Tae Kim's Grammar Guide Question. Double Politeness Is Okay?
時間がなかったからパーティーに行きませんでした。 There was no time so didn’t go to party.
What bothers me is that Tae Kim used a double polite form (I just made up this term). I think that the でした part does nothing and should be omitted. Am I right?
Link: http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar/compound

Question

Tae Kim's Grammar Guide Question.  Double Politeness Is Okay?
時間がなかったからパーティーに行きませんでした。 There was no time so didn’t go to party.
What bothers me is that Tae Kim used a double polite form (I just made up this term). I think that the でした part does nothing and should be omitted. Am I right?
Link: http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar/compound

Answer

時間が「ない」からパーティーに「行きません」。 
There is no time so don’t go to party.
​───────​───────​───────
時間が「なかった」からパーティーに「行きませんでした」。
There was no time so didn’t go to party.

でした can't be omitted because it means past tense.

☆【これだけは覚えよう
１　「N2でした」は、N1の過去についての説明です。】
http://www.coelang.tufs.ac.jp/mt/ja/gmod/contents/explanation/004.html

Answer

If you should omit the part you referred and just say "パーティーに行きません", it would mean you are NOT talking about the past. Other than that, the tense of the preceding clause and the main sentence would NOT match.

Answers · 3

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