Past negative tense in English. Past Simple tense in English

We continue to study the tenses of the English language. Let's look at the Past Simple tense - the past indefinite tense in English. Before you get acquainted with the Past Simple table, it is advisable to learn how to use In addition to the sentence structure and cases of using this tense, I will draw your attention in this article to the shortcomings of students, and Past Simple table, will help us with this.

Past Simple is used:

to express an action that happened sometime in the past and is not related to the present. In this case, the moment of the action is either indicated using marker words or implied. For example: We bought a flat (yesterday). We bought an apartment (yesterday).

to describe a series of sequential actions in the past. For example: He woke up up, cleaned his teeth, had breakfast and walked to school.

to express an action that in the past occupied a certain period of time (it is indicated by the words for And during). For example: She didn't speak for an hour.

Marker words(read more about marker words in the article) for Past Simple: yesterday, last week (month, year, autumn), in 2013, 3 days ago. Also indicators of the past tense in English are the words when (when) and where (where)- an indication of a certain time in the past. Therefore, the Past Simple table will be useful to you, in particular, for questions that begin with When? and Where? For example: Where did you go?

Legend for the Past Simple (The Past Indefinite Tense) table:
V– verb – verb
S– subject – subject (who? what?)
Ved– regular verb with ending – ed (“regular” are verbs that form the affirmative form of The Past Indefinite Tense according to the rule - by adding the ending -ed to the main form of the verb e.g. I work - I work ed(I work - I worked))
V2– “irregular” verb in the second form (“irregular” are verbs that form the affirmative form of The Past Indefinite Tense not according to the rule (by adding the ending -ed to the main form of the verb), but by changing the main form. To do this, you need to use a verb, standing in the second column of the table of irregular verbs, e.g. I go - I went (I go - I went).To determine whether a verb is correct or irregular, you just need to learn all the irregular verbs :) (there are 218 of them in English, of which 190 are widely used - 195). Then, when forming a statement in the past indefinite tense, you can confidently add the ending -ed to those verbs that are not in the table of irregular verbs.

THE PAST INDEFINITE TENSE
(THE PAST SIMPLE)

Past indefinite tense

Affirmative form
+

I hope everything is clear with the statement in the past tense. The situation is more complicated with questions - general and special. The video below provides an accessible and simple explanation of how to write questions in Past Indefinite Tense.

Interrogative form
?

Wh-?
Special questions

(start with special words)

Negative form
—

Interrogative-negative form
(Speaking)
?-

Schematically the structure of the sentence in Past Simple can be shown like this:

+
S+V2(ed)

?
Did + S + V?

Wh - ?
Wh + did + S + V?

–
S + didn't + V

? –
Didn't + S + V?

Such a diagram can be printed out and, together with others, pasted into a notebook, for example, a ready-made cheat sheet, where everything is short and concise.

The past indefinite tense of the English language is usually easy for students - some have heard about irregular verbs and, before starting to study this tense, managed to learn the well-known “three columns”, while others are attracted by the presence of only one auxiliary verb did when constructing questions and negations. Sometimes, however, students forget about the ending - ed in the affirmative form. Past Simple table (The Past Indefinite Tense) is simple and will be understandable to anyone, the main thing is to understand it right away and not delay practice.

Past Simple (Indefinite) - past indefinite time

Past Simple (Past Indefinite) is a simple indefinite tense in English, most often used to denote an action that happened in the past and is already completed. Below is the formula and rules for the formation of the Past Simple and indicator words, examples of its use in declarative, negative and interrogative sentences, and situations in which the simple indefinite tense is used in English.

Education Past Simple

In an affirmative sentence, the Past Simple is formed by adding the -ed ending to the verbs or using their second form (also called the Past Simple) if the verb is irregular.

Affirmative (declarative) sentence using Past Simple:

I played football yesterday. — I played football yesterday (the action was completed yesterday).

I thought about that. - I thought about it (action completed).

A negative sentence is formed using the verb did (2nd form of the verb do) and adding a not clause after it. In this case, did and not can be merged into one word didn’t. Formula:

Noun + did + not + verb

Example of a negative sentence:

I did not play with my dog ​​yeasterday. — I didn’t play with my dog ​​yesterday.

I did not smoke five years ago. — I didn’t smoke five years ago.

To create an interrogative sentence in the Past Simple, you must use the following formula:

Did + noun + verb

Example of an interrogative sentence:

Did you play football yesterday? — Did you play football yesterday?

