Past Simple
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We use the past simple for finished actions at a definite time in the past: yesterday, last week, in 2010. Most verbs form it by adding -ed: work → worked, play → played.
Spelling notes: verbs ending in -e add just -d (live → lived); a consonant + y becomes -ied (study → studied); a single stressed vowel often doubles the consonant (stop → stopped).
Beispiele
I worked late yesterday.
Finished action + time marker 'yesterday'.
He studied for two hours.
Consonant + y → study → studied.
They lived in Berlin for a year.
Ends in -e → live → lived.
worked
/wɜːkt/
I worked late yesterday.
played
/pleɪd/
We played football last Sunday.
watched
/wɒtʃt/
She watched a film last night.
studied
/ˈstʌdid/
He studied for two hours.
lived
/lɪvd/
They lived in Berlin for a year.
Choose the past simple: He ___ for two hours.
Past simple of 'work': I ___ late yesterday.
Many of the most common English verbs are irregular — they don't take -ed and must be learnt one by one: go → went, see → saw, have → had, make → made.
There's no rule, but these verbs appear constantly, so learning them early pays off. The good news: the past form is the same for every subject (I went, she went, they went).
Beispiele
I went to the cinema yesterday.
go → went (irregular).
We had a great holiday.
have → had.
She made a cake for the party.
make → made.
went
/went/
I went to the cinema yesterday.
saw
/sɔː/
She saw her brother in town.
had
/hæd/
We had a great holiday.
did
/dɪd/
He did his homework before dinner.
came
/keɪm/
They came home very late.
got
/ɡɒt/
I got a new phone last week.
made
/meɪd/
She made a cake for the party.
took
/tʊk/
We took the train to Paris.
Choose the past simple: I ___ to the cinema yesterday.
Past simple of 'make': She ___ a cake for the party.
To make a negative, use didn't (did not) + the base verb. The past meaning is carried by 'did', so the main verb goes back to its base form: 'I didn't go' (not 'didn't went').
This is true for both regular and irregular verbs — didn't work, didn't see, didn't know.
Beispiele
I didn't go to school today.
didn't + base form 'go', not 'went'.
She didn't see the email.
didn't + 'see'.
We didn't know about the change.
didn't + 'know'.
didn't go
/ˈdɪdənt ɡoʊ/
I didn't go to school today.
didn't see
/ˈdɪdənt siː/
She didn't see the email.
didn't know
/ˈdɪdənt noʊ/
We didn't know about the change.
Choose the correct negative: I ___ to school today.
Make it negative: We ___ about the change. (not / know)
To ask a past simple question, start with Did + subject + base verb: 'Did you finish?' Again, 'did' carries the past, so the main verb stays in its base form.
For wh- questions, put the question word first: 'Where did you grow up?' Short answers use did/didn't: 'Yes, I did. / No, I didn't.'
Beispiele
Did you finish the book?
Did + you + base verb 'finish'.
Where did you grow up?
Wh-word + did + subject + base verb.
Did he call you yesterday?
Did + he + 'call' (not 'called').
Did you
/dɪd juː/
Did you finish the book?
Did he
/dɪd hiː/
Did he call you yesterday?
Where did
/weər dɪd/
Where did you grow up?
When did
/wen dɪd/
When did the meeting end?
Choose the correct question: ___ the book?
Complete the question: ___ he call you yesterday?
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Present Continuous