In the last lesson, we talked with you about the past simple tense (Past Simple). You have learned to tell what happened to you yesterday, a week ago, last year, etc. But we have touched on only part of this topic. You will ask why? All English verbs are divided into two groups: regular and irregular. We learned how to construct a sentence in the past tense using regular verbs.
Today we will talk about irregular verbs.
Irregular verbs in Past Simple
Verbs are called irregular for a reason, but because they form the past tense not according to the rule. Most of the most used verbs in English are irregular. The exact number of irregular verbs is still unknown, about 250-260. The difficulty lies in the fact that each verb has its own special form of the past tense. The only way to master them is to simply learn them by taking a table of irregular verbs.
In this lesson we will try to consider the most commonly used verbs.
Irregular verbs include verbs such as:
Be-was, were to be - was
Begin – began start - started
Become-became become - become
Come-came come - came
Do-did do - did
Drink-drank drink - drank
Eat-ate eat - ate
fly - flew fly - flew
Go - went walk - walked
Have-had have - had
Know- knew know - knew
Make-made do - did
Meet-met meet - met
Put - put put - put
read-read read - read
Run-ran run - ran
Spend-spent spend, spend - spent, spent
Speak-spoke speak - spoke
Tell - told tell - told
Think thought think - thought
Write - wrote write - wrote
As you have noticed, there is no special principle for constructing the past tense forms of irregular verbs. But there are verbs in which the form of the present and past tenses are the same, for example, put - put, read - read.
However, the verb read - read spelled the same, but read differently, in the present tense , in the past time - [e]. This is due to the centuries-old formation of the currently existing grammar and phonetics of the English language.
There is also one verb that has two forms of the past tense, be-was, were. This is the verb we know to be, which is not an action verb, but is a linking verb and has singular and plural forms. was - the singular form, that is, it is used with the subject, which is in the singular (I, he, she, etc.). Were - plural form, always used with the subject in the plural (they, we, you).
Features of constructing sentences with irregular verbs in Past Simple
Let's look at some examples of sentences in the past tense with irregular verbs.
I went to work yesterday. I went to work yesterday.
Did you go to work yesterday? Did you go to work yesterday?
I didn't go to work yesterday. I didn't go to work yesterday.
What is special about these sentences that you noticed?
In the affirmative sentence, we used the verb form go in the past tense - went, but why in the interrogative and negative sentences we again began to use the verb go in the present tense. This is due to the fact that we use the helper verb to construct a question and a negation. did, with which we are already familiar. Verb did is also the past form of the verb do, which we used to build questions and negatives in the present simple tense present simple. Accordingly, in the question and negation, the helper verb did assumed the function of expressing the past tense.
Now your task is to learn the forms of irregular verbs and learn how to distinguish them from regular ones and use them correctly in a sentence.
Tasks for the lesson
Exercise 1. Choose from the list of irregular verbs and name their forms.
Stay, do, play, listen, continue, run, write, have, go, wash, clean, want, meet, spend, become, come.
Exercise 2. Insert the verbs in brackets in the correct form into the sentence.
1. I … to music at the weekend. (listen)
2. We … a lot of time outdoors last summer. (spend)
3. Kate ... to work by bus yesterday. (go)
4. Did you … lunch yesterday afternoon. (have)
5. They didn't … English when they … to Italy. (speak, travel)
Exercise 1.
Do-did, run-ran, write-wrote, have-had, go-went, meet-met, spend-spent, become-became, come-came.
Exercise 2.
1. listened
2. spent
3. went
4. have
5. speak, traveled
The past tense in English is divided into 4 parts:
Past Simple, Past Perfect, Past Continuous
Past Perfect Continuous
Most often in spoken and written speech in English, Past Simple and Past Perfect are used. The Past Continuous is used less often, and the Past Perfect Continuous is very rare, even among native speakers.
past simple
(simple past tense) - the second most difficult among English tenses after Present simple (simple present tense). The simple past tense in English is easily formed and is mainly used with verbs that describe a completed action in the past.
