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No matter how sad it may sound, they are not limited to only one option. If you want to be good at grammar, you need to learn how to analyze the situation you are talking about. It is important to understand whether the action is completed or whether it continues. Is there any connection to the present moment, or is the speaker simply mentioning facts from his past? The answers to these questions are key in determining the time at which a particular sentence should sound.

Rules of the past tense in English. 6 English tenses in one Russian sentence

To understand past tense rules English language I propose to take Russian sentence(“I spoke to John”) and see if it can be translated into one of the 6 past tenses. Pay Special attention to the explanation column.

English time	sentence	translation	explanations
past simple	I talk ed to John Yesterday	I spoke to John Yesterday	The action is Common fact. It is completed and never Connected with the present. Available Pointer to normal Past tense - yesterday.
past continuous	I was talk ing to John When you phoned me At 5 p.m. yesterday	I spoke to John when you Called me at 17.00 yesterday	The action took some period in the past or Happened in a specific Time in the past. This is no longer Fact, but process.
past perfect	I had talk ed to John before you asked me	I spoke to John before You asked me	The action happened before Another action in past.
past perfect continuous	I had been talk ing to John the whole day And then we went to The office	I spoke to John All day and then We went to the office	Emphasis is placed on what certain action in There has been a process in the past. The conversation with John lasted All day and then The following happened Action.
present perfect	I have already talk ed To John	I have already spoken to John	Here we emphasize Attention to the result. Not It matters when exactly Talking to John, it's important that He generally took place.
present perfect continuous	I have been talk ing To John so I'm very Nervous now	I told John That's why I'm like this Nervous now	The conversation with John lasted Literally to the present Moment and this action Somehow related to By this. We see that in Offers nervous due just held Conversations.

In theory past tense rules in english should not include phrases such as present perfect and present perfect continuous. But this article focuses on the fact that these tenses can be used in certain cases when you need to translate a Russian sentence into English in the past tense. After all, the concept of "past tense" in English cannot be attributed to any one rule and adhere to it in all cases when mother tongue the past is expressed.

How to master all forms of the past tense in English?

To master everything past tense forms in english It's important to spend as much time as possible practicing. Pay attention to the table above. Auxiliary verbs and desired shape the main verb to form the corresponding tense. Start your grammar work by making a similar table, but based on a different sentence. It can be something like “she read 2 stories”, “Masha was in the store” and so on. Pay attention to how past tense formation in English, and on the meaning that you want to focus on in a particular sentence.

If you want to quickly master the grammar of the English language and start putting this knowledge into practice, please contact our friendly team experienced teachers. We know how to sort through past tense rules in english and we are happy to share our experience.

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Hello! Today we continue to get acquainted with the temporary forms of the English language. We have in turn the simple past tense (indefinite), namely, the time past simple, or as it is also called Past Indefenite. Our goal is to learn how to conjugate affirmative, interrogative and negative verbs in the Past Simple Tense, as well as to figure out when to use the Past Simple.

First, let's define what Past Simple Tense is. So, Past Simple Tense expresses actions or states that took place at some time in the past. At the same time, their duration, completeness, precedence in relation to another action, etc. are not indicated, i.e., the action is expressed as a fact.

The Past Simple tense is a tense form that is used to describe events that happened in the past. This time is typical for written language, and for oral speech. Rules for the formation of the past tense in English

Rules for the formation of Past Simple Tense

And now let's move on to the main thing - to the rules. Education Past Simple Tense in English.

Affirmative Past Simple Tense

Auxiliary verbs are not required to form the affirmative form of Past Simple Tense.

Regular verbs form the affirmative form of the Past Simple Tense by adding an ending -ed to the stem of the infinitive without a particle to. This applies to all persons, the only and plural.

Rules for pronunciation of the ending - ed:

1. after voiceless consonants, except for t → [t]
to work - worked
to help - helped

2. after voiced consonants, except for d, and after vowels → [d]
to answer [ˈɑːnsə] - answered [ˈɑːnsəd]
to open [ˈəʊpən] - opened [ˈəʊpənd]

3. after consonants t and d → [ɪd]
to land - landed [ˈlændɪd]
to want - wanted [ˈwɒntɪd]

Rules for adding the ending -ed:

1. If the verb ends in mute - e, then - e missed.
to hop e− hoped
to blam e— blamed

2. If the verb ends in -y, and before -y there is a consonant, then -y changes to -i.
to tr y— tr i ed to cr y— cr i ed

If before -y is a vowel, no change occurs.
to pla y— played

3. If a one-syllable verb ends in a consonant with a preceding short vowel, then the final consonant is doubled.
to sto p— sto pp ed

4. If a verb consisting of several syllables ends in a consonant with a preceding stressed vowel, then the final consonant is doubled.
to prefer r— prefe rr ed to permi t— permi tt ed

5. In similar cases final consonant l doubles before both stressed and unstressed vowels.
to travel l— travel ll ed to compe l— compe ll ed

to walk

• I walk ed in the forest.
• you walk ed in the forest.
• He/ She/ It walk ed in the forest.
• We walk ed in the forest.
• you walk ed in the forest.
• they walk ed in the forest.