Did you go to the cinema five days ago? — Did you go to the cinema five days ago?

___________________________

Past Simple Indicator Words

With the Past Simple, auxiliary words are often used to make it easier to distinguish between the simple indefinite tense. There are such indicator words:

- yesterday = yesterday
— the day before yesterday = the day before yesterday
- (Three days, five days, five years ...) ago = three days ago, five days ago, five years ago, etc.
- last (week, month, year, weekend...) = last week, last month, last year, etc.
- in (1999, 2010, June, April ...) = in June, April, etc.
- when... = when...

___________________________

Cases in which the Past Simple is used

Now we come to the most important thing, namely, cases of using the simple indefinite tense. After all, it is not enough to know the rules of education of any time, you need to be able to use them. The following rules and examples of its use in different cases will help you learn how to use it in conversation and writing.

Use case I: completed action in the past

Completed Action in the Past

Past Simple in this case is used to emphasize that the action took place in the past and ended in the past. In this case, marker words are often used. examples:

I saw a movie yesterday. — I saw the film yesterday.

I did not see a play yesterday. — I didn’t see the performance yesterday.

Last year, I traveled to Japan. — Last year I traveled to Japan.

Use case II: a series of completed actions

A Series of Completed Actions

Past Simple is used to denote actions in the past that came one after another. examples:

I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim. — I finished work, walked to the beach and found a good place to swim.

He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00. — He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00 and met others at 10:00.

Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs? -You added flour, poured it into the milk and then added eggs?

III use case: an action that lasted for some time in the past

Duration in Past

Another case where the simple past tense is used may be to emphasize that an action took place some time in the past. Usually in such cases the expressions for two years, for two months, all day, all year and others are used. examples:

I lived in Brazil for two years. — I lived in Brazil for two years.

Shauna studied Japanese for five years. — Shona studied Japanese for five years.

They sat at the beach all day. — They sat on the beach all day.

Use case IV: habits in the past

Habits in the Past

The Past Simple can be used when you want to show that you had some habit in the past that you have now broken. In this case, the Past Simple replaces the used to expression. The word when is also used frequently. examples:

I studied French when I was a child. — I learned French when I was a child.

He didn't play the piano. — He didn't play the piano.

Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid? — Did you play musical instruments when you were a child?

Use case V: facts that were relevant in the past or generalizations

Past Facts or Generalizations

In this case, the Past Simple is used to describe facts in the past or to generalize. As with use case 4, the meaning is very close to the meaning of the sentences in which used to appears. examples:

She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing. “She was shy as a child, but now she is very sociable.

He didn't like tomatoes before. — He didn’t like tomatoes before.

People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past. — In the past, people paid much more to make calls from mobile phones.

Here you can take a lesson on the topic: Simple past tense in English. Regular and irregular verbs. Past Simple. Regular and Irregular verbs.

In this lesson we will get acquainted with regular and irregular verbs in English and how to use them in sentences simple past tense. It is these verbs that in most cases are part of the past tense.

To express thoughts in the past, the English often use the verbs was and were. Well, what if the main action is expressed by another verb, for example, swim, or play? In such cases, knowledge of regular and irregular English verbs is required. We will look at each category of verbs separately:

Regular verbs Regular verbs are a special group of English verbs that easily form the past tense by adding the suffix -ed to the infinitive (the regular form of the verb). Here are some examples of such verbs:

talk - talked (talk - spoke)
jump - jumped (jump - jumped)
check - checked (check - checked)
look - looked (look - looked)
stay - remained (stop - stopped)
ask - asked (ask - asked)
show -showed (show - showed)
work - worked (work - worked)

Regular verbs ending in -ed do not change for person or number. Let's look at the example of the verb walk (walk, stroll):

I walked - I walked
you walked - you walked / You walked
he walked - he walked
she walked - she walked
it walked - he/she walked/walked (inanimate)
we walked - we walked
they walked - they walked

I. There are some spelling rules when adding the ending -ed.

1. So, for example, if the verb is already ends with a letter-e , then only -d is added to it. For example:

Change - changed (change - changed)
arrive - arrived (arrive - arrived)
smoke - smoked (smoking - smoked)

2. If the verb ends with the letter -y, then the ending, with rare exceptions, changes to -ied. For example:

study - studied (teach - taught)
tidy - tidied (clean - cleaned)
try - tried (try - tried)

The exceptions are the verbs: play - played (play), stay - remained (stop), enjoy - enjoyed (enjoy).