Example sentences in the simple past tense:
I heard the word she said- I heard the word she said. Last night I played my guitar loudly and the neighbors couldn't pass by Last night I played my guitar loudly and my neighbors couldn't pass by. You didn't fill out the form- You didn't fill out the form. I learned a new verb yesterday Yesterday I learned a new verb. Angela bought a baking dish Angela bought a baking dish. I managed to pass the test- I passed the test. I didn't want to go to the dentist I didn't want to go to the dentist. She didn't have enough time She didn't have enough time. You didn't pass the test You didn't pass the test. He didn't come to my party He didn't come to my party. Did they arrive on time? Did they arrive on time? Did she like the surprise? Did she like surprises? I got myself in shape“I got myself in shape. This verb was difficult for me This verb was difficult for me. What did you do yesterday?- What did you do yesterday? She couldn't go to the house She couldn't get to the house.
English verbs in time
past perfect
(past perfect tense) also describe an event in the past and differ from verbs in the simple past tense in that the action in the past perfect ended before another action, also in the past. The sequence of these actions is conveyed not by the sequence of verbs in the sentence, but by the use of different tense forms. Also, this time is often used in English in conditional sentences.
Example sentences in the past perfect tense:
Free lesson on the topic:
Irregular verbs of the English language: table, rules and examples
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I had finished my English lesson, when she opened the door I had finished my English lesson when she opened the door. It had snowed in the night, so the bus didn't arrive It snowed at night, so the bus didn't come. The film had started before we went into the hall The film started before we entered the hall. If I had known you were ill, I would have visited you– If I knew that you were ill, I would visit you. She would have passed the exam if she had studied harder She would have passed the exam if she had studied harder for it. I wish I hadn't gone to bed so late!“I wish I didn’t have to go to bed so early!” When I entered the room yesterday, my father had already cooked dinner When I went into the room yesterday, my father had already prepared supper. I didn't want to go to the movies with my friends because I had seen the film already I didn't want to go to the cinema with my friends because I had already seen this movie before. My friend offered me an apple in class yesterday, but I wasn't hungry because I had just eaten lunch My friend offered me an apple in class yesterday, but I wasn't hungry because I had just had lunch by then. As soon as she had done her homework, she went to bed As soon as she finished her homework, she went to bed. I was very tired as I hadn't slept well for several days I was very tired as I had not slept for several days. Had you seen the film before?- Have you seen this movie before? Before I came here, I had spoken to Jack“Before I came here, I talked to Jack. If I had seen him, I would have talked to him If I saw him, I would talk to him. James had cooked breakfast when we got up James cooked breakfast when we woke up.
Verbs in the form
Past continuous
(past continuous) in English describe actions or events that started in the past and lasted some time in the past before it was interrupted. Also, this time is often used to refer to actions that constantly or periodically occurred in the past.
Example sentences in the past continuous tense:
He was always trying to go to the basement He kept trying to get into the basement. She was constantly singing She sang all the time. While she was preparing dinner, he was washing the dishes When she was cooking dinner, he was washing the dishes. I was having breakfast, when she asked me how to get to the store I was having breakfast when she asked me how to get to the store. They were learning English verbs when she walked into the room They were learning English verbs when she entered the room. I was not expecting such a foolish behavior from him I didn't expect such stupid behavior from him. The snake was not running towards you“The snake didn’t crawl in your direction. The kids were not playing with the toys The children didn't play with toys. Were they going to their college? Did they go to their college? While Kenneth was cleaning the living room, Sam was learning new verbs While Kenneth was cleaning the room, Sam was learning new verbs. Was she walking in the street? Was she walking down the street? What were you doing at 10pm last night? What were you doing yesterday at ten o'clock? What were you doing when he arrived? What were you doing when they arrived? She was cooking when I telephoned her She was cooking when I called her. We were having dinner when it started to rain We were having dinner when it started to rain. Pam went home early because it was snowing Pam came home earlier because it was snowing. I was learning English verbs when he came I was learning English verbs when he came.
English time
Past Perfect Continuous
(Past Perfect Continuous) is a lot like Past Continuous - in both forms, verbs describe an action that started, continued, and ended in the past. The difference between tenses is that the Past perfect continuous focuses not on the action itself, but on its duration.
