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I learned おつかれさまでした (otsukaresama deshita) as a form of good bye, used in the
office. But I often hear my Japanese colleagues say おつかれさまです (otsukaresama
desu) instead, or at least that's what I think I heard. Is the た just silent,
somehow? Or if both are valid, what's the difference between the two forms?
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2019-02-14T07:16:04.220
65491
2019-02-14T15:06:57.677
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おつかれさまでした vs おつかれさまです
Both are valid expressions and the difference is very subtle.

お疲れ様です can be used for both "Hello" and "Good bye" (to tell someone leaving
from workplace), and お疲れさまでした can be used for "Good bye" (to tell someone
leaving from workplace).

Notes: -It is very frequent that you start Japanese business email to
colleague with "お疲れ様です". Presumably working in Japan is always tiring... -When
you use it for meaning "Good bye", there are no perceptive difference in them
for native speakers. Grammatically the person has done something tiring, so
"お疲れさまでした" might be more correct, but we don't care indeed.. (Well the
difference might be more controversial and you need to consult linguist for
rigorous understanding)

Related posts: [Difference お疲れ様です vs お疲れ様でした while leaving from
office?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/60108/difference-%E3%81%8A%E7%96%B2%E3%82%8C%E6%A7%98%E3%81%A7%E3%81%99-vs-%E3%81%8A%E7%96%B2%E3%82%8C%E6%A7%98%E3%81%A7%E3%81%97%E3%81%9F-while-
leaving-from-office)

<https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1312235658>
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2019-02-14T15:06:57.677
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2019-02-14T15:06:57.677
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