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Why is the past tense used in this verbs (which doesn't make sense to me at
least)

> 生きてい **た** …？違うな…死ねなかったのだよ…！
>
> 再生機能を持っ **た** このアーマーに押し込みおった

and the translation uses present tense

> Survive? That's easy... Because I can't die!
>
> And switched my body for this armor with the power to rejuvenate me

Does it make sense to use the past tense? or it's just how the character
talks?
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2016-11-07T14:03:18.663
40733
2018-04-15T09:51:28.133
2020-06-17T08:18:27.500
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17515
question
translation tense modality
Non conventional usage of the past tense
After much investigation I came to the conclusion that the use of past tense
in these sentences could mean:  
1.-Showing confirmation: In the first sentence the character confirms to the
hero that he indeed did not died in the explosion.  
2.-Dialect: I've read somewhere that some people above 50 in Hokkaido talk
with past tense when they should be using the present tense.  
3.-Just how the language is: I've read that the concept of tenses is not the
same for all the languages in the world, so maybe using the past tense in that
way makes sense for the japanese and just need to get used to it.
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2016-11-09T19:36:26.773
40775
2016-11-09T19:36:26.773
17515
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answer
Finally I found an explanation that possibly answers at least your original
question. This usage of "past tense" is called **発見の「た」** ( _ta_ for
discovery) or **ムードの「た」** (modal _ta_ ).

Most articles about this are written in Japanese, but here's an article
written in English: [Another Function of the Ta-form: Discovery and
Recall](https://www.wasabi-jpn.com/japanese-grammar/another-function-of-the-
ta-form-discovery-and-recall/)

In a nutshell, my understanding is that た/だ, typically after ある/いる/ない, can
sometimes express the nuance of "I've noticed ...", "I've just recalled ..."
or "(In spite of one's prevoius knowledge/belief,) the fact is...". It
actually refers to something _in the present_.

>   * へえ、君はフランス語が読め **た** んですね。  
>  Wow, you **can** read French! (although I have thought you can't)
>   * (after looking for a wallet for a while) あっ、財布、こんなところにあっ **た** のか！  
>  Oh! There it **is** , my wallet!
>   * そうでし **た** 、明日は休みでし **た** 。今思い出しました。  
>  Yeah, that **is** right, I **have** the day off tomorrow. I've just
> recalled that.
>   * (after trying to open a door) おっと、鍵がかかって **た** 。  
>  Oops, the door **is** locked.
>

As you can see, "fixing (or updating) one's previous knowledge/expectation"
seems to be the key here. So saying 「お前、生きていたのか!」 is okay because he has
believed the opponent in front of him is dead.

References (These are very long articles and I haven't read them all):

  * [定延利之 「た」発話をおこなう権利](http://www.cocopb.com/NichiNichi/journal_1/%E3%82%A8%E3%83%B3%E3%83%88%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC/2010/5/5_%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E8%AA%9E%EF%BC%8F%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E8%AA%9E%E6%95%99%E8%82%B2%E7%A0%94%E7%A9%B6__1__2010_files/2010_1_sadanobu.pdf) (English title: Who Can Finish His/Her Sentence with TA in Japanese Communication?)
  * [日本語可能文における「発見のタ」と格標示](http://www.ipc.shimane-u.ac.jp/eigogaku/pdf_kobayashi/presentations/2009_danwa_hakken.pdf)

Related question:

  * [まだいたとはね meaning](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/30285/5010)
  * [Usage of plain i-adjectives or た form (悪かったｖ悪い、良かったｖいい etc）](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/21347/5010)
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2016-11-14T08:53:03.437
40888
2016-11-14T09:11:20.107
2017-04-13T12:43:43.857
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answer