Past tenses

Past Simple Regular verbs Irregular verbs get -d, -ed ending in the positive form I played I did not (didn’t) play Did I play? Have their own forms (second column) in the positive form I wrote I did not (didn’t) write Did I write?

Spelling changes: Work – worked Love – loved Beg – begged (one syllable, one vowel, one consonant) Refer – referred (two syllables, stress on the second one) Play – played (consonant is not doubled if it is y or w) Carry – carried (consonant + y, y changes into i) Enjoy – enjoyed (vowel + y, y doesn’t change)

Past Simple uses: For a finished action in the past I watched TV yesterday. For a series of actions in a story (chronological order) I left home at 8, rushed to the station and pushed onto a packed train. For a past state or habit When Nick was young, he played with his sister all the time.

Time expressions: Yesterday Two days ago, 5 minutes ago.. Last night, last week… In 1995 In April In summer On Sunday When I was young

Used to + verb Also used for past habits Functions in the same way as Past Simple Nick used to play with his sister all the time. Nick didn’t use to play… Did Nick use to play…?

Past Continuous Past Simple of the helping verb to BE (was / were) + Present Participle of the main verb (ing form) I was playing, I wasn’t playing, Was I playing? You were playing, You weren’t playing, Were you playing? He, she, it was playing We were playing You were playing They were playing

Past Continuous uses: For an activity in the progress in the past Yesterday at 8 am we were eating breakfast. For descriptions It was a beautiful day yesterday. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. For incomplete past activity I was reading an interesting book yesterday. (but I didn’t finish) (I read an interesting book yesterday. - I finished )

Past Continuous uses: For interrupted (prekinutu) past activity I was having a bath, when the phone rang. For two simultaneous (istovremene) past activities in progress While I was reading a book, my sister was watching TV.

Past Perfect Simple Past Simple of the helping verb to have + Past Participle of the main verb in all forms Regular / irregular verbs I had played / I had written (third column) I hadn’t played / I hadn’t written Had I played? / Had I written?

Past Perfect Simple uses: For an action that happend before another past action (za pretprošlu radnju) As soon as he started talking, I knew we had met before. To tell a story in retrospective order When I returned home, I found that someone had broken into the house.

Past Simple Passive Past Simple of the helping verb to be + Past Participle of the main verb Shakespeare wrote Hamlet. Hamlet was written by Shakespeare. PAST SIMPLE + PAST PARTICIPLE OF TO BE OF THE MAIN VERB