How do you say "But it didn't work." in Japanese?

"But it didn't work." in Japanese is "でもだめでした。". This phrase is commonly used in Japan.

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How to Say ‘But it didn't work.’ in Japanese

Q: What does "でもだめでした。" mean in English?

"でもだめでした。" means "But it didn't work." in English. Usage tip: [だめでした] often means "it didn't work" or "that failed," not just "it was bad." It's a very natural way to report that a fix or attempt didn't solve the problem.

でもだめでした。

de mo dame deshi ta

[deh moh dah-meh deh-shee tah]

💬 Usage Tip: [だめでした] often means "it didn't work" or "that failed," not just "it was bad." It's a very natural way to report that a fix or attempt didn't solve the problem.

Phrase Breakdown

でも

de mo

but; however

Used to contrast with what was said before.

Example

行きたいです。でも、忙しいです。

I want to go. But I'm busy.

Words in this phrase

で

[deh]

but; however

First part of でも, used to show contrast.

Example

でもだめでした。

But it didn’t work.

も

[moh]

but; however

Second part of でも, together meaning 'but.'

Example

でも、結果は同じでした。

But the result was the same.

だめでした

dame deshi ta

didn't work; it was no good

A polite way to say something failed or was ineffective.

Example

やってみましたが、だめでした。

I tried it, but it didn't work.

Words in this phrase

だめ

dame

[dah-meh]

no good; did not work

Says something failed or was not okay.

Example

やってもだめでした。

Even after trying, it didn’t work.

でし

deshi

[deh-shee]

was (polite) part

Part of でした, polite past of です.

Example

昨日もだめでした。

It was no good yesterday too.

た

[tah]

past tense marker

Marks the phrase as past tense.

Example

結局だめでした。

In the end, it didn’t work.

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