Compare two sentences:
I was working when he came I was working when he came. I had been working for 3 hours when he came I had been working for three hours when he came.
In the first case, the speaker was working at the moment when someone arrived. And in the second case, the emphasis is on the duration of the action, that is, on the fact that by that time it had already been working for some time.
More examples of sentences in the past perfect continuous tense:
Had you been waiting long before they gave you the form?“Did you wait long for them to give you a uniform?” We had been trying to open the door for five minutes when Jane found her key We tried to open the door for five whole minutes until Jane found the key. It had been raining hard for several hours and the streets were very wet It had been raining heavily for several hours and the streets were very wet. Her friends had been thinking of calling the police when she walked in Her friends were thinking of calling the police when she came in. John was very tired. He had been running John was very tired. He was running. I could smell cigarettes. Somebody had been smoking- I smelled cigarettes. Someone smoked. Suddenly, my car broke down. I was not surprised. It had not been running well for a long time“Suddenly my car broke down. I wasn't surprised. She hasn't been driving well lately. Had the pilot been drinking before the crash? Did the pilot drink before the crash? They had not been filling out this form since 2003 They haven't filled out this form since 2003. Kid had not been drinking milk for five months The child has not drunk milk for five months. You had not been reading this book for ten months You haven't read this book for ten months. Had she been waiting for her husband for one year? Has she been waiting for her husband for a whole year? Had he been eating vegetable for seven months? Has he been eating vegetables for seven months? Had you been wearing your sports uniform for two years?- Have you worn your sports uniform for two years?
Video about the past tense in English:
Find out how well you know the past tense in English!
Indicating the time of a certain action in the past.
In the aggregate, past tense forms in English are usually combined with the concept of Past Tenses. This article will consider three main times, which differ in duration and quality. So, there are indefinite past or Simple), long (Past Continuous) and perfect (Past Perfect) times.
Past formSimple
The Past Simple form is the most common and frequent past tense in English. This is the main time for expressing any action that happened some time ago. Very often it competes with the present perfect tense (Present Perfect), which, despite belonging to real verbs, is in the past tense. We must not forget that the perfect present tense is only suitable when a past action affects the present. If the events are not related to the present, you should use the Past Simple.
This time is formed very simply. If the verb is correct, you should simply add the ending -ed to it, if it is incorrect, the desired form is in the standard table:
We played the piano three days ago; I forgot my hat at home.
To form a question, use the auxiliary verb did:
Did you play the piano yesterday?
This auxiliary verb is also used for negation, but with the negative particle not:
She didn't watch TV.
Thus, Past Simple should be used if the action happened in the past and is not related to the present. Words that foreshadow the use of this tense form of the verb are yesterday (yesterday), 8 years ago (8 years ago), in 1989 (in 1989) and so on.
Past continuous form
Past Continuous is a tense that denotes a long action in the past. In other words, it is used when talking about a specific moment, about an action in a process. For example, She was playing the guitar yesterday at 10 p.m. The example shows that the Past Continuous is formed with the help of the additional verb to be in the past tense and the verb with the ending -ing. If the sentence is interrogative, it should be moved to the beginning, if negative, not is added to it:
Were you playing the piano yesterday at 10 p.m.? No, I wasn't doing this at that time.
In addition, this past tense in English is used to denote an action that once happened at a particular moment and was interrupted by another simultaneous action. For example, We were looking through the magazine when he called.
Tenses Past Perfect andPast Perfect Continuous
These tenses are called the perfect and perfect long past tenses, respectively. To form them, you need to have a good knowledge of the forms of verbs. The past tense in English is completely based on this knowledge. So, for the Past Perfect, you need an additional in the form of had and the second participle of the main verb. The latter can be found in the table of irregular verbs or formed by adding the familiar ending -ed.
It should be remembered that the simple perfect tense is used to express an action that has already been completed before a specific moment. In turn, Past Perfect Continuous is used in situations where a certain action began before a certain moment in the past and lasted for some time. Past Perfect Continuous is formed using the form had been, to which the main verb is added with the ending -ing.
In general, the past tense in English is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. It is very important to understand everything and practice on various exercises that will perfectly demonstrate the above rules in practice.
