KEY 1ST BACH UNIT 1 GRAM PAST TENSES

Talking about the past

Lucía Quiles Ferre

Past simple Past continuous

Past simple

Past continuous

To describe past actions or states which were incomplete or in progress* at a specific time in the past.'A minute ago*, I was writing my essay'Ronald and Jim weren't playing cards this morning. 'Were you having dinner last night at 9 o'clock?' 'Yes, we were'

To describe past actions or states that are completed. I wrote my essay last night.I didn't know Jean before college. Did you eat all the birthday snacks? No, we didn't.

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Which time expressions in the 'past' list are used in past simple tenses?

Which ones in past continuous tenses?

Any other expressions?

Past simple and past continuous

We can combine both tenses by using 'when' or 'while' to show how two past actions or situations are connected. While I was driving, my phone rang. When my phone rang, I was driving. I didn't break my leg when I was skiing. This shows us that the past simple action happened in the middle of the past continuous action, while it was in progress.

Past simple and past continuous

Can you see a difference in the meaning of these two sentences? When the guests arrived, Jane was cooking dinner. When the guests arrived, Jane cooked dinner.

Past simple and past continuous

Can you see a difference in the meaning of these two sentences? When the guests arrived, Jane was cooking dinner. When the guests arrived, Jane cooked dinner. In the first one, Jane started cooking dinner before the guests arrived. We know that because it uses the past continuous. In the second sentence, the guests arrived first and then Jane started cooking.

Past perfect simple

Form

Had + past participle She had gone to the cinema with her mum I hadn't phoned him before my flight took off. Had you bought a warm coat?

Use

• to emphasize that an action happened before another action in the past:

I hand't phoned him before my flight took off.Which action was first in the previous sentence?

Past perfect time expressions

It was the first/ second/ third time that...It was the second time that I had tried octopus and I didn't like it.

Past perfect simple

Past perfect continuous

• To describe longer or permanent situations:

She met a man that had lived in the same city for 70 years.

• To emphasize that an action is completed:

I had finished my meal, and I was ready to go home.

To talk about temporary actions in the past, an action that continued in the past.I had been watching a zombie film, and my head was full of strange ideas.Did this person stop watching the film?

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Past habits or states

used to - would + verb

Used to

Would

To talk about repeated activitites(1) or states(2):(1)We didn't use to play a lot of sport.(2)We used to live in Castellón when we wwere young.

To describe repeated activites:We didn't use to/ wouldn't play a lot of sport.We would live (X) in Castellón when we were young.

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