Past simple in Russian. Past Simple Tense - past tense in English

The Past Simple Tense is the simple past tense of a verb in English. This is one of the main tenses that you need to know at a basic level of learning English and it belongs to the group of simple tenses - Simple Tenses (Present Simple, past simple, Future Simple). The English usually use this tense when talking about the past, that is, when the action verb answers the question: what have you been doing?

From this article you will learn:

When to use the Past Simple in a sentence about the past:

So, as mentioned above Past Simple Tense (Past Simple) used in a sentence that refers to the past. But let's see what the past is. The past tense is a grammatical category, and the past is a philosophical concept, and in order not to get confused, there are hint words in the English language that indicate the past. These are the words - yesterday, past, back(for example, a year ago), and actually past year(e.g. 1970). Rule 1 below will help you remember these hints.

The Past Simple Tense (rules for beginners from the book "English Grammar: Simply About Complex")

And here are ten more simple rules from my book that will help you avoid major mistakes when learning this verb tense.

one. " yesterday, ago, last, when(v.sl) - past simple then"

2. "in past simple assistant did , end of action ed »

3. “if the verb is correct - ed add if wrong D 2 remember"

4. Appears in a negative sentence didn't(after D.L.),
and D2 changes to D or see rule #5

5. In exercises on Past Simple « see not, write didn't»

6. "where did, No ed and there is no second form D2".

7. Questions. the offer appears did
and D2 changes to D or see rule #8

8. "if you want to past simple did write and D 2 on the D change.

nine. " be don't need any did, nor ed".

10. “be polite you were- Do not forget » .

Commentary on the rules:

Rule 1 « Yesterday, ago, last, when(v.sl) - past simple then" indicates that the sentence should use the simple past tense - The Past Simple Tense, if it contains a temporary expression (hints):

• yesterday- yesterday
• ago- back, that is, in phrases like:

1. a week ago
2. a month ago
3. a year ago

• last- past, that is, in phrases like:

1. last week - last week
2. last month - last month
3. last year - last year, etc.

• When(question word) - that is, in questions starting with When ...? - When?

Conclusion: If the sentence contains " yesterday, ago, last, when(v.sl) » , then 100% it is necessary to use Past Simple Tense in it.

Rule 2“In Past Simple, the assistant did, the ending is with the action ed» means that for most verbs (they are called regular) the past tense is formed by adding the ending -ed to the main form (they are called the first).

watch - watch (first form)
watch ed- see l(second form)

Adding an ending -ed to the correct verb, we will put it in the second form.

Rule 3 “If the verb is correct –ed, add, if the verb is incorrect, remember D2”, says that there are still irregular verbs to which it is IMPOSSIBLE to add the ending of the past tense -ed.

sleep - sleep (first form)

slept — slept(second form)

So, we have dismantled three rules for the simple past tense - Past Simpe Tense and will stop there for now. 'Cause now it's time to know How to write Past Simple Tense sentences.

How to make sentences in Past Simple Tense

Now look at these diagrams and read again rules 4-8.

Rule 4 Appears in a negative sentence didn't(after D.L.),
and D2 changes to D or see rule #5

Rule 5 In the exercises for Past Simple « see not, write didn't'that the negative particle « no" translates into English no not, a didn't.

EXAMPLE. He didn't. — He didn't do.

Rule 6"where did, No ed and there is no second form D2"

Rule 7 Appears in an interrogative sentence did(before D.L., but after V.sl.),
and D2 changes to D or see rule #8

Rule 8"if you want to past simple do not forget to ask a question before the character did write and D 2 on the D change.

Let's leave two rules for later, but for now, answer the questions.

Test yourself and answer the questions:

1. When should you use The Past Simple Tense in a sentence?
2. What tense expressions indicate the simple past tense?
3. What is the form of the verb in the simple past tense?
4. How is an affirmative, negative, interrogative sentence built in Past Simple Tense? Draw diagrams of times.
5. What rules do you remember?

