UNIT 6 LESSON 05: TALKING ABOUT THE PAST

Let’s talk about the past! ⏰

⏰ WHEN DID IT HAPPEN?

We use the Past Simple to talk about actions and events that happened in the past and are finished.

• I visited my grandparents yesterday.
• We played football last Saturday.
• She watched a film last night.
• They went to the beach last summer.

Look for words that tell you when something happened: yesterday, last night, last week, last weekend, last year and two days ago.

🔤 REGULAR VERBS

Many verbs form the Past Simple by adding -ed.

Present	Past Simple	Example
play	played	I played football.
watch	watched	We watched a film.
visit	visited	She visited her aunt.
clean	cleaned	I cleaned my room.
help	helped	He helped his mum.
walk	walked	They walked to the park.
listen	listened	We listened to music.
arrive	arrived	They arrived at six.

✏️ HOW DO WE SPELL -ED?

Most verbs simply add -ed, but there are a few useful spelling patterns.

• play → played
• watch → watched
• live → lived
• study → studied

For A2, the most important thing is to recognise and use the common past forms you see in everyday English.

⭐ COMMON IRREGULAR VERBS

Some common verbs do not use -ed. You need to learn their past forms.

Present	Past Simple	Example
be	was / were	I was tired.
go	went	We went to the park.
have	had	She had breakfast.
do	did	I did my homework.
see	saw	They saw a film.
eat	ate	We ate pizza.
drink	drank	He drank some water.
come	came	My friend came home.
get	got	I got home at seven.
take	took	She took a photo.
buy	bought	We bought some food.
make	made	He made a cake.

❓ DID YOU…?

We use did to ask questions about the past.

Question	Short answer
Did you watch a film?	Yes, I did. / No, I didn’t.
Did she visit her grandmother?	Yes, she did. / No, she didn’t.
Did they go to the park?	Yes, they did. / No, they didn’t.

Important: After did, use the base form of the verb.

• Did you go to the cinema? ✅
• Did you went to the cinema? ❌

🚫 I DIDN’T…

For negative sentences, we use didn’t + base verb.

• I didn’t watch TV yesterday.
• She didn’t go to school on Saturday.
• We didn’t play football.
• They didn’t buy anything.

Remember: after didn’t, the verb goes back to its base form.

📅 TIME EXPRESSIONS

Expression	Example
yesterday	I played football yesterday.
last night	We watched a film last night.
last weekend	She visited her family last weekend.
last week	I went shopping last week.
last summer	They travelled to Italy last summer.
two days ago	He called me two days ago.

Tip: These expressions often help you recognise that a sentence is talking about the past.

📖 A GREAT SATURDAY

Read about Alex’s Saturday.

Last Saturday was a great day for Alex. He got up at eight o’clock and had breakfast with his family.

In the morning, he went to the town centre with his sister. They visited a bookshop and bought two new books. Then they had lunch in a small restaurant.

In the afternoon, Alex met his friends at the park. They played football for an hour. After that, they went to the cinema and watched a funny film.

Alex got home at seven o’clock. He was tired, but he was very happy. He had a great day!

🔎 CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

1. When did Alex get up?
2. Who did he go to the town centre with?
3. What did they buy?
4. Where did they have lunch?
5. What did Alex and his friends do in the park?
6. What did they watch at the cinema?
7. What time did Alex get home?
8. How did Alex feel at the end of the day?

🗣️ WHAT DID YOU DO?

Think about your last weekend and complete the sentences.

• Last Saturday, I __________________.
• In the morning, I __________________.
• At lunchtime, I __________________.
• In the afternoon, I __________________.
• In the evening, I __________________.
• I went to __________________.
• I saw __________________.
• I had a __________________ day.

Challenge: Write 8–10 sentences about something you did last weekend. Use at least five different Past Simple verbs and two time expressions.

🏆 A2 CHALLENGE

My best day last week!

Write about one day last week that you remember well.

Include:

• when it happened
• where you went
• who you were with
• at least 6 Past Simple verbs
• at least 2 irregular verbs
• how you felt at the end

Example: Last Saturday, I went to the city with my friends. We visited a museum and saw some interesting things. Then we had lunch in a restaurant. In the afternoon, we went shopping and bought some clothes. I got home at eight o’clock. I was tired but happy.

🎮 GAMES — TALKING ABOUT THE PAST

Practise what you’ve learned! Try these games and practise the Past Simple.

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📝 Resumen

En esta lección de inglés A2 aprenderás a hablar de acciones y acontecimientos que ocurrieron en el pasado utilizando el Past Simple. Practicarás verbos regulares e irregulares, expresiones de tiempo como yesterday, last week y two days ago, y aprenderás a formar preguntas y frases negativas con did y didn’t. A través de ejemplos, una lectura original, juegos y actividades de escritura, podrás contar en inglés qué hiciste y qué ocurrió en diferentes momentos del pasado.