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1. The Simple Past
A guide for English Language Learners

2. to talk to start to show
(hablar) (iniciar) (mostrar)
to hear
(escuchar)

3. The simple past tense allows us to talk about actions and events that
happened in the past. It is a key tool for expressing past experiences,
narrating stories, and discussing past habits or routines.
Throughout this presentation, we will explore the formation, usage, and
examples of the simple past tense. We will also cover time expressions
and signal words that are commonly used with this tense. By the end of
our session, you will have a solid understanding of the simple past tense
and be able to apply it confidently in your English conversations.
Introduction

4. Uses of the Simple Past Tense
1) Expressing Completed Actions
Example: "I visited my grandparents last weekend."
2) Talking about Past Habits or Routines
Example: "I used to play soccer every Saturday."
3) Narrating Past Events
Example: "Once upon a time, there was a brave knight."
4) Describing Past States or Conditions
Example: "She was tired after a long day at work."

5. For regular verbs, we add "-ed" to the base form of
the verb. Let's take a look at some examples:
Stop → Stopped
Cook → Cooked
Dance → Danced
Example: He cooked a salad for lunch yesterday.
Regular Verbs

6. Spelling Regular Verbs
1) Most verbs: Add "-ed" to the base form of the verb
Walk → Walked
2) Verbs ending in "e": Add "-d" to the base form of the verb.
Dance → Danced
3) Verbs ending in a consonant + "y": Change the "y" to "i" and add "-ed"
Carry → Carried
4) Verbs ending in a vowel + a consonant: Double the final consonant
and add "-ed".
Stop → Stopped

7. Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs have unique forms
for the simple past tense that must
be memorized individually. Here are
some examples:
Go → Went
Eat → Ate
Drink → Drank
Example: He drank a bottle of water.

8. To form a negative sentence in the simple past tense, we use the
auxiliary verb "did" and add the word "not" before the main verb. Here's
the structure:
Subject + did not (didn't) + base form of the main verb
For example:
She didn't go to the party.
She didn't watch the movie.
Negative Form

9. To form an interrogative sentence in the simple past tense, we use the
auxiliary verb "did" before the subject. Here's the structure:
Did + Subject + base form of the main verb?
For example:
Did you go to the party?
Did you take your vitamins?
Interrogative Form

10. Past Time Expressions
Yesterday:
Example: "I went to the park yesterday."
Last (day/week/month/year):
Example: "She traveled to Paris last summer."
In (year/decade/century):
Example: "I was born in 2005"
(A week/two days/a year) ago:
Example: "She got married a year ago"

11. Thank You!

12. Teacher Resources Page