Now let's figure it out how to read the ending -ed in Past Simple.

If you remember well eight rules for Past Simple, then you have to do

We continue to study the tenses of the English language. Consider 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 structure of the sentence and the cases of using this time, I will draw your attention in this article to the shortcomings of students, and Past Simple table will help us with this.

Past Simple time 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 with the help of marker words, or implied. For example: We bought a flat (yesterday). We bought an apartment (yesterday).

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

to express an action that in the past took 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 some time in the past. Therefore, the Past Simple table is useful to you, in particular, for questions that begin with When? and where? For example: Where did you go?

Conventions for the table Past Simple (The Past Indefinite Tense):
V- verb - verb
S- subject - subject (who? what?)
Ved- a regular verb with an ending - ed ("correct" is called 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” is called 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, use the 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 this verb is correct or incorrect, you just need to learn all 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
+

Structure
You(you you) We(we) They(they) He(is he) She(she is) It(he, she, it is about animals and objects)
Examples	Translation
I lived in a big city.	I lived in a big city.
We listened to music.	We listened to music.
They went to England.	They went to England.
He swam in the swimming pool.	He swam in the pool.
Sheliked the movie.	She liked the movie.
Itstarted in the morning.

I hope everything is clear with the statement in the past tense. The situation is more complicated with questions - general and special. In the video below, it is accessible and easy to talk about how to compose questions in Past Indefinite Tense.

Interrogative form
?

Structure
	you(you you) we(we) they(they) he(is he) she(she is) it(it)	It is important not to deliver the ending -ed, which has gone to Do+ed = Did
Examples		Translation
– Did you cook yesterday? – Yes, I did. (No, I didn't.)		– Did you cook food yesterday? - Yes. (Not.)
Did they swim last night? - No, they didn't. (Yes, they did.)		Did they swim last night? - Not. (Yes.)
Did he enjoy the party? – Yes, he did. (No, he didn't.)		Did he enjoy the party? - Yes. (Not.)
Did is an auxiliary verb - it only helps to form a question and a negative, but is not translated. It is important to use only did (didn't) in short answers. Saying “Yes, I cooked” or “Yes, I swam” is a mistake!

Wh-?
Special questions

(begin with special words)

Structure
How many (much, far…)		you(you you) we(we) they(they) he(is he) she(she is) it(it)
Examples		Translation
What did they do at the weekend?		What did they do on the weekend?
It is important to understand that "did" is not translated, but only shows that this sentence is in the Past Simple. Due to this, the word “do” is translated “did” (and not “do”).
		Where did your friend play tennis?
Why did she like ballet?		Why did she love ballet?
		How much did it cost?

negative form
—

Structure
You(you you) We(we) They(they) He(is he) She(she is) It(it)	did not (didn't)
Examples		Translation
I didn't like Spanish.		I didn't like Spanish.
(I didn’t like - I didn’t like, not “me not liked”)
You didn't understand Spanish.		You (you) did not understand Spanish.
We didn't teach Spanish.		We didn't teach Spanish.
They didn't know Spanish.		They didn't know Spanish.
He didn't speak Spanish.		He didn't speak Spanish.
She didn't learn Spanish.		She did not study Spanish.
Note that not a single semantic verb in negation is in the second form and does not have the ending -ed - know, speak, like ...

Interrogative-negative form
(colloquial speech)
?-

Schematically the structure of a 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 scheme 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 already before the start of studying this time they managed to learn the well-known “three columns”, and someone is attracted by the presence of only one auxiliary verb did when constructing a question and a negative. 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 immediately understand and not delay with practice.

The variety of tense forms in English makes it possible to describe the action in more detail, but it may also be confusing. The table “Past Simple” tells in detail how the English Simple Past is formed and when it is used.

