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I need some help with basic grammar.
What is the difference between these sentences:

  1. これは真面目だった人です。
  2. これは真面目な人でした。
  3. これは真面目だった人でした。

Thank you in advance!

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  • 5
    This may look an aside, but referring to a person as これ is very rude in Japanese. You should at least use この人.
    – naruto
    Commented Sep 27, 2018 at 15:27

2 Answers 2

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I'm only learning myself so I'm not sure, but I think all sentences are correct, since "真面目な/真面目だった" are both the present/past prenominal forms of "真面目", and I don't think these collide in any way with the です/でした copula at the end of the sentence.

1.これは真面目だった人です。 This is a person who used to be serious.

2.これは真面目な人でした。 This was a serious person.

3.これは真面目だった人でした。 This was a person who used to be serious (but that changed at some point).

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1.これは真面目だった人です。
2.これは真面目な人でした。
3.これは真面目だった人でした。

Only sentence 2 is correct.
Both sentences 1 and 3 have the same verb (the copula だ) twice, which is weird and unnecessary.

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