3. In some short verbs(in 1 syllable) by adding the ending -ed The consonant is doubled. This rule applies to verbs that ends with one vowel and one consonant letters. For example:

stop - stop ped (stop - stopped)
rob - rob bed (rob - robbed)

II. Regarding regular English verbs, there are also several reading rules.

1. So, for example, in verbs, ending in a voiceless consonant(f, k, p, t), the ending -ed is read softly, like /t/. For example:

walk ed /wɔ:kt/
look ed /lukt/
jump ed /dʒʌmpt/
ask ed /a:skt/

2. In verbs, ending in voiced and all other sounds, the ending -ed is pronounced voiced, like /d/. For example:

play ed /pleid/
show ed /ʃəud/
arrived /ə"raivd/
chang ed /tʃeindʒd/

3. The pronunciation of the verb ending -ed changes slightly when the verbs end with the sounds /t/ or /d/. Then the ending is pronounced /id/. For example:

decid ed /di"saidid/
wait ed /"weitid /
land ed /"lændid /
fad ed/"feidid/

Now let's look at the regular verbs in affirmative sentences. Here are some examples:

Miriam waited for Adam for several hours. - Miriam waited for Adam for several hours.
She walked towards the river. - She walked towards the river.
They changed their mind. - They changed their decision.
The woman carried a heavy bag. - The woman was carrying a heavy bag.
When I arrived the party was over. - When I arrived, the party was over.
The plane landed near the village. - The plane landed near the village.
The car stopped next to my house. - The car stopped next to my house.
Children played hide-and-seek. - The children played hide and seek.
We stayed at my grandmother's. - We stayed with my grandmother.
I looked around but there was noone. - I looked around, but there was no one there.
He studied German at school. - He studied German at school.

As can be seen from the examples, the place of subjects and verbs in affirmative sentences is fixed, and the remaining members of the sentences can be used depending on the context. When reading the examples, pay attention to the spelling of regular verbs and their pronunciation.

In contrast to regular verbs, English also has a number of irregular verbs, which do not obey the rule of adding the ending -ed, but are formed completely unexpectedly and in different ways. For example:

find - found (find - found)
take - took (take - took)
sleep - slept (sleep - slept)
fight - fought (fight - fought)
get - got (receive - received)
give - gave (give - gave)
buy - bought (buy - bought)
catch - caught (catch - caught)
lose - lost (lose - lost) and many others.

Here you can find the complete
The simple past tense uses verbs from the second column (Past Simple).

In affirmative sentences, irregular verbs are used in the same way as regular ones. The order of the sentence is fixed: Subject - Predicate - Object - Adverbial modifier. Let's look at examples:

He lost his key a day ago. - He lost his key a day ago.
Simon took my phone number yesterday. - Simon took my phone number yesterday.
I gave her a birthday present. - I gave her a present for her birthday.
They slept for eight hours last night. - They slept eight hours last night.

To form negative and interrogative sentences with regular and irregular verbs (except to be and modal verbs), the auxiliary verb did must be used.

So, for example, in interrogative sentences comes first auxiliary verb did, then the subject and verb, but in its original form (infinitive), since the auxiliary verb did takes on the function of the past tense. Let's look at a few examples:

(+) Her watch stopped working. - Her watch stopped working.
(?) Did her watch stop working? - Has her watch stopped working?

(+) He caught a big fish. - He caught a big fish.
(?) Did he catch a big fish? - Did he catch a big fish?

(+) They played cards in the evening. - They played cards in the evening.
(?) Did they play cards in the evening? - Did they play cards in the evening?

(+) Mr.Right found a purse with money. - Mr. Wright found a wallet with money.
(?) Did Mr.Right find a purse money? - Did Mr. Wright find a wallet with money?

(+) His father called him yesterday. - His father called him yesterday.
(?) Did his father call him yesterday? - Did his father call him yesterday?

As can be seen from the examples, the auxiliary verb did does not change in persons or numbers, like, for example, the verbs do and does, was and were. Also, these questions belong to the general category, and require short answers, which, unlike Russian “yes” and “no,” depend largely on the question itself and the auxiliary verb. Let's take a closer look:

Did you leave early last night? -Yes, I did. -No, I didn't. -Did you leave early last night? -Yes. -No.
Did they like the cake? -Yes, they did. -No, they didn't. - Did they like the cake? - Yes. - No.
Did their children break the remote control? -Yes, they did. -No, they didn't." -Did their children break the remote control? -Yes. -No.

