Welcome to the Past Tenses Chapter!

Hello future English experts! This chapter is all about travelling back in time using your words. Don’t worry if this seems tricky at first; we are going to break down the past tense into simple, easy-to-manage steps.

What will we learn? We will learn how to talk about actions that are finished. This is the Simple Past Tense – the most important past tense for your A1 level grammar.

Section 1: The Simple Past Tense – Talking About Yesterday

The Simple Past Tense is used to describe an action or event that started and finished at a specific time in the past.

When Do We Use It?

Think of the past tense as putting a period or a full stop on an action. It's done!

  • Actions completed in the past: I watched a film.
  • A series of finished actions: She woke up, ate breakfast, and left the house.

Key Time Words (Time Markers)

These words are often the signposts that tell you to use the Simple Past Tense:

  • yesterday
  • last night / last week / last year
  • ... ago (two hours ago)
  • in 2020 (a specific past date)

Key Takeaway: If the action is finished and you know when, use the Simple Past.

Section 2: Regular Verbs – The Easy Ones

Most English verbs are 'regular'. This is great news because they all follow the same simple rule to become past tense.

The Simple Rule: Add -ed

To make a regular verb past tense, you simply add -ed to the base form of the verb.

Analogy: The Time Machine Button
Think of the suffix -ed as the "Past Time" button on your verb. Press the button, and the action moves to the past!

Examples of Regular Verbs:
  • Walk \(\rightarrow\) I walked to school yesterday.
  • Start \(\rightarrow\) The class started at 9 am.
  • Look \(\rightarrow\) We looked at the picture.

Spelling Rules for -ed (Quick Guide)

Sometimes, we need to change the spelling slightly before adding -ed:

  1. Verbs ending in 'e': Just add -d.
    (Example: Live \(\rightarrow\) Lived, Close \(\rightarrow\) Closed)
  2. Verbs ending in consonant + 'y': Change the 'y' to 'i', then add -ed.
    (Example: Study \(\rightarrow\) Studied, Carry \(\rightarrow\) Carried)

*Memory Trick:* If a verb ends in 'y' and has a consonant before it (like study), the 'y' cries and turns into an 'i' before it gets its 'ed' ticket!

Section 3: Irregular Verbs – The Rule Breakers

Irregular verbs are verbs that do not follow the standard -ed rule. They change their form completely. You must memorize these!

Important Irregular Verbs (A1 Essential List)

Here are some of the most common irregular verbs you need to know:

Base Form Past Simple Form Example Sentence
Go Went I went to the park.
Have Had She had lunch at noon.
See Saw We saw a great movie.
Make Made He made a sandwich.
Do Did They did their homework.
Eat Ate My dog ate my shoe!

Did you know? Even though irregular verbs can be frustrating, the good news is that the most common verbs in English (like be, have, do, say) are irregular. Mastering these helps you communicate about 80% of the time!

Key Takeaway: Regular verbs add -ed. Irregular verbs must be memorized because their whole form changes.

Section 4: Structure – Making Negatives and Questions

When you want to say "no" or ask a question in the Simple Past, you need a helper verb: DID.

4.1 Negative Sentences (Saying 'No' in the Past)

To make a sentence negative, use did not (or the contraction didn’t) before the main verb.

Structure:

Subject + did not (didn’t) + Base Form of the Main Verb

***CRUCIAL RULE TO REMEMBER***

Once you use did or didn't, the main verb must return to its base form (V1). It loses the -ed or its irregular past form!

Memory Aid: Did takes the power!
When 'did' is present, it already shows the past tense, so the other verb needs to be polite and go back to normal.

Common Mistake to Avoid:

I didn't went to the shop. (WRONG!)
I didn't go to the shop. (CORRECT!)

She didn't studied last night. (WRONG!)
She didn't study last night. (CORRECT!)

4.2 Yes/No Questions

To ask a simple yes/no question, start with Did.

Structure:

Did + Subject + Base Form of the Main Verb?

Examples:
  • Did you watch the news? (Yes, I watched it.)
  • Did he eat all the pizza? (No, he didn't eat it all.)

Key Takeaway: For negatives and questions, use Did or Didn't. The main verb must be in its simple base form (no -ed!).

Section 5: Special Case – The Past of 'To Be' (Was/Were)

The verb to be is a special 'Super Irregular' verb. It does not use did to make negatives or questions in the past tense.

Past Forms of 'To Be'

The past tense of 'to be' has two forms: was and were.

When to use WAS:

Use was for singular subjects:

I / He / She / It / (The dog)

Example: I was tired. She was at home.

When to use WERE:

Use were for plural subjects and you:

You / We / They / (The students)

Example: You were late. They were happy.

Negatives and Questions with Was/Were

To make a negative, just add not after 'was' or 'were'. To ask a question, swap the subject and the verb.

Negatives:
  • He was not (wasn’t) ready.
  • We were not (weren’t) outside.
Questions:
  • Was she sick? (Yes, she was.)
  • Were the books heavy? (No, they weren’t.)

Quick Review Box:

| Tense | Affirmative (Yes) | Negative (No) | Question (?) | |---|---|---|---| | Most Verbs | V + ed / Irregular | Did not + V1 | Did + Subject + V1? | | To Be (Was/Were) | Was / Were | Was not / Were not | Was / Were + Subject? |


You have now mastered the Simple Past Tense structure! Take a deep breath and review those irregular verbs. Practice makes perfect!