Basic Rule

Before proceeding to consider the formation of the affirmative, negative and interrogative forms of the English Past Simple, it is necessary to understand how it is translated into Russian and what action it describes. The tense form Past Simple is literally translated as the Simple Past. The term Past refers to the past tense in a broad sense. Simple is an aspect indicating that the described action is normal and occurs regularly. It follows that Past Simple describes ordinary, repetitive actions, facts that happened in the past.

This meaning is also indicated by such marker words as yesterday (yesterday), the day before yesterday (the day before yesterday), two weeks ago (two weeks ago), last year (last year) and others.

Regular verbs

When considering the rule of education Past Simple (Simple Past), new language concepts appear - regular and irregular verbs. Regular verbs form the Past Simple with the ending -ed, which is attached to the stem of the verb.

The basic rules and examples of Past Simple with regular verbs are presented in the following table:

Past Simple Tense: subject + verb + -ed (2nd form of regular verbs)
positive form (Affirmative form)	negative form (Negative form)	Interrogative form (Interrogative form)
I closed - I closed	I did not close - I did not close	Did I close? - I closed?
You closed - You (you) closed (and)	You did not close - You (you) did not close (and)	Did you close? - You (you) closed(s)?
He closed - He closed	He did not close - He did not close	Did he close? - He closed?
She closed - She closed	She did not close - She did not close	Did she close? - She closed?
It closed - He (about an animal or inanimate) closed	It did not close - He did not close	Did it close? - He closed?
We closed - We closed	We did not close - We did not close	Did we close? - Are we closed?
They closed - They closed	They did not close - They did not close	Did they close? - they closed?

In a negative sentence, the subject is followed by an auxiliary verb with a negative particle - did not (not). In the question, the word order changes and the auxiliary verb comes first. In both cases, the main verb loses the past tense ending -ed.

Irregular Verbs

There are not so many irregular verbs in English - 470 pieces. Not all of them belong to the daily vocabulary. Many are outdated and not used. But the main thing is different - they need to be known by heart. In order to make a sentence with an irregular verb in Past Simple, you need to look at the second column of the table of irregular verbs.

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Past Simple Tense: Subjects + 2nd Irregular Verb
positive form (Affirmative form)	negative form (Negative form)	Interrogative form (Interrogative form)
I slept - I slept	I didn't sleep - I didn't sleep	Did I sleep? - I was asleep?
You slept - You (you) slept (and)	You didn't sleep - You (you) did not sleep (and)	Did you sleep? - Did you sleep?
He slept - He slept	He didn't sleep - He didn't sleep	Did he sleep? - He slept?
She slept - She slept	She didn't sleep - She didn't sleep	Did she sleep? - She slept?
It slept - He (it) slept	It didn't sleep - He didn't sleep	Did it sleep? - He slept?
We slept - We slept	We didn't sleep - We didn't sleep	Did we sleep? - We sleep?
They slept - They slept	They didn't sleep - They didn't sleep	Did they sleep? - They slept?

What have we learned?

The basic rules and examples of Past Simple in the table help to organize the received theoretical knowledge on the topic. It presents examples of the formation of affirmative, negative and interrogative forms, which, on occasion, can serve as an excellent "cheat sheet".

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The Past Simple is used to express an action in the past. The formation of the affirmative form depends on whether the verb is correct or not. Irregular verbs have 3 forms that you will need to learn. If the verb belongs to this category, then the 2nd form of the verb is taken or V2: I woke up - I woke up, we made - we did, he sang - he sang.

Regular verbs are formed by adding the ending -ed to the stem of the verb: they laughed - they laughed, I typed - I typed, she cleaned - she cleaned.

negative form

The formation of Past Simple in the negative form occurs with the help of the auxiliary verb to do in Past Indefinite and the particle not, to which the infinitive of the semantic verb is added.

He did not write. - He didn't write.

We did not make. - We did not.

They didn't clean. - They didn't clean up.

note

The last sample shows an abbreviated form of negation, it is also reflected in oral speech.