If you ask what is the most difficult thing in learning English, I think most will say that these are tense forms of the verb. After all, in Russian there are only three of them, and in English - as many as twelve. In this article, we will take a closer look at the past tense in English. With it, we talk about the events of the past. In English, as many as five tenses can be used for this purpose. These are the four tenses of the group Past: , and tense. In addition, you can express the past using the turnover used to and the verb would.
You can read more about each verb tense in the corresponding grammar section. Here we will focus on the comparison when using these tenses of the verb and only briefly repeat them.
past simple
This is the most understandable and used tense. It is formed by adding the ending -ed to regular verbs. Irregulars use the second form of the verb. To ask a question, we put the auxiliary verb did in the first place, and take the main verb from the dictionary (that is, we do not change it). For negation, we use did not + the main verb without change.
Past Simple is used in all cases when we talk about a past event as a fait accompli. It can be a single action, an event that has been repeated several times in the past, or a chain of consecutive events. In this case, time indicators are often (but not necessarily) used: last week, yesterday, fife years ago, in 1969 and so on:
I saw this movie last month.
I saw this movie last month.
She came home, watched TV, cooked dinner and wrote a letter.
She came home, watched TV, cooked dinner and wrote a letter.
Every day I had lunch at this café last year.
I ate at this cafe every day last year.
Pastcontinuous
This time is used when it is important for us to emphasize the duration of the action in the past, to show the process itself, and not the fact of the action. To form this tense, we use the past tense of the verb to be: was/were and add the ending -ing to the main verb.
When you called me, I was watching TV.
When you called me, I was watching TV.
Yesterday I was waiting for him for three hours.
Yesterday I waited for him for three hours.
I think that the use of Past Continuous will be more understandable if we make a literal translation: I was watching TV, I would be waiting. This translation allows you to see that the action is a long process. This is the logic of the English language.
PastPerfect
This time is also called the end. For its formation, the past form of the verb have: had and the third form of the main verb are used. This time is used when they want to emphasize the completion of an action before a certain point in time or before the start of another action. Often it is used in indirect speech when coordinating tenses. At the same time, the sentence may contain the preposition by with a specific date or time (by three o'clock) or the words when, after, before and others. There is one secret: when translating into Russian, you can put the word “already” before the verb in the Past Perfect.
I had done my homework by seven o'clock yesterday.
By seven o'clock yesterday I had (already) done my homework.
She thought she had lost money.
She thought she had (already) lost the money.
PastPerfectcontinuous
This is a continuous action in the past that was in progress and ended or was still going on when another past action took place. That is, we can use it when we want to emphasize the duration of the past action and at the same time its completion. The period during which this first action lasted is indicated in the text using the prepositions for, since, or in another way. To form this time, the verb to be e is put in Past Perfect: had been, and the main verb acquires the ending - ing. Fortunately, in colloquial practice this tense is almost never used.
When I came home yesterday my mother had been cleaning home for two hours.
Yesterday, when I came home, my mother had already been cleaning the apartment for two hours.
presentPerfect
Although this tense refers to the present, it is most often translated into Russian in the past tense. Therefore, when using it, confusion arises. The secret is that although this time is called completed, it is directly related to the present: either the action ended immediately before the moment of speech, or the action ended, and the period of time when it took place is still ongoing, or the result of this action influenced situation in the present. There is another option: the period of time when the action took place has ended, but the action itself is still ongoing. The Present Perfect is formed using the verb have/has and the third form of the main verb.
I have seen her this week.
I saw her this week.
He has lived in Krasnodar for ten years.
He lived in Krasnodar for ten years. (But he still lives here).
What past tense to use
In order not to get confused in the use of the past tense and correctly use the temporary construction, I propose to consider a few examples.
Let's take the following situation: Mom baked a cake yesterday. And depending on what we want to emphasize in this situation, we will use different tense forms of the verb.
1. If we just talk about it as a fait accompli, then we need to use Past Simple:
Yesterday my mother baked a very delicious cake.
Yesterday my mother baked a very delicious cake.
2. In the event that it is important to show that mom baked the cake for a long time, that is, the process itself, then use the Past Continuous:
My mother was baking this cake for two hours yesterday.