Irregular verbs form Past Simple Tense not according to general rule, and with the help of the II main form not regular verbs, which is also the same for all singular and plural persons. You can find a table of irregular verbs in the article Irregular verbs in English. Verb to be, in this case, is an exception, and we will return to it later. List of irregular verbs to understand in Past Simple Tense in the affirmative form:

• I understood the question.
• You understood the question.
• He/She/It understood the question.
• We understood the question.
• You understood the question.
• They understood the question.

Interrogative form Past Simple Tense

The interrogative form for both regular and irregular verbs in English is formed using the auxiliary verb did (Past Simple from to do) and the infinitive form of the main verb.

To form an interrogative form Past Simple auxiliary did is put first, followed by the subject, and the subject is followed by the infinitive of the main verb.

Regular Verb Conjugation Example to walk

• Did I walk in the forest?
• Did you walk in the forest?
• Did he/ she/ it walk in the forest?
• Did we walk in the forest?
• Did you walk in the forest?
• Did they walk in the forest?

Irregular verb conjugation example to understand in Past Simple Tense in interrogative form:

• Did I understand the question?
• Did
• Did he/ she/ it understand the question?
• Did do we understand the question?
• Did do you understand the question?
• Did do they understand the question?

Negative Past Simple Tense

Negative form in English, also formed with an auxiliary verb did, but already in combination with a negative particle not. So, the subject is put first, followed by the auxiliary verb did + negative particle not, and finally the infinitive of the main verb.

Auxiliary did usually merges into one with a particle not:
did not didn't

Regular Verb Conjugation Example to walk

• I did not (didn"t) walk in the forest.
• You did not (didn"t) walk in the forest.
• He/She/It did not (didn"t) walk in the forest.
• We did not (didn"t) walk in the forest.
• You did not (didn"t) walk in the forest.
• They did not (didn"t) walk in the forest.

Irregular verb conjugation example to understand in Past Simple Tense in negative form:

• I did not (didn"t) understand the question.
• You did not (didn"t) understand the question.
• He/She/It did not (didn"t) understand the question.
• We did not (didn"t) understand the question.
• You did not (didn"t) understand the question.
• They did not (didn"t) understand the question.

And now, in order to make it easier for you to navigate with the Past Simple Tense construction, let's summarize all these rules in tables.

Conjugation table of regular verbs

Number	Face	affirmative form	Interrogative form	negative form
Unit h.	1 2 3	I walk ed you walk ed He/ She/ It walk ed	Did I walk? Did you walk? Did he/ she/ it walk?	I did not (didn"t) walk You did not (didn"t) walk He/She/It did not (didn"t) walk
Mn. h.	1 2 3	We walk ed you walk ed they walk ed	Did we walk? Did you walk? Did they walk?	We did not (didn"t) walk You did not (didn"t) walk They did not (didn"t) walk

Irregular verb conjugation table

Number	Face	affirmative form	Interrogative form	negative form
Unit h.	1 2 3	I understood You understood He/She/It understood	Did I understand? Did do you understand? Did he/ she/ it understand?	I did not (didn"t) understand You did not (didn"t) understand He/She/It did not (didn"t) understand
Mn. h.	1 2 3	We understood You understood They understood	Did do we understand? Did do you understand? Did they understand?	We did not (didn"t) understand You did not (didn"t) understand They did not (didn"t) understand

And now, as promised, we return to the verb exception to be. This verb acts as an auxiliary and forms interrogative and negative forms without did.

Verb conjugation table to be

Number	Face	affirmative form	Interrogative form	negative form
Unit h.	1 2 3	I was You were He/She/It was	was I? Were you? was he/she/it?	I was not (wasn "t) You were not (weren "t) He/She/It was not (wasn "t)
Mn. h.	1 2 3	We were You were They were	Were we? Were you? Were they?	We were not (weren "t) You were not (weren "t) They were not (weren "t)

Past Simple Tense is used

1. When expressing facts that happened in the past that are not related to the present. Most often, the relation of an action or state to certain period in the past tense it becomes clear from the context (the content of the sentence or neighboring sentences).

