V-te + yokatta desu (〜てよかったです): The Beginner’s Pattern for “I’m glad that …” in Japanese

Introduction

Want to say “I’m glad I made it” or “I’m glad it didn’t rain”? Use V-て + よかったです. It expresses relief, satisfaction, or gratitude about something that happened (or didn’t).

We’ll keep this beginner-friendly and practical with patterns, examples, and quick drills.

1. Meaning & Use

V-て + よかったです = “I’m glad (that) …”

バスに間まに合あってよかったです。
I’m glad I made it to the bus.

雨あめが降ふらなくてよかったです。
I’m glad it didn’t rain.

Use it to comment on a past event with relief or satisfaction.

2. How to Form It

Put the verb in て-form, then add よかったです.

For negative, change the short negative 〜ない to 〜なくて, then add よかったです.

If you want to review て-forms and short negative forms, please read these articles:

• How to Use te kudasai（〜てください） in Japanese | Polite Request Form Explained
• How to Use Japanese Short Forms (Plain Forms) for Casual Conversations

3. Example Sentences

毎日まいにちが楽たのしいです。結婚けっこんしてよかったです。
Every day is fun. I’m so glad I got married.

体からだの調子ちょうしが良よくなりました。病院びょういんにいってよかったです。
I feel much better now. I’m glad I went to the hospital.

今日きょうはバーベキューをします。晴はれてよかったです。
We’re having a barbecue today. I’m glad it’s sunny.

納豆なっとうがおいしかったです。食たべてよかったです。
The natto was delicious. I’m glad I ate it.

そのパーティーはつまらなかったそうです。参加さんかしなくてよかったです。
I hear that party was boring. I’m glad I didn’t go.

4. Key Distinction: -te yokatta vs. -ba yokatta

Crucial Difference: Gladness for Reality vs. Regret for a Different Past

These two patterns look similar but express opposite feelings about the past. Mastering this is key to sounding natural.

V-て よかった (I’m glad I did…)

• Expresses relief or happiness about something that actually happened. It’s a comment on reality.
• パーティーに行ってよかった。 (I’m glad I went to the party. → I actually went, and it was good.)

V-ば よかった (I wish I had done…)

• Expresses regret about something that did not happen (or happened differently). It’s a comment on a hypothetical, unreal past.
• パーティーに行けばよかった。 (I wish I had gone to the party. → I didn’t go, and I regret it.)

5. Practice Time!

Transform the cue into a V-て／V-なくて + よかったです sentence.

Your turn:

1. 迷まよう（negative）
2. 起おきる
3. 電車でんしゃが遅おくれる（negative）

6. FAQ

Conclusion

Now you can use V-て + よかったです to express natural relief/satisfaction—and the negative with 〜なくてよかったです when you’re glad something didn’t happen.

Keep practicing with everyday wins (“made it,” “found it,” “didn’t forget”), and this pattern will become second nature.