
The past simple is the most common way of talking about past events or states which have finished. It is often used with past time references (e.g. yesterday, two years ago).
Please explain past events or states!
A past event could be one thing that happened in the past, or a repeated thing.
I stopped at a zebra crossing.
We carried on with the test.
We played tennis every day in August.
A state is a situation without an action happening.
We stayed at my grandparents' house last summer.
How do you form the past simple?
Regular past simple forms are formed by adding -ed to the infinitive of the verb.
start → started
kill → killed
jump → jumped
Yes, but there are some spelling rules. If a verb ends in -e, you add -d.
agree → agreed
like → liked
escape → escaped
If a verb ends in a vowel and a consonant, the consonant is usually doubled before -ed.
stop → stopped
plan → planned
If a verb ends in consonant and -y, you take off the y and add -ied.
try → tried
carry → carried
But if the word ends in a vowel and -y, you add -ed.
play → played
enjoy → enjoyed
OK, not quite so easy! But the past simple form doesn't change at all for I, you, he, she, we and they, does it?
No, the form doesn't change. See, it is easy!
What about the pronunciation of the -ed ending?
There are three kinds of pronunciation: /d/, /t/ and /ɪd/. Look at the table below.
/d/ | /t/ | /ɪd/ |
---|---|---|
arrived | asked | wanted |
failed | crossed | decided |
agreed | stopped | started |
Aaagh! How do I know how to pronounce each one?
Good question. Well, really all you need to know is that /d/ is easier to say after arrive, and /t/ is easier to say after ask. For /ɪd/, the infinitive ends in a /d/ or a /t/ sound already so you must add an extra syllable for these verbs.
All right, that makes sense, but how do you form questions and negatives?
With the verb did (do in the past) + the infinitive.
Did you pass?
You didn't fail, did you?
Yes, I did. / No, I didn't.
Right, thanks, I've got it now!
Good. But you also need to learn the irregular past simple forms.
You mean there are verbs that don't end in -ed in the past?
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Video transcript
Sophie: I am so happy to be home!
Oliver: I bet. So, tell us what happened.
Sophie: Well, on Thursday afternoon I saw the weather forecast on the TV in the hotel and it said there was a big storm coming.
Oliver: Yes, that was when we spoke.
Sophie: That’s right. So, I took a taxi to the airport straight away. I wanted to leave before the storm came.
Daisy: Good idea. Did you get to the airport OK?
Sophie: Yes, I got there, but hundreds of other people had the same idea. The storm arrived faster than anybody expected so there were no flights! The road to the airport was completely flooded, so nobody could go back into town. We got stuck in the airport!
Oliver: Did you think it would be for so long?
Sophie: Not at all. We all thought one night ... possibly two ...
Daisy: Did you have enough food?
Sophie: I bought some food on the first day, but it wasn’t very good by the third day. On my birthday I had a packet of crisps and a two-day-old sandwich for lunch.
Oliver: Poor Mum.
Daisy: What about the bathrooms at the airport? Were you able to have a shower?
Sophie: No! The water pipes froze so after the first day there wasn’t any water. It wasn’t nice!
Oliver: That’s disgusting!
Sophie: Don’t worry. I’m clean now!
Daisy: So, what did you do all day in the airport?
Sophie: I met some really nice people! We talked, read, played cards. When they found out it was my birthday, one of them gave me his last bar of chocolate!
Daisy: Ah, cute!
Sophie: It was a strange feeling having no Internet connection, no phone line. It was horrible not being able to phone you two! We’re all so used to being connected all the time. It was hard. I know you think I’m on holiday when I’m working, but it’s not always easy you know!
Oliver and Sophie: Happy Birthday, Mum!
Crumple your ass. you stand. on your feet.
Video past tense
Farm, and when there was already nothing to sell, he came to us with a specific proposal. And the proposal was as follows: my wife will provide him with sex services and he will pay generously for them. We of course answered with a categorical refusal and he left. But the days passed and we more and more often returned to this topic in conversations.
Learn the PAST TENSE in 4 minutes📚 - Learn with examplesThe tone of his speech did not allow confusion, whether he spoke jokingly or seriously. I'll say after the concert, - he winked. Slyly at her and immediately turned his attention to the other guests.
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You, Petrovich, are not being modest, as I see. And, in fact, now the country is being rebuilt. And what does the Party teach us. And the party teaches us that we must develop our agriculture, exclusively on our technologies. The "bald head".