Happy New Year everyone! Let's try this TOEIC problem. How did you spend your New Year's holiday? I _____________ time with my family and went to a shrine to pray for good luck. A) have spent B) had spent C) spent D) will spend What does the conversation mean? Let's break it down. How did you spend your New Year's holiday? 年末年始はどのように過ごしましたか？ I _____________ time with my family and went to a shrine to pray for good luck. 家族と一緒に時間を過ごし、幸運を祈るために神社に行きました。 What do the choices mean? They are all variations of spend (過ごす). A) have spent = 今まで過ごしてきた、過ごしたことがある B) had spent = 過去のある時まで過ごしていた C) spent = 過ごした D) will spend = 過ごすだろう Since the question is simple past (過ごしましたか), the answer should be simple past, so the answer is C) spent. 〇 I spent time with my family and went to a shrine to pray for good luck. 家族と一緒に時間を過ごし、幸運を祈るために神社に行きました。 Notice that it's not easy to say 初詣 in English! Well, that's it for today. Have a great day!