun – describing an ongoing action or current state

The ている form before a noun describes someone or something in a current state or in the middle of an action.

The subject inside the modifying clause is typically marked with が (not は), because the clause is embedded inside a larger sentence.

Key points

• The modified noun can serve any grammatical role in the main sentence (subject, object, etc.).
• The verb in the modifying clause describes the noun, not the main sentence's action.
• This pattern is extremely common and essential for building natural Japanese sentences beyond simple structures.