Special questions with regular and irregular verbs are formed in the same order as common ones, but with the addition question word at the beginning. For example:

Where did you find the map? - Where did you find the map?
Why did they call us last night? - Why did they call us last night?
Who did you invite to the party? -Who did you invite to the party?
What did she cook fro dinner? - What did she cook for dinner?

Negative sentences with regular and irregular verbs are also formed using the auxiliary verb did, and the negative particle "not". The main verbs in such sentences remain in their original form, i.e. in the infinitive. Let's look at examples:

(+) He didn’t want us to go. - He wanted us to leave.
(-) He didn't (did not) want us to go. - He didn't want us to leave.

(+) They enjoyed the concert. - They liked the concert.
(-) They didn’t enjoy the concert. - They didn’t like the concert.

(+) Albert promised me something. - Albert promised me something.
(-) Albert didn’t promise me anything. - Albert didn’t promise me anything.

(+) My friend paid t he fine. - My friend paid the fine.
(-) My friend didn't pay the fine. - My friend did not pay the fine.

(+) It broke after all. - And yet it broke.
(-) It didn’t break after all. - And yet it didn’t break.

As can be seen from the examples, the word did can be combined with the particle not, and then the abbreviated form is obtained - didn't.

Thus, we examined regular and irregular verbs in English, and also became familiar with their use in affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences. The category of regular verbs does not require targeted memorization, but it is recommended to learn irregular verbs several times a day and try to use them in your sentences.

Each tense form of the English language has its own characteristics. Today we are talking about the properties and uses of Past Simple Tense - Simple Past.

Features of using Past Simple Tense

In English, unlike Russian, the past tense (Past) consists of four tense forms - Past Simple (Simple Past), Past Continuous (Past Continuous), Past Perfect (Past Perfect), Past Perfect Continuous (Past Perfect Continuous). By describing an action that happened in the past, they tend to create a problem of choice. However, there are significant differences between them. They help determine what time is used in each specific case. Rules and examples of the Past Simple, one of the most common tenses, will tell you how this tense form is constructed and when it is used.

When we use Past Simple

Past Simple is used in the following cases:

• To describe a fact or a single action in the past:

Yesterday my sisters Mary and Ann went shopping togather - Yesterday my sisters Mary and Ann went shopping together (single action in the past).

Last month the sientists discovered two lost paintings of a famous artist - Last month, scientists discovered two lost paintings of a famous artist (a fact in the past).

Please note that the Past Simple uses the following time markers: yesterday, the day before yesterday, a long time ago, five weeks ago, the other day ( the other day), in 1999 (in 1999), on Friday (on Friday), last month (last month) and others.

• To describe a state in the past:

Many years ago Edward was a shy boy - Many years ago Edward was a shy boy.

• To describe repeated actions in the past, habits that are no longer performed today:

Nancy often went to the libarary last year - Nancy often went to the library last year (she doesn’t do this now).

Bob liked reading morning newspaper many years ago - Bob liked reading the morning newspaper many years ago.

• To describe events that followed one another in the past:

My father entered the shop, took a basket and bought a bottle of milk - My father entered the store, took a basket and bought a bottle of milk.

As can be seen from the above examples, the English tense form Past Simple (Simple Past) largely coincides with Present Simple (Simple Present). The only thing is that the time of action is transferred from the present to the past.

Affirmative form

Example sentences for children explain in what cases it is necessary to use tense. But there is another, no less important question - how the Past Simple is formed. The following table will help you figure out this not very difficult task.

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In an affirmative sentence, the subjects come first, which can be expressed by a singular or plural noun or pronoun. The second one is a verb in the past tense. And here it is important not to rush, but to understand which verb is in front of us - correct or incorrect. If the verb belongs to the group of regular ones, then in the Past Simple the ending -ed (to push- pushed) is added to its stem.

If the verb is irregular, then you need to refer to the table of irregular verbs and find the desired form in the second column (to eat - ate).

Negative form

Negative sentences maintain direct word order: subjects + did not + verb. As can be seen from the formula, the subjects come first. This is followed by the auxiliary verb did (do in the past tense), the negative particle not (not) and the verb in the main form without the particle to. Here you should pay attention to the following nuance: the auxiliary verb did “deprives” the main verb of the right to be used in the past tense, since only one verb can be in the Past Simple in a sentence.