Yesterday my mother baked this cake for two hours (literally - she baked this cake for two hours).
We will use the same tense in the following phrase:
When I came home yesterday my mother was baking a cake.
Yesterday, when I came home, my mother was baking a cake (she was a baker).
Since in this sentence it is important for you to show what your mother (process) was doing when you returned home.
3. In the event that we want to tell that the action has ended by some point, that is, the cake was already ready, then the Past Perfect time is what we need:
Yesterday when I came home my mother had baked a delicious cake.
Yesterday my mother baked a delicious cake for my arrival.
Yesterday my mother had baked a cake by the celebration beginning.
Yesterday, for the beginning of the celebration, my mother baked a cake.
4. And here is the case when the Past Perfect Continuous time can be used: you came home yesterday, and your mother was preparing a cake, and she had been doing this for two hours:
When I came home yesterday my mother had been baking a cake for two hours.
Yesterday, when I came home, my mother had been baking a cake for two hours.
Please note that if we remove the time interval during which the first action lasted (the cake was being prepared) to the moment when the second action took place (I came home), then in this case we need to use the Past Continuous time (see example above).
5. In the case when it is important for us to emphasize the presence of a cake that mom cooked yesterday, we can use Present Perfect time. At the same time, it is not so important who, when and for how long cooked this cake, but the important thing is that it exists and you can try it, and everything else is incidental information:
Has your mother baked a cake?
Did your mom bake a cake? (Meaning: Do you have cake?)
My mother has baked a cake. Would you like to try it?
My mom baked a cake. Do you want to try it? (Meaning there is a cake to try).
Another situation
Consider another example: you have thought about something in the past.
I never thought about this.
I never thought about it. – You emphasize the fact of not thinking (about it) ever in the past.
I thought about this last week.
I thought about this last week. - You are talking about the fact that in the past you were visited by a thought (about this).
2. Past Continuous
I was thinking about this all day.
I've been thinking about this all day. - You want to emphasize that the process of reflection was lengthy.
I was thinking about it when you came back.
I thought about it when you got back. – You want to emphasize that at the time of her return you were in the process of reflection.
I had thought a lot about this before.
I've thought about this a lot before. - You want to emphasize that you used to think (about this), but this process is over and you no longer think.
When you called, I already had thought about this.
When you called, I already thought about it. - You want to emphasize that by the time she called, you had already thought about everything and no longer think about it.
4. Past Perfect Continuous
I told her that I had been thinking about it for three months.
I told her that I had been thinking about it for three months. - You want to emphasize that your thoughts (on this) continued for three months until the moment of talking with her.
5 Present Perfect
I have thought about this. I agree.
I thought about it. I agree. - You want to emphasize the result of your reflections - agreement.
Two more ways to express the past
In order to talk about the past, in addition to tense forms of verbs, there are also used to and would constructions in English.
usedto can be used instead of Past Simple, when there is a habitual or repeatedly repeated action in the past, which no longer occurs in the present. Or when we describe a state or situation that was in the past, but does not exist now. For example:
She used to go for a walk in this park every morning.
She used to walk in this park every morning (but now she doesn't walk).
When I lived in Sochi, I didn't use to have a car.
When I lived in Sochi, I didn't have a car (and now I do).
If you are in doubt whether it is better to use used to or Past Simple, then pay attention to what action you want to describe. If the action or state was habitual, routine, often repeated in the past, then in a declarative sentence it is better to use used to. However, in an interrogative and negative sentence, it is preferable to use the Past Simple.
If the sentence contains an indication of a specific point in time ( last month, last year, yesterday and others), then the turnover used to cannot be used. This turnover is also not used if the sentence indicates the duration of the action (for five years - within five years) or its frequency (three times - three times). In this case, the Past Simple tense is used. For example:
She went for a walk in this park last year.
Last year she walked in this park.
She went for a walk in this park every morning for five years.
She walked in this park every morning for five years.
She went for a walk in this park three times.
She went for a walk in this park three times.
Verb would it can also be used to describe repeated actions in the past that are no longer happening, but it is not used to describe states. For example:
When I was young I would play volleyball.
When I was young, I played volleyball.
