Embedded Files
Past Simple VS Past Continuous
Pre-existing concepts
Pre-existing concepts
- Formation of the Past Simple
You need to know how to form past tense verbs:
Regular Verbs: Add -ed to the base verb.
walk → walked
play → played
Irregular Verbs: These change form and do not follow a fixed rule.
go → went
eat → ate
- Use of the Auxiliary “Was/Were”
For the past continuous, you need to know how to use the auxiliary verbs “was” or “were” correctly:
Was: Used with I, he, she, it.
I was walking
She was studying
Were: Used with you, we, they.
You were talking
They were playing
- Formation of the Gerund
The past continuous uses the verb in its gerund form (verb + -ing). You need to know how to form this:
Regular and Irregular Verbs: Formed by adding -ing to the base verb.
walk → walking
run → running
- Sentence Structure
You should be familiar with how to construct affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences in the past:
Affirmative Sentences:
I walked to the store.
She was reading a book.
Negative Sentences:
I did not (didn't) walk to the store.
She was not (wasn't) reading a book.
Questions:
Did you walk to the store?
Was she reading a book?
Explanation
Explanation
Past Simple vs. Past Continuous
Remember:
Use past simple for completed and specific actions in the past.
Use past continuous for actions in progress and to show duration or interruptions.
Using "When" and "While"
Using "When" and "While"
"When" and "While" are connectors that help you show how two actions are related in time. Here’s how to use each one with clear examples:
Using "When"
"When" is used to connect two actions where one action (usually in past simple) interrupts or happens at a specific moment while another action was in progress (usually in past continuous).
Structure:
Past Continuous + when + Past Simple
Examples:
I was reading a book when the phone rang.
(Estaba leyendo un libro cuando el teléfono sonó.)
Past Continuous: I was reading
Past Simple: the phone rang
Using "While"
"While" is used to connect two actions, one that was occurring and another one that ocurred in the past. Both actions are in past.
Structure:
Past Simple + while + Past Continuous
Examples:
I watched TV while my sister was studying.
(Ví televisión mientras mi hermana estaba estudiando.)
Past Simple: I watched TV
Past Continuous: my sister was studying
Quick comparison
Quick comparison
Past Simple: I walked to the store. (Acción completa: Caminé a la tienda.)
Past Continuous: I was walking to the store when it started raining. (Acción en progreso interrumpida: Estaba caminando a la tienda cuando empezó a llover.)
Let's watch a video!
Let's watch a video!
Practice exercises
Practice exercises
USED TO
Pre-existing concepts
Pre-existing concepts
Past Simple Tense
Past Simple Tense
Formation and Use: Make sure you know how to form the past simple in statements, questions, and negatives. For example:
Affirmative: I visited my aunt last summer.
Negative: I did not (didn't) visit my aunt last summer.
Question: Did you visit your aunt last summer?
Differences between Past Simple and "Used to": You should understand that the past simple is used for specific actions that occurred in the past, while "used to" refers to habits or situations that were true in the past but are no longer true.
Explanation
Explanation
Introduction to the Concept
Introduction to the Concept
First, I want you to understand that we use "used to" to talk about habits or situations that were true in the past but are no longer true now.
For example, if you used to play soccer every weekend but now you play basketball, you would say:
"I used to play soccer every weekend, but now I play basketball."
Formation of "Used To"
Formation of "Used To"
Now, let’s look at how "used to" is formed:
Affirmative: The structure is: Subj + used to + base verb.
Example: "Jared used to live in London."
Negative: The structure is: Subj + didn’t use to + base verb.
Example: "I didn’t use to like spicy food."
Question: The structure is: Did + Subj + use to + base verb?
Example: "Did she use to play the piano?"
Short answers: The structure is: Yes/No + Subj + did/didn´t.
Example: "Yes, she did" "No, I didn´t"
Let's watch a video!
Let's watch a video!
Practice exercises
Practice exercises
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse