Simple Past Tense

Functions
• To tell about activities in the past one time
then stopped.
• Adverb of time for past tense: … ago, last-,
yesterday, this morning.
• E.g: two days ago, last week, last night,
yesterday, today.
 Pattern

S+ V2
Notice:
There are two kinds of verb
Regular(ed/d in order to make them into verb 2) and
Irregular (please refers to the dictionary)
 Regular: stay-stayed-stayed
(+)I stayed in my friend’s house last night.

(-)I did not stay in my friend’s house last night.

(?) Did I stay in my friend’s house last night?

 Regular : play-played played
(+) We played football last week.

(-)We did not play football last week.

(?) Did we play football last week?

 Irregular : come-came-come
(+) They came to your house yesterday.

(-) They did not come to your house yesterday.

(?) Did they come to your house yesterday?

Now, they are somewhere else.

 Irregular : make-made-made
(+) Sarah made a cake two weeks ago.

(-) Sarah did not make a cake two weeks ago.

(?) Did Sarah make a cake two weeks ago.

Fact: Sarah does not make a cake anymore.

 Regular: cook-cooked-cooked
(+) Eli cooked in the kitchen this morning.

(-) Eli did not cook in the kitchen this morning.

(?) Did Eli cook in the kitchen this morning?

Fact: Eli only cooked this morning.

 Irregular: eat-ate-eaten
(+) I ate a loaf of bread in August this year.

(?) I did not eat a loaf of bread in August this

year .

(?) Did I eat a loaf of bread in August this

year?
Current fact: I do not eat bread anymore.
 Irregular: speak-spoke-spoken
(+) You spoke Dutch fluently two years ago.

(-) You did not speak Dutch fluently two years ago.

(?) Did you speak Dutch fluently two years ago?

Current fact: You do not speak Dutch fluently

anymore
 Irregular: read-read-read
(+) They read a good book last month.

(-) They did not read a good book last month.

(?) Did they read a good book last month?

Fact: they do not read any good book now, only

last month.
 Pattern

S+ to be (was were)+ n/adv/adj

I  was
He
She was
It
10 years old.
We
You were
they
 Doctor: noun
(+) Peter was a doctor 30 years ago.

(-) Peter was not a doctor 30 years ago.

(?) Was Peter a doctor 30 years ago?

Fact: today Peter is 70 years old, he is retired and

no longer a doctor.
 Ballerina: noun
(+) Anne was a ballerina when she was a kid.

(-) Anne was not a ballerina when she was a

kid.

(?) Was Anne a ballerina when she was a kid?

 At home: adverb of time
(+) I was at home last week.

(-) I was not at home last week.

(?) Was I at home last week?

 Handsome: adjective
(+) He was handsome 40 years ago.

(-) He was not handsome 40 years ago.

(?) Was he handsome 40 years ago?

Fact: he is now 80, and he is not handsome

anymore.
 Lazy: adjective
(+) We were lazy to do homework last night.

(-) We were not lazy to do homework last night.

(?) Were we lazy to do homework last night?

Current fact: we are not lazy anymore.