Past Simple
There are many ways to talk about the past in English, but the past simple is the most common form. The simple past in English is equivalent to the imperfect and preterite indefinite tense of Spanish. We use the past simple to complete actions in the past. The time period for these actions is not important as in Spanish. In the past simple regular verbs and no irregular verbs.
Grammatical Rules (Reglas gramaticales)
Form (Forma)
To form the past simple regular verbs, add "-ed" to the verb completion. The shape is the same for all persons (I, you, he, she, it, we, THEY).
Examples:
- want →wanted
- learn →learned
- stay →stayed
- walk →walked
- show →showed
Exceptions:
For verbs that end in "e", just add "-d.
Examples:
- change →changed
- believe →believed
If the verb ends in a short vowel and a consonant (except "y" or "w"), double the final consonant.
Examples:
- stop →stopped
- commit →committed
With verbs that end in a consonant and a "y", change the "y" with an "i".
Examples:
- study →studied
- try →tried
Note: There are many irregular verbs in English. Unfortunately, there is no established standard for train. Then you have the three most common irregular verbs and you act as auxiliary verbs
| Verb | Past Simple |
| be | was (I, he, she, it) / were (you, we, they) |
| do | did |
| have | had |
Pronunciation (Pronunciación)
We pronounce "-ed" termination differently depending on the letter that goes to the end of the infinitive. In general the "e" is silent.
With infinitives ending in "p", "f", "k" or "s" (voiceless consonants except "t") pronounce ""-ed "termination as a" t ".
Examples:
- looked [lukt]
- kissed [kisst]
With infinitives ending in "b", "g", "l", "m", "n", "v", "z" (voiced consonants except "d") or a vowel, only utter "d ".
Examples:
- yelled [jeld]
- cleaned [klind]
With infinitives ending in "d" or "t", pronounce the "e" as an "i".
Examples:
- ended [endid]
- waited [weitid]
Structure (Estructura)
. Affirmative Sentences (Frases afirmativas)
Sujeto + verbo principal...
Examples:
- She was a doctor. (Ella era doctora.)
- The keys were in the drawer. (Las llaves estaban en el cajón.)
- I wanted to dance. (Quería bailar.)
- He learned English. (Aprendió inglés.)
- They believed him. (Le creímos.)
2. Negative Sentences (Frases negativas)
- To be:
Sujeto + "to be" + "not"...
Examples:
- She wasn't a doctor. (Ella no era doctora.)
- The keys weren't in the drawer. (Las llaves no estaban en el cajón.)
Note: The verb "to have got", which in the present simple follow the same rules as the verb "to be" can not be used in the past. To indicate possession in the past, we use the verb "to have".
All other verbs:
Sujeto + verbo auxiliar ("to do") + "not" + verbo principal...
Examples:
- I didn't want to dance. (No quería bailar.)
- He didn't learn English. (No aprendió inglés)
- They didn't believe him. (No le creímos.)
Note: In negative sentences, the auxiliary verb is in the past ("did") and the main verb remains in the infinitive.
. Interrogative Sentences (Frases interrogativas)
- To be:
"To be" + sujeto...?
Examples:
- Was she a doctor? (¿Ella era doctora?)
- Were the keys in the drawer? (¿Estaban las llaves en el cajón?)
Note: As in negative sentences, the auxiliary verb is in the past ("did") and the main verb remains in the infinitive.
Uses (Usos)
The simple past is used to talk about a specific action that began and ended in the past. In this case equivalent to the Spanish preterite. Generally, we use time adverbs as "last year", "yesterday", "last night" ...
Examples:
- Tom stayed at home last night. (Tom se quedó en casa anoche.)
- Kate worked last Saturday. (Kate trabajó el sábado pasado.)
- I didn't go to the party yesterday. (No fui a la fiesta ayer.)
- Did they walk to school this morning? (¿Han andado a la escuela esta mañana?)
The past simple is used for a series of actions in the past.
Examples:
- I received the good news and immediately called my husband. (Recibí la buena noticia y llamé de inmediato a mi marido.)
- He studied for an hour in the morning, worked all afternoon and didn't return home until 10 at night. (Estudió durante una hora por la mañana, trabajó toda la tarde y no regresó a casa hasta las 10 de la noche.)
We also use it for repeated or habitual actions in the past, as the Spanish past tense is used.
Examples:
- We always traveled to Cancun for vacation when we were young. (Siempre viajábamos a Cancun durante las vacaciones cuando éramos jóvenes.)
- He walked 5 kilometers every day to work. (Caminaba 5 kilómetros hasta el trabajo cada día.)
We use it to share stories or long periods of time in the past, as the Spanish imperfect.
Examples:
- I worked for many years in a museum. (Trabajaba en un museo durante muchos años.)
- She didn't eat meat for 6 years. (No comía carne durante 6 años.)
Used to speak in generalities or past events.
Examples:
- The Aztec lived in Mexico. (Los aztecas vivían en México)
- I played the guitar when I was a child. (Tocaba la guitarra cuando era niño.)
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