PAST TENSES

PAST TENSES

To describe ongoing actions/situations around a time in the past

To describe an event that happened before another.

PAST PERFECT SIMPLE

PAST CONTINUOUS

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

USED TO and WOULD

PAST SIMPLE

To talk about actions and completed events in the past.

To talk about habits and customs in the past that are different today.

To talk about ongoing actions that began before another action in the past.

María Fonseca

Past simple

People didn't wear any face masks in Spain two years ago. Last week he crashed his dad's car. Did you call me yesterday night?

FORM

• Affirmative: She went to the cinema yesterday.
• Negative: She didn't go to the cinema yesterday.
• Interrogative: Did she go to the cinema yesterday?

Past continuous

At that time, I was still waiting for him to pick me up. Thousands of people were escaping during the earthquake.

We use WHILE to describe the situation WHEN something happened (interrupted by past simple event):

• While I was having a bath, someone knocked the door.
• The fire started while people were sleeping.
• I was getting dressed, WHEN my brother arrived.

FORM

• Affirmative: subject + was/were + -ing -> We were reading.
• Negative: subject + wasn't/weren't + -ing -> We weren't reading.
• Interrogative: was/were + subject + -ing -> Were we reading?

USED TO and WOULD

We use USED TO + verb in affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences, and also to talk about states and feelings:

• I used to play basketball when I was a child.
• She used to come to my house everyday.
• We DIDN'T USE TO be very sociable.
• DID you USE to go camping?
• I used to have long hair.
• You used to love me, but now you love someone else.

We use WOULD + verb in affirmative sentences (rarely in the negative and interrogative form) and never to talk about states and feelings.

• I would go there everyday when I was 10.
• My grandma would cook a delicuous stew every Sunday.
• At school, I would always ask the teacher any question.

PAST PERFECT SIMPLE

We use the past perfect simple together with other past tenses to talk about actions that happened BEFORE the main action/state.

• When she came home the dog had destroyed the sofa.
• I didn't go to the cinema with them because I had already watched the movie.

When we use it with the past simple, usually the past simple action is the most recent.

• When we arrived, the play had already started.

Most recent action: arriving; previous action: play starting

FORM + subject + HAD+ past participle - subject + HADN'T + past participle ? HAD + subject + past participle

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

We use the past perfect continuous together with other past tenses to talk about actions that happened BEFORE the main action/state.

• I had been studying for weeks so I was really tired.
• Had you been waiting long before the taxi arrived?
• We had been trying to open the door for five minutes when Jane found her key.

FORM + subject + HAD + BEEN + -ing - subject + HADN'T + BEEN + -ing ? HAD + subject + BEEN + -ing