Interrogative form

To ask a question, you just need to move did to the beginning of the sentence, the order of the rest of the words remains the same.

Did he write? Did we make? Did they clean?

Passive design

In the passive voice, the main verb in the 3rd form or the verb with the ending -ed is preceded by an auxiliary to be in the Past Simple. The table includes formulas for two voices for comparison.

Active and passive voice in Past Indefinite

Use cases

Explore the options for using the Past Simple. The rules say that this tense denotes events that happened in the past. However, Past Simple Tense can be both in the context of the past and the present. It is used in the following cases.

To express a one-time action

The event happened once in the past. Often, the time of the action is indicated, usually it refers to the past tense, but the simple past tense also occurs with such adverbs of time as: tonight, this morning, today, etc.

I only passed exams two months ago. I passed my exams only two months ago.

I saw her in the school this morning. I saw her at school this morning.

The time of action can be implied in a situation by mentioning the place of events or other concomitant circumstances that can be expressed in Past Indefinite. The rules do not specify such options - you need to pay attention to the context itself.

She ate chocolate hearts in Paris. She ate chocolate hearts in Paris.

He called me at breakfast to tell the last news. He called me at breakfast to tell me the latest news.

There are cases when mentioning the time or place is not necessary, because. the speaker and the listener understand what the event is about.

I didn't understand what he said. “I didn't understand what he said.

He didn't mean to hurt her feelings. He didn't mean to offend her.

Question in Past Indefinite.

To express events that happened in a certain period

At the same time, the action itself has already ended, the period during which it took place is indicated. A period of time is usually indicated using adverbial phrases with the prepositions for, during and synonymous expressions.

Wed argue for 5 days. We argued for 5 days.

Last year I traveled to Brazil during my summer holidays. – Last year during the summer holidays I went to Brazil.

To Express Successive Events

Such examples can be found in the narrative.

I came there very early, then I cleaned the place and prepared everything. I got there very early, then cleaned up and got everything ready.

Actions in this case can be both one-time and take the entire period of time. In the latter case, the prepositional phrases for, from...to, during or the phrases all night, all day, etc. can be used in the phrase.

To indicate a repetitive action

In this case, as a rule, the circumstances of frequency are also used: never, now, often, for weeks, again, sometimes, etc.

You often reminded me of him. You often reminded me of him.

Sometimes he found this story too good to be true. “Sometimes he thought the story was too good to be true.

To express permanent action

In this case, the subject is given a general characteristic.

She wore her hair in a high ponytail. She wore a high ponytail.

note

The verb wear can be used not only with clothes, in English you can also “wear” hair, i.e. hairstyle.

He lived in Spain for 6 years and still didn't speak Spanish quite well. He lived in Spain for 6 years and still didn't speak Spanish very well.

Instead of Past Continuous

To express events happening at the moment in the past. The past continuous tense is not used with state verbs and is replaced in these cases by Past Simple. Example sentences will help you better understand what is being said.

At that moment he wanted her to tell the truth. At that moment, he wanted her to tell the truth.

Also, the replacement of Continuous by Simple can occur with certain indefinite verbs. They can express thought processes, perception, feelings, emotions: remember, shine, gleam, lie, think, trust, etc. And substitution is also relevant in cases where events are treated as facts, and attention is focused precisely on circumstances, in which they occurred.

He talked very fast, as if he had no time at all. He spoke so fast as if he didn't have time at all.

The street lights went off, but the moon gleamed and he could see her window. The street lights went out, but the moon was shining and he could see her window.

The future time event is viewed from the past

This use of time is found in indirect speech and dependent structures. It can be found in concessive subordinate clauses, as well as time and conditions; at the same time, Future-in-the-Past or modal verbs can be in the main clause.

She would, if she thought it effective, lie to him. “She could lie if she thought it would be of any use.

Do the exercises in Past Simple - describe everything you see in the picture using the time you have learned.

Exercises Past Simple.

