How do we form the Past Tense of Regular Verbs?

Spelling of regular verbs-Past Simple

1. The normal rule is to add –ED to the verb. Play=played. I played football yesterday.
2. If the verb ends in –E, add _D. live=lived love=loved. I lived in Tete when I was six.
3. One syllable verb ending in one vowel and one consonant, double the last consonant.
Plan=planned stop=stopped. I stopped smoking cigarette last year. Except: play and enjoy.
4. Change Y to –IED if the verb ends in a consonant+ _Y. Study=studied. Carry=carried.
There are many common irregular verbs. Go=went do=did. See the list on p158.

Form

The form of the Past Simple is the same for all persons. I/he/she/it/you/we/they arrived yesterday.

Negative

We use didn’t (did not) to form the Past Simple Negative

Subject+didn’t+base verb. I didn’t go to school yesterday. After didn’t, use the verb in present.

Question form

We use did to form a question in the past simple.

Did+subject+base verb. Did you go to school yesterday? Did Maria cook yesterday?

When there is a question word, start with it. What did Maria cook? After did, use the verb in Present.

Yes/no questions Short answers

Did you like the film? Yes, I did. No, I didn’t.

Use

The Past Simple expresses a past action that is finished/ a completed past action. Examples:

1. I played football last Sunday. 2. I went to America 10 years ago.

5. Years
6. Years are normally divided into two parts up to 1999, the first two digits and the last two digits.
So we read the first two digits as one number and the second two digits as another number.
1999=19/99 we would say: nineteen ninety-nine.
7. Years between 2000- 2009 are read as one number. The most common way of saying the year
is two thousand and+number, e.g. 2005=two thousand and five. After 2010, you may use the
two versions, can be read as one number or divided. 2015=thousand and fifteen/ Twenty
fifteen. When we have double zero, we usually read as hundred: 1900=nineteen hundred. And
when we have one zero, we read it as (oh). 1905=nineteen oh five.

The pronunciation of –ED depends on the final consonant sound.

We pronounce ED in three different ways

/t/ /d/ /id/
P: helped L: called T: started
K: cooked N: cleaned D: needed
SH: washed R: offered
CH: watched V: loved
SS: kissed Z: amazed
C: danced B: rubbed
X: fixed M: claimed
Voiceless Voiced

1. ED is pronounced as /t/ after voiceless sound, except /t/. Voiceless sound usually comes from
mouth, not the throat. For example: washed=/sh/. The vocal cords don’t vibrate.
2. ED is pronounced as /d/ after voiced sound, except /d/. It produces the vocal cords and a
vibration or humming sound in the throat. Example: call=called.
3. ED is pronounced as /id/ after T and D. Example: Want=wanted.

Verbs that end in a vowel sound use /d/ pronunciation. Play=played Try=tried Enjoy=enjoyed.

We don’t add any extra syllable when we are pronouncing. Try called. /calld/.

Vocabulary

Verbs

Retire=reformar Know=saber/conhecer hear=ouvir decide=decidir look after=cuidar de

remember=lembrar study=estudar want=querer earn=ganhar/receber stay=ficar
enjoy=divertir-se/aproveitar join=juntar-se survive=sobreviver disappear=desaparecer
break=quebrar rain=chover paint=pintar lose=perder think=pensar

Nouns

Politician=político world=mundo singer=cantor year=ano holiday=férias/feriado

plane=avião airport=aeroporto train=comboio garden=jardim meal=refeição
classmate=colega da turma party=festa wine=vinho letter=letra/carta

Adjectives

Retired=reformado famous=famoso exciting=emocionante dangerous=perigoso

worried=preocupado

Other words: fortunately=felizmente still=ainda only=apenas quite=muito