• I read this book in London - I read this book in London. (The circumstance in London indirectly indicates the time of the action.)
• I called for help, but no one answered - I called for help, but no one answered (The verbs called, answered express a sequence of actions.)
• I'm sorry I was out when you called - I'm sorry, I was absent when you called. (subordinate when clause you called indicates the time.)

Very often in sentences in Past Simple Tense there are circumstances of time:

• yesterday - yesterday
• last night - last night
• last week - last week
• last month - last month
• last year - last year
• last summer - last summer
• the other day - on another day
• in 1945 - in 1945

As well as phrases with adverbs ago:

• five minutes ago
• an hour ago
• two years ago

• Where did you travel last year? Where did you travel last year?
• I was born in 1982— I was born in 1982.
• They were here ten minutes ago They were here ten minutes ago.

Interrogative adverbs when and how can also indicate the past tense.

• How did it happen? - How did it happen?
• When did you begin your studies? - When did you start your studies?

2. When expressing ordinary or repetitive actions in the past that are not related to the present:

• Last summer I often swam in pool - Last summer I often swam in the pool.
• When you were ill I went to see you every other day - When you were sick, I visited you every day.

Note that you can also use the construction to express repeated actions in the past. used + infinitive.

• We used to see each other very often when I was young - We saw each other very often when I was young.

used + infinitive it is also used when expressing a habitual or long-term action in the past (usually distant).

• In his childhood he used to be capricious - As a child, he was capricious.

3. When expressing a property or action that characterized the subject in the past.

• She was very thin when she was a small girl - She was very thin when she was a little girl.

4. Optional subordinate clauses in indirect speech, with the condition that the verb in the main clause is in the Past Simple Tense.

• Not said he lived in Moscow - He said that he lives in Moscow.
• I told him I wasn't there - I told him that I was not there.

The past simple tense (Past Simple Tense) is not particularly difficult. The most difficult thing is to learn the II form of all irregular verbs, which I advise you to do. You can't do without knowing these forms! Good luck in learning English!

Indicating the time of a certain action in the past.

In the aggregate, past tense forms in English are usually combined with the concept of Past Tenses. This article will consider three main times, which differ in duration and quality. So, there are indefinite past or Simple), long (Past Continuous) and perfect ( past perfect) times.

Past formSimple

The Past Simple form is the most common and frequent past tense in English. This is the main time for expressing any action that happened some time ago. Very often it competes with the present perfect tense ( Present Perfect), which, despite belonging to the present verbs in the past tense. We must not forget that the perfect present tense is only suitable when a past action affects the present. If the events are not related to the present, you should use the Past Simple.

This time is formed very simply. If the verb is correct, you should simply add to it ending -ed, if incorrect - the desired form is in standard table :

We played the piano three days ago; I forgot my hat at home.

To form a question, use an auxiliary did verb:

Did you play the piano yesterday?

This auxiliary verb is also used for negation, but with the negative particle not:

She didn't watch TV.

Thus, Past Simple should be used if the action happened in the past and is not related to the present. Words that foreshadow the use of this tense form of the verb are yesterday (yesterday), 8 years ago (8 years ago), in 1989 (in 1989) and so on.

Past continuous form

Past Continuous is a tense that denotes a long action in the past. In other words, it is used when we are talking about a specific moment, about an action in the process. For example, She was playing the guitar yesterday at 10 p.m. The example shows that the Past Continuous is formed with the help of the additional verb to be in the past tense and the verb with ending -ing. If the sentence is interrogative, it should be moved to the beginning, if negative, not is added to it:

Were you playing the piano yesterday at 10 p.m.? No, I wasn't doing this at that time.

In addition, this past tense in English is used to denote an action that once happened at a particular moment and was interrupted by another simultaneous action. For example, We were looking through the magazine when he called.

Tenses Past Perfect andPast Perfect Continuous

These tenses are called the perfect and perfect long past tenses, respectively. To form them, you must have a good knowledge of the forms of verbs. The past tense in English is completely based on this knowledge. So, for the Past Perfect, you need an additional in the form of had and the second participle of the main verb. The latter can be found in the table of irregular verbs or formed by adding the familiar ending -ed.

It should be remembered that simple perfect tense is used to express an action that has already been completed up to a particular moment. In turn, Past Perfect Continuous is used in situations where a certain action began before a certain moment in the past and lasted for some time. Past Perfect Continuous is formed with had forms been, to which the main verb is added with the ending -ing.

In general, the past tense in English is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. It is very important to understand everything and practice on various exercises, which will demonstrate the above rules in practice in the best possible way.

Very often, people who have been studying English for many months, and sometimes even years, still cannot speak it. Asking why? We learn English at school, it sounds on the radio, TV, is found on signs, etc. And the language is still not served. The reason is simple - fear. We are afraid to start speaking foreign language(they will ridicule, misunderstand or even take for a fool), we come up with a lot of excuses and, as it seems to us, reasonable arguments. One of these arguments is that the grammar of the English language does not lend itself in any way, it is very confusing; I teach, I teach all these times - all the mess in my head.

In this article, I will try to combine and explain as briefly as possible three simple times at once - past (), present () and future (). They are needed in order to start speaking in English. You can learn more about each time, about the nuances of their use, by clicking on the links on them.

For each tense, there are interrogative (?), affirmative (+) and negative (-) forms of the sentence.

I (I), you (you, you), we (we), they (they), he (he), she (she).

V is the designation of the verb, an abbreviation for the word "verb".

Now let's go over each tense.

present tense(Present Simple). AT affirmative proposals for the third person, the ending "s" is added to the verb. Interrogative and negative form formed with the help of the auxiliary words "do", "does" (for the third person) and the particle "not" (for negation). At the same time, there is no need to add any ending “s” to the verb, because it is already in does.

Past tense(Past Simple). If the verb is irregular, then affirmative sentences use irregular shape Verb Past Simple, i.e. verb from the second column. A list of irregular verbs can be viewed. If correct, the ending "ed" is added. The interrogative and negative form is formed with the help of the auxiliary word "did" and after it the verb in the initial form is already used.

Future time (Future Simple). Affirmative, negative and interrogative forms sentences are formed using the word "will" and the particle "not" (for negation). Used everywhere initial form verb.

As you can see, everything is very simple, in fact it looks like this:

Do not forget to run a couple of verbs through this table every day until everything comes to automatism. it's the same great way learn verbs and immediately "try on" them to all persons.

Hello ladies and gentlemen! Our next audio lesson is again devoted to the study past form (past tense) English verbs. And today we will clearly see how the past tense form of regular and irregular verbs in English is formed from the infinitive. You will also learn new phrases with past tense verbs to communicate with native English speakers. Formation of the past form of verbs in English

Regular verbs are words that form the simple past tense by adding the ending " -ed (-d) » to the stem of the verb or to the infinitive:

• explain - explained (explain - explained)
• answer - answered (answer - answered)
• expect - expected (expect - expected)
• like - liked (like - liked)
• stop - stopped (stop - stopped)
• study - study (study - learned)
• pretend - pretended (pretend - pretended)

The rules for the formation of the past tense of regular verbs in English are very simple and easy to remember.

And here is the formation of the past tense form irregular verbs are not subject to any rules. They form Past Simple according to established historical traditions, so you just need to remember them:

• Read - read (read - read)
• Understand - understood (understand - understood)
• Know - knew (know - knew)
• Write - wrote (write - wrote)
• Get - got (bring - brought)
• Hear - heard (hear - heard)
• Bring - brought (carry - brought)
• Buy - bought (buy - bought)
• Fly - flew (fly - arrived)

Listen and repeat another helpful audio lesson Studying sentences with English adjectives

See the examples in the table and listen to the audio lesson with voiced examples. Repeat the audio recording of the lesson after a professional native speaker, reproducing each word as accurately as possible to practice pronunciation and learn to understand interlocutors who speak English on ordinary everyday topics. /wp-content/uploads/2015/09/RUEN084.mp3

To check the correctness of your pronunciation, record your voice on the recorder while pronouncing the expressions, then compare with the original and correct the errors, if any.

English verbs in the past tense

The table shows examples of the past tense forms of both regular and irregular verbs. Then follow how Past tense is formed in each of the cases presented.

Past form (Past tense)
English	Russian
to read	Read
I read	I have read / have read
I read the whole novel	I have read/read the entire novel
to understand	Understand
I understood	I understood / understood
I understood the whole text	I understood/understood the whole text
to answer	Reply
I answered	I answered / answered
I answered all the questions	I answered / answered all questions
I know that - I knew that
I write that - I wrote that	I am writing this - I wrote / wrote this
I heard that - I heard that	I hear it - I heard it / heard it
I'll get it - I got it	I will bring it - I brought it / brought it
I'll bring that - I brought that	I carry it - I brought it / brought it
I'll buy that - I bought that	I buy it - I bought it / I bought it
I expect that - I expected that	I expect it - I expected it / expected it
I'll explain that - I explained that	I explain it - I explained it / explained it
I know that - I knew that	I know it - I knew it / knew it

And remember not only examples of phrases with irregular verbs, but also with correct forms, since they will also be useful to you in communicating with native speakers. Try to remember the pattern of formation of regular verbs in the past tense and their place in the sentence.

Also remember the audio lessons of spoken English on the topic “Past Verbs”: