Read and learn about the past simple tense!
First, revise present simple from 4th grade!
Past simple is a verb tense used to describe actions that happened and were completed at a specific time in the past. It often answers the question "What happened?"
For example:
I walked to the store yesterday.
She studied English last year.
I walked to the store yesterday.
She studied English last year.
Use of Past Simple:
- Completed actions in the past
We use the past simple to talk about actions or events that happened in the past. We know, or we say, when the events happened.
For example:
I saw Peter yesterday.
We didn’t meet last Friday. We were at home.
She moved to Paris three years ago.
I saw Peter yesterday.
We didn’t meet last Friday. We were at home.
She moved to Paris three years ago.
- Past habits
We use the past simple to talk about habits in the past.
For example:
She went to the park every day.
We often played in the garden when we were children.
She went to the park every day.
We often played in the garden when we were children.
- Situations that were true in the past
We also use the past simple to talk about things that were true in the past.
For example:
My grandmother had two brothers.
I lived abroad for ten years.
My grandmother had two brothers.
I lived abroad for ten years.
- Events in chronological order
We use the past simple to describe the main events of a story in chronological order.
For example:
When I arrived at home, I took my dog for a walk and then I watched TV.
When I arrived at home, I took my dog for a walk and then I watched TV.
Formation of Past Simple
Svarīgi!
There are regular and irregular verbs in English.
Revise regular verbs from 4th grade, and irregular verbs from 5th grade!
Many regular verbs are formed by adding the ending -ed.
play — played
Spelling Rules for Regular Verbs:
1. Verbs ending in -e
Just add -d at the end.
For example:
like — liked
dance — danced
2. Verbs ending in a consonant + -y
Change -y to -i and add -ed.
For example:
try — tried
study — studied
3. Verbs ending in a vowel + -y
Just add -ed at the end.
For example:
enjoy — enjoyed
stay — stayed
Svarīgi!
There are some exceptions.
For example:
pay — paid
lay — laid
4. Verbs ending in a consonant + vowel + consonant
Double the final consonant and add -ed.
For example:
plan — planned
stop — stopped
Irregular verbs use their own irregular form that doesn't follow the -ed rule.
For example:
go — went
run — ran
- The structure of affirmative sentences:
Subject + past verb (2nd form / -ed).
For example:
She watched a movie.
- The structure of negative sentences:
Subject + did + not + base verb.
For example:
She didn't watch a movie.
- The structure of questions:
Did + subject + base verb?
For example:
Did she watch a movie?
Svarīgi!
Subject questions with "who" don't use "did".
For example:
Who invented the bicycle?
Who wrote Don Quixote?
Who wrote Don Quixote?
Read the statement and compare the word order in these two questions:
Lucy bought a new dress
1. What did Lucy buy? (answer: a new dress)
2. Who bought a new dress? (answer: Lucy)
Time expressions:
- Yesterday (yesterday morning/yesterday afternoon/yesterday evening)
For example:
It didn’t rain yesterday morning.
- Last... (last night/last week/last month/last year/last Tuesday/last winter)
For example:
They went to Rome last summer.
- ...ago (two minutes ago/an hour ago/one week ago/four months ago/a year ago)
For example:
The lesson started ten minutes ago.