Comunicación Empresarial

PAST TENSE: Regular

and Irregular Verbs

PAST SIMPLE
Lic. Lourdes López F.
EXAMPLE-regular verbs
■ Work
1.I worked 1.We worked
2.You worked 2.You worked
3. He 3. They worked
She worked
It
Negative form
1. I didn’t work
2. You didn’t work
3. He
She didn’t work
It

1.We didn’t work

2.You didn’t work
3.They didn’t work
Interrogative form ( ? )
1. Did I work ?
2. Did you work ?
3. Did he work ?
she
it

4. Did we work ?
5. Did you work ?
6. Did they work ?
Irregular verbs
■ Speak
1. I spoke 1. We spoke
2.You spoke 2. You spoke
3. He 3. They spoke
She spoke
It
Negative form
1. I didn’t speak
2. You didn’t speak
3. He
She didn’t speak
It

1.We didn’t speak

2.You didn’t speak
3.They didn’t speak
Interrogative form ( ? )
1. Did I speak ?
2. Did You speak ?
3. Did he speak ?
she
it

4. Did we speak ?
5. Did you speak ?
6. Did they speak ?
Rules
■ When the verb ends in –e,the past simple is
formed by adding -d ( care-cared ).

■ When the verb ends in a consonant + -y, and

adding –ied ( study- studied ).
The Past Simple is used:
■ To talk about an action that took place in the
past:
■ He got up, paid the bill and left.
■ I didn’t read the letter, I just gave it to Lee.
■ What did you say?
■ To talk about a state continued for some time,
but that is now finished:
■ I went to school in Scotland.
■ Did she really work there for ten years ?

■ To talk about actions that happened regularly

in the past:
■ I often played tennis with her.
■ They never went to the cinema when they
lived in the country.
Time Expressions:
■ Yesterday, two days ago, last week, last
month, last year, in 2005, …
THANKS FOR
YOUR
ATTENTION!