Question

In an interrogative sentence, the word order is reversed: did + subjects + verb. This grammatical formula suggests that the auxiliary verb did comes first in the English question, which is not translated into Russian and again “takes away” the past tense form from the main verb. The subjects are placed in second place, and the verb itself without the to part of the particle is in third place.

What have we learned?

Today the focus is on the English Past Simple Tense or Simple Past Tense for grade 2. The main cases of using this tense were considered using examples. Tables for the formation of the affirmative, interrogative and negative forms helped to understand the problems, how to explain the formation of a verb in the Past Simple and how to make sentences with them.

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Examples of affirmative sentences translated into Past Simple. In the article I have prepared simple sentences that you can practice with children, 3rd and high school students. I also posted interrogative and negative sentences here. All examples are from native English speakers.

Simple sentences translated into Past Simple

1. I had a doll. I had a doll.
2. Yesterday was Sunday. Yesterday was Sunday.
3. We listened to fairy tales. We listened to fairy tales.
4. Mark watched cartoons. Mark watched cartoons.
5. My mom cooked a cake. My mother made a cake.

6. My dog ​​was black. My dog ​​was black.
7. We played outside. We played outside.
8. He didn't like my toys. He liked my toys.
9. They asked a teacher. They asked the teacher.
10. She helped her mom. She helped mom.

Past Simple sentences with irregular verbs

1. We went to the zoo. We went to the zoo.
2. A cat ate. The cat ate.
3. My mom bought a doll. My mother bought a doll.
4. I took my toy. I took my toy.
5. We drank a lemonade. We drank lemonade.

6. Kate saw a rainbow. Katya saw a rainbow.
7. You draw a nice house. You drew a beautiful house.
8. They made nice flowers. They made beautiful flowers.
9. The dog run after the cat. The dog ran after the cat.
10. He told me his secret. He told me his secret.

Past Simple - sentences for high school with translation

1. I understood what the teacher said. I understood what the teacher said.
2. We had seven lessons on Monday. On Monday we had seven lessons.
3. I was at the gym last Sunday. Last Sunday I was at the gym.
4. I downloaded mp3 files on the Internet. I downloaded mp3 files on the Internet.
5. She spoke English pretty well. She spoke English well.

6. David worked all Saturday. David worked all Saturday.
7. We watched black and white movies. We watched black and white films.
8. They came here for a week. They came here for a week.
9. He traveled around the world. He traveled the world.
10. She created her own company. She created her own company.

1. I learned English. I studied English.
2. He didn’t play football. He played football.
3. We washed our hands. We washed our hands.
4. They cleaned my room. They cleaned my room.
5. She cooked spaghetti. She cooked spaghetti.

6. We baked a cake. We baked a cake.
7. I brushed my hair. I combed my hair.
9. He fixed his bike. He fixed his bike.
10. She dried her hair. She washed her hair.

1. I read a book. I read a book.
2. I drew a picture. I was painting a picture.
3. I wrote a message. I was writing a letter.
4. I took a nap. I was dozing.
5. I rode my bike. I was riding a bike.

6. I swam. I swam.
7. I ate ice-cream. I was eating ice cream.
8. I drank water. I drank water.
9. I went to the movies. I went to cinema.
10. I read an article. I read the article.

Past Simple examples of interrogative sentences with translation

1. Did she eat sushi? Did she eat sushi?
2. Where were they lost? Where were they lost?
3. What did he create? What did he create?
4. Who are the candies? Who ate the candy?
5. Did you boil the water? Have you boiled water?

6. Did they usually take the subway to school? Do they usually go to Skoda by metro?
7. Did Mary watch a movie last night? Did Mary watch a movie last night?
8. When did you go to Moscow? When did you go to Moscow?
9. Did she book our flights? Did she book us a flight?
10. Did you make a dinner? Have you prepared dinner? 5. You didn’t come to my birthday party. You didn't come to my birthday.

6. He didn’t chop the onions. He didn't cut the onion.
5. Tom didn’t know that. Tom didn't know about this.
7. My father didn’t take a taxi to the airport. My father didn't take a taxi to the airport.
8. We didn't live in America. We didn't live in America.
9. Mark and David were not excellent students in high school. In high school, Mark and David were not good students.
10. He didn’t eat spicy food when he lived in China. When he lived in China, he didn't eat spicy food.