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English for Beginners - CEFR A1- Lesson 23 of 25
Beginner English Grammar (A1)

Past Tense

Read and listen to four conversations using the past tense.

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Conversation 1

Man: What did you do yesterday?
Woman: Nothing much. I just stayed at home and cleaned the house. And you? What did you do?
Man: I drove to the mountains and went hiking.
Woman: That sounds fun!
Man: It was. The weather was perfect, and we saw lots of animals.
Woman: Oh? What did you see?
Man: We saw some deer, an eagle, and a bear!
Woman: Wow! How exciting! Did you take any pictures?
Man: Yes, I took a lot of photos. I'll post them online soon.
Woman: Please do!

Conversation 2

Man: Did you do anything this weekend?
Woman: I did. I took the train to the city and met my friend.
Man: Oh, yeah! What did you do?
Woman: We had lunch and did some shopping.
Man: Did you buy anything?
Woman: No, I didn’t. I just went window shopping. I need to save money.
Man: Me too!

Conversation 3

Man: How was your day?
Woman: Difficult. I was so busy.
Man: How so? What happened at work?
Woman: A tour bus came in the restaurant for lunch. They ordered a lot of food. We only had two waiters, so we were very busy.
Man: Did you get a big tip?
Woman: We did. They left us $50!

Conversation 4

Man: Welcome home! What did you do tonight?
Woman: I went to the movies with my friends.
Man: Fun! What did you see?
Woman: We saw the new James Bond movie.
Man: How was it? I heard it was good.
Woman: It was really good. I liked it a lot.
Man: Did you do anything afterwards?
Woman: Yes, we went to a cafe after the movie and talked a bit.
Man: Did you eat? We ordered pizza.
Woman: Yes, I had dinner at the cafe.
Man: Well, if you're still hungry, there's still some pizza in the kitchen.
Woman: Thanks, but I'm full. I ate a big sandwich.

Past Tense

Point 1: We use the simple past to talk about completed events.
  1. We watched a really good movie.
  2. I went to Nepal for a year.
  3. I played tennis when I was a kid.
  4. They bought a new house.
Point 2Affirmative sentences use the past tense form of the verb, which often is an -ed ending.
  1. He stayed home and studied.
  2. He worked late last night.
  3. She cooked a big dinner.
  4. He washed and ironed the clothes.
Point 3: Many verbs have an irregular form that is not an -ed ending, but rather a special spelling.
  1. I met Joe last night. (meet)
  2. We had dinner at the new cafe. (have)
  3. We ate their pasta. (eat)
  4. Later, we saw a movie. (see)
  5. It made me cry! (make)
  6. He bought dinner, so I paid for the movie. (buy/pay)
Point 4: For WH questions, use did after the question word.
  • What did you do on the weekend?
    • I stayed home and studied.
  • Where did Roy go on the weekend?
    • He went to Devon.
  • Who did you meet?
    • I met Susan.
Point 5: For Yes / No questions, we use did to start the question, and did in short answers.
  • Did you go out on Saturday?
    • Yes, I did go out.
    • No, I didn’t go out.
  • Did you see Roy?
    • Yes, I did.
    • No, I didn’t.
Point 6: For negative statements, just add did not or didn’t before the base verb.
  1. I did not have time to go to the party.
  2. I didn't have time to go to the party.
  3. She did not like her dinner.
  4. She didn't like her dinner.
  5. The trains did not leave on time.
  6. The trains didn't leave on time.
Answer these questions about the interview.

Gap Fill: Complete the conversation with the correct word!

 

More Free Grammar Conversations for Beginner Students (A1)

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A1-21 There is / There are
Excuse me, is there a gym in the hotel?

A1 Grammar
A1-22 Was / Were
How was the movie?

A1 Grammar
A1-23 Past Tense
I drove to the mountains and went hiking.

A1 Grammar
A1-24 Articles
Do you have an eraser?

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A1-25 Any / Some
Do you have any paper?

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