Level: beginner
With most verbs, the past tense is formed by adding –ed:
| called | liked | wanted | worked |
But there are a lot of irregular past tense forms in English. Here are the most common irregular verbs in English, with their past tense forms:
| Base form | Past tense |
|---|---|
| be begin break bring buy build choose come cost cut do draw drive eat feel find get give go have hear hold keep know leave lead let lie lose make mean meet pay put run say sell send set sit speak spend stand take teach tell think understand wear win write |
was/were began broke brought bought built chose came cost cut did drew drove ate felt found got gave went had heard held kept knew left led let lay lost made meant met paid put ran said sold sent set sat spoke spent stood took taught told thought understood wore won wrote |
We use the past tense to talk about:
- something that happened once in the past:
I met my wife in 1983.
We went to Spain for our holidays.
They got home very late last night.
- something that happened several times in the past:
When I was a boy, I walked a mile to school every day.
We swam a lot while we were on holiday.
They always enjoyed visiting their friends.
- something that was true for some time in the past:
I lived abroad for ten years.
He enjoyed being a student.
She played a lot of tennis when she was younger.
- we often use expressions with ago with the past simple:
I met my wife a long time ago.
- Past simple 1
- GapFillTyping_MTYzMjI=
- Past simple 2
- GapFillTyping_MTYzMjM=
Past simple questions and negatives
We use did to make questions with the past simple:
Did she play tennis when she was younger?
Did you live abroad?
When did you meet your wife?
Where did you go for your holidays?
But questions with who often don't use did:
Who discovered penicillin?
Who wrote Don Quixote?
- Past simple questions 1
- ReorderingHorizontal_MTYzMjQ=
- Past simple questions 2
- GapFillTyping_MTYzMjU=
We use didn't (did not) to make negatives with the past simple:
They didn't go to Spain this year.
We didn't get home until very late last night.
I didn't see you yesterday.
- Past simple negatives 1
- GapFillDragAndDrop_MTYzMjY=
- Past simple negatives 2
- GapFillTyping_MTYzMjc=
Level: intermediate
Past simple and hypotheses
We can also use the past simple to refer to the present or future in hypotheses (when we imagine something). See these pages:
Comments
I understand better now. Thank you very much Peter
It is not desirable to replicate all the changes here, as the scope of this paper is only to analyze the impact of these amendments. Section 8 of the Act, is substituted and in section 8(a) of the Act, maximum fifteen days adjournment has been provided for summoning of the defendant. Similarly, to curtail the delay, now simultaneous mode of service including registered envelop along with acknowledgement due, courier, affixation and publication in newspaper has been introduced. i am confused about use of has been and is. please guaid
in one paragraph can we change from past to preseny
Hello, I've question about this sentence (It's about a translation I did)
"Here is the files, I also did some changes in the second one to harmonize both.
In both files I tried to reduce the text size because I guessed that the content is for a smartphone game. So maybe that why the tester found some "simplistic" translation."
So my question is : Do i use the pass simple correctly ? Because in this context when I say "I also did some changes" the changes are already done and the action is finished, however, could it be possible to use the present perfect as this changes are now discussed, might be not definitive and will be soon reviewed by the receiver ?
More precisely what I wanna know if in this sentence is : The action is finished, but I'm describing what I did to have a present reaction, so past simple ?
Best regards
Hello Sousse-k,
Yes, you could use the present perfect instead of the past simple here, since you could view the past action of changing the files as still affecting the present moment. For example, perhaps you've just made the changes (mote that we make changes (rather than '
dochanges')) and are sending them off immediately afterwards. But the past simple is also fine.Hope this helps you.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Thanks a lot Kirk, as always, your Team gives very instructive comments !
Thanks a lot Peter,and one little clarification in the end:
so then it turns out that the definite article(the) is the ONLY sign here (without knowledge of context) which indicates that the bribery took place only once,and if it weren't any articles at all then it would be impossible to say definitely whether once or repeatedly it happened, have I understood it right?
Hello Slava B,
As I see it, in terms of the grammar, you are right -- there is no other clear sign. But in terms of meaning, the phrase 'and ended up in jail' leads one to think that it was a single occurrence. This is because the phrase suggests a consequence of taking the bribe, and if the official had taken the bribe repeatedly and ended up in jail repeatedly, it would suggest a rather unusual situation. It's certainly possible (due to stubborness, light jail sentences, etc.), but seems unlikely.
I hope this helps.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Team!
Example: 'The official took the bribe money and ended up in jail '
Is it possible to understand without context from this case whether the fact of bribery took place only once ('something that happened once in the past'),or it happened many times by turns as it were ('something that happened again and again in the past').
If this sentence can be understood one way only (under what rule?),then what would another option ( once/again &again) look like?
Thanks in advance
Hello Slava B,
I would say that the definite article here ('the money') tells us that we are talking about a particular bribe rather than money in general. That would suggest one bribe. If the sentence described an ongoing/repeated action then no article would be more likely.
Best wishes,
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
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