Remember that often, when using this tense, it is the very fact of the action that is important to the speaker and the conversation is not focused on the event as a continuing process.

Watch the video tutorial to consolidate the material:

Past Simple Tense- the past simple tense, one of the main tenses of the English language, which is studied at the level elementary and at subsequent levels is considered in comparison with other times. To understand more complex tenses, you need to thoroughly know and be able to use Past Simple time. Today we will talk in detail about the formation and use of this tense.

Time Past Simple: education and use.

Learning Past Simple is a kind of milestone in learning a language. Ownership of the past tense instantly expands the range of topics for conversation, gives more freedom in expressing thoughts. On the other hand, Past Simple opens up an opportunity for you to explore other, more complex past tenses. You are introduced to new forms of verbs that you most likely have not used before, which is undoubtedly a huge step forward.

Given the importance of mastering Past Simple time, a lot of time is devoted to him in the classroom.

When studying any tense, we must know how to build a statement and how to use this tense, what actions it conveys.

Let's start with statements.

Statement always begins with the subject (subject), followed by a semantic verb. In a statement in past simple the semantic verb is put in the second form (V2):

I lived in Moscow ten years ago. - I lived in Moscow ten years ago.

He wrote a letter yesterday. - He wrote a letter yesterday.

They came see us last weekend. They came to visit us last weekend.

What is the second form of the verb?

This is the form of the verb that is used in the Past Simple tense to convey the past action. You probably know that all verbs are divisible into correct and wrong. Let's talk about regular verbs. That is why they are called correct because they always form the second (and third) forms according to the rule. To form the second form of regular verbs, you need to add the ending to the verb ED:

Help - helped
look - looked
work - worked

When adding the ending ED to a verb, its pronunciation and spelling can change, so there are a number of rules to remember.

There are not many of these rules, but you need to get a good grasp of them, as you are now forming the basis for your further study. Therefore, we have devoted a separate ending to ED, which discusses all the features of its use, the rules of pronunciation and spelling. Be sure to study! In this article, we will review them briefly.

Rules for pronunciation of words with the ending ED.

/id/	/t/	/d/
Only after the sounds /t/ and /d/	After voiceless and hissing /p/, /h/, /s/, /k/, /f/, /tʃ/, /ʃ/	After all other sounds (voiced and voiced)

Rules for writing words with the ending ED.

Let's move on to writing verbs with the ending ED. There are a few simple rules:

	If the verb ends in silent E, then when adding the ending, we add only D	close - closed dance - danced live - lived
	If the verb ends in a closed stressed syllable, then when adding an ending, the final consonant is doubled * letters X and W at the end of a word are not doubled	admit- admitted beg - begged permit- permitted fix-fixed row - rowed
	If the verb ends in Y preceded by a consonant, change Y to I and add ED	apply - applied copy - copied dry - dry
	If there is a vowel before Y at the end of the word, then the ending is added unchanged:	enjoy-enjoyed obey - obeyed play-played
	If a verb ends in L preceded by a short vowel, the final consonant is doubled * in AmE, the letter L is not doubled before a short vowel at the end of a word	travel - traveled quarrel - quarrelled
	If a verb ends in R in a stressed syllable, the final R is doubled	occur - occurred prefer - preferred star- starred

If the verb is irregular, then you need to refer to the table of irregular verbs and look into the second column. Tables of irregular verbs are usually present at the end of textbooks. Remembering irregular verbs can be difficult. How to facilitate this task, read in.

The second form of the verb is used only in statements.

AT negatives and questions(except for the question to the subject) it is not the second form that is used, but first. The only exception is the question to the subject, where we do not change the word order and use the second form.

Negation is formed using the auxiliary verb DID and the negative particle NOT . Auxiliary verb with particle NOT is placed before the semantic verb in the first form. Colloquially, DID NOT is shortened to DIDN"T :

subject

DIDN"T

V1

I didn't close the door. - I didn't close the door.

