Japanese phrase
___がありました。 ___ ga a ri ma shi ta
Meaning
There was ___.
When to use it
Reports the existence of something in the past. It can also report an event and is a neutral polite way to give information.
Example dialogue
会議がありました。 kai gi ga a ri ma shi ta
There was a meeting.
何時に終わりましたか？ nan ji ni o wa ri ma shi ta ka
When did it end?