Past simple

Hello, Welcome to 6 Minute Grammar with me, Finn.

And me, Sophie. Hello.

In today’s programme we’re talking about the past simple tense…

when we use it, how we form it for regular verbs…

we’ll take a look at some irregular verbs, negative sentences and questions.

and we’ll finish as usual with a quiz.

Ok - so let’s get started! The past simple is a tense in English that we use to talk about an event that happened and finished in the past. Here’s Neil with our first example:

Jack Dorsey invented Twitter in 2006.

Thanks Neil. Now, we often find the past simple in stories like this:

The boy started running. Suddenly, he stopped and listened…

Wow - sounds like an exciting story! And it had three past simple verbs: started, stopped, and listened.

and they are all regular verbs. We make the past simple of regular verbs by adding an ‘e’ and a ‘d’ to the infinitive.

so the past simple of start is started,

the past simple of stop is stopped,

and the past simple of listen is listened

did you spot the difference in the pronunciation there?

Yes, sometimes the ‘e’ and ‘d’ at the end sounds like a ‘t’. ‘t’. Listen: Stopped. Stopped.

Sometimes it sounds more like ‘id’. ‘id’. Started. Started.

or like a ‘d’: Listened. Listened.

Let’s hear all three again:

Stopped, started, listened. Stopped, started, listened.

So, listen out for those 3 different pronunciations of the past simple e-d ending. It ‘s simple, isn’t it…

Yes, well we are talking about the past simple, but irregular verbs are not quite so simple.

That’s true: can you give us some examples of irregular verbs, please, Neil?

I went to the interview yesterday and got the job!

And another one please?

Kurosawa made some wonderful films.

So the past simple of go is went.

get is got.

and make is made.

And I’m afraid you just have to learn irregular verbs. There is no one simple rule for them.

But the good news is that the past simple is the same for all people .

Yes, it’s I got the job, you got the job, he got the job…

We got the job, they got the job.

Everybody got the job!

Hooray!

6 minute grammar from the BBC.

Now, for negatives in the past simp [sfx: loud sound of unwrapping of biscuit and someone taking a bite] Sophie, are you hungry?

Yes, sorry, I didn’t have breakfast this morning.

You didn’t have breakfast! past simple negatives this is simple, you just put didn’t in front of the main verb.

That’s right. Didn ‘t plus the infinitive makes a past simple negative: I didn ‘t have breakfast this morning.

So remember: it’s not I didn ‘t had, it’s I didn’t have breakfast.

I didn’t have breakfast. I didn’t have time!

Now, let’s move on to past simple questions. Here’s an example:

Did you make that cake? It’s delicious!

Did you say ‘cake’? Where?

Sorry Sophie, it was just the example! So in past simple questions it’s did plus subject plus an infinitive: Did you make? Let’s hear that again - with an answer this time:

Did you make that cake? It’s delicious!

Yes, I did.

Or we could say: No, I didn ‘t. For short answers, just drop the verb and use the subject with did or didn ‘t, so it’s Yes, I did.

Or: No, I didn ‘t.

Good! Now for a quiz. I’ll say a sentence in the present simple and you change it to the past simple. Here goes: We start work at 10 in the morning.

Ok, in the past simple it’s, we started work at 10 in the morning.

Great! Number 2. Here’s a sentence in the past simple: you have to make it negative. Ready? Scientists found a cure for the disease.

And the answer is: Scientists didn ‘t find a cure for the disease.

And finally, I’ll ask a past simple question. Can you give me a short answer Sophie: Did you have breakfast this morning? Did you have breakfast this morning?

No, I didn’t. Or I could say: Yes, I did Finn, what did you have for breakfast?

Oh, I had cereal, eggs. Stop, stop! I’m so hungry. toast, orange juice, coffee, croissants ….

There’s more about this on our website at bbclearningenglish.com. Join us again for more 6 Minute Grammar.

Bye.