He didn't answer the question. - He didn't answer the question.

We didn't go on holiday last year. We didn't go on vacation last year.

General issues are formed using the auxiliary verb DID, which is placed before the subject, followed by the semantic verb in the first form:

DID

subject

V1

?

Did you understand the rule? - Did you understand the rule?

Did she find a job? - Did she find a job?

Did they go to Europe? - Did they go to Europe?

For building information question Before the auxiliary verb we put the necessary interrogative word:

WHAT WHEN WHY etc.

DID

subject

V1

?

What did you do yesterday? - What did you do yesterday?

When did she sell her car? - When did she sell her car?

why did they leave? - Why did they leave?

AT question to the subject(Who? Who?) does not use the auxiliary verb DID, but uses direct word order (as in the statement):

WHO

V2

?

Who phoned you yesterday? - Who called you yesterday?

Who repaired the car? - Who fixed the car?

Who told them about it? - Who told them about it?

Use of Past Simple tense.

Now that you know how to form the Past Simple, let's look at the use cases of this tense in English:

1. Past Simple is an action that happened in the past and is not related to the present, a fact about the past:

I went to the movies yesterday. - I went to the cinema yesterday.

She graduated from University last year. - She graduated from the university last year.

They moved to the USA three years ago. - They moved to America three years ago.

2. Past Simple is used if the action was regularly repeated in the past or was habitual, but is no longer repeated:

When I was a child, we often went fishing with my father. - When I was a child, we often went fishing with my dad.

She attended gym three times a week to keep fit. – She went to the gym three times a week to keep fit.

They sold fruits and vegetables. They were selling fruits and vegetables.

To express regular actions in the past, the USED TO construction and the modal verb WOULD are also used. You can read more about their use.

3. Actions that happened in a row, one after another in the past:

I entered the room and greeted everybody. - I entered the room and said hello.

He turned on the TV and sat in his armchair. He turned on the TV and sat down in his chair.

We bought some bread and left the shop. We bought bread and left the store.

4. When we talk about historical events and figures:

Columbus discovered America. - Columbus discovered America.

The First World War began in 1914. - The First World War began in 1914.

Admiral Nelson defeated the French in the Battle of Trafalgar. - Admiral Nelson defeated the French at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Any time is perceived better if you remember its pointers.

Typical Past Simple time indicators include: yesterday(yesterday), as well as combinations that include the words last(past, last) and ago(ago):

Last week - last week
last month - last month
last year - last year
an hour ago
two days ago
three weeks ago - three weeks ago

Also, prepositions of time can be used. in, on, at and others, if it is clear from the context that the action happened in the past:

We had breakfast at 8 o "clock. - We had breakfast at eight o'clock.

Their first lesson was on Tuesday. - Their first lesson was on Tuesday.

He got married in 2000. - He got married in 2000.

Typical mistakes when using Past Simple time:

- incorrect pronunciation of the endings of regular verbs.

You can correct this mistake by doing exercises on reading the endings. Pronounce the endings clearly. Do not try to speak quickly until you can say the endings without deafening them.

- adding ED to irregular verbs or using the wrong form of an irregular verb.

You are likely to be understood, but it is better to avoid this mistake. Read more texts in Past Simple, underline regular and irregular verbs in them with different colors. You can make examples with irregular verbs and give them to familiar teachers for verification or.

Many people forget to put DID before the subject in questions, or use the second form of the verb in questions and statements.

This problem is relevant for all time. In this situation, only practice will help.

If you are learning English on your own, you can try this method: write down all the formulas (statements, negations, general and informational questions) in the margins of the page, then choose sentences from the texts in Past Simple and form all forms, writing them opposite the formulas. At first, you will often look at the hint, then less and less, and in the end you will remember everything to automatism. Proven by experience!

Past Simple is often confused with other tenses. In particular, this and . It is important to understand the differences here. Read about the differences in the use of tenses in our next articles: and.

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