But if you want to describe a situation or state in the past, then you need to use the phrase used to :
I used to live in Moscow.
I used to live in Moscow.
As you can see, if you deal with the past tense in English, it turns out that not everything is so complicated. Depending on what you want to emphasize: the duration of the action, its completeness, repetition in the past, the impact on the present or the very fact of the action, you can use the tense or construction you need. The more conversational practice you have, the easier it is to navigate the tense forms of the verb. Practice English with us on the channel "English - Speak Freely!" and be successful in learning the language!
English learners come across this grammatical topic fairly quickly. You need to tell, for example, what you did yesterday. How to do it? Obviously, to use a special form of the verb, different from the one used in the present tense. To do this correctly, you need to know the general principle by which the past tense is formed in English. This article is dedicated to this.
When is the best time to start studying?
First of all, it is necessary to clarify that you need to approach the study of the past form of the verb only after you have fully mastered how to form the present tense. Especially in sentences where the subject is a pronoun he, she, it(or their corresponding nouns). If you still do not feel confident with the present tense, then it is better to postpone a detailed acquaintance with the past for now. Otherwise, you risk getting confused. Especially in the light of the fact that not only affirmative, but also interrogative and negative sentences are to be studied.
To begin with, we will understand the two main principles by which English verbs change in the past tense. This is the basis of this topic in grammar.
Regular and irregular verbs
The first group is the most numerous, but the method of education here is the simplest. In the second group, everything is somewhat more complicated, because of which the verb forms have to be memorized. But the good news is that there aren't too many of them. And there are even fewer of those that are constantly used in speech. But first things first.
Let's start with regular verbs. They are named so because they form the past tense according to a single scheme (rule). In English, this is done by adding the suffix -ed. For example:
- look - looked - looked;
- answer - answered - answered.
In these chains, you see the initial form of the verb, then the simple past tense (in English Past Simple) and the past participle (Past Participle).
If the stem of the verb ends in a consonant and a vowel - y, then in the past form it changes to - i like in these examples:
- cry-cry-cry;
- study - study - study.
If before -y there is another vowel, then no change occurs:
- destroy - destroyed - destroyed.
With the second group of verbs (irregular) the situation is somewhat more complicated. They have no fixed ways of forming past forms. In addition, often irregular verbs have different forms of the past tense and the corresponding participle, for example:
- write - wrote - written.
In some cases, two forms or even all three may coincide:
- send - sent - sent;
- put - put - put.
Since such verbs do not follow a single rule for the formation of past forms, they are simply remembered like a poem.
Past forms for be, have, can
These verbs are used not only as semantic, but also as auxiliary and modal (that is, they convey a certain grammatical meaning), so you need to highlight them separately.
Past tense in English: a brief description
You probably already know that there are 12 tenses in total in this language. It turns out that 4 of them have passed. Let's figure out why each is needed.
Past Simple is used when:
- The action took place at a certain, known moment in the past (or there was a permanent attribute of the object):
We lived there in 1998.
He was a doctor. - The action was repeated regularly in the past:
I went fishing every summer.
- Several actions were performed in the past one after another:
She came home, had lunch, washed the dishes and went shopping.
Past Continuous is used when:
- The action took place at the specified time in the past:
Last night I was watching TV at home.
- The action lasted for a specified period of time in the past:
They were playing football from 10 a.m. to 12 a.m.
Past Perfect is used when:
- The action took place before a certain moment in the past (or before another past action):
She had cooked dinner before I came back.
The Past Perfect Continuous is used when:
- The action lasted and ended in the past; often the result is:
He was tired because he had been working all night.
Declarative, interrogative and negative sentences
Let's analyze the basic principles in the form of a diagram. You can form various types of sentences, which will be united by one similarity - the past tense. The English language offers fairly similar basics, which are easy to remember.
In the diagrams below, V - means verb (verb), and the numbers 2 or 3 in the lower corner are the second or third form according to the table of irregular verbs.
Easier than it seems - that's what can be said about such a phenomenon as the past tense in English. The more practice (doing exercises, listening to texts, reading, answering questions, participating in dialogues), the better you will get. Not all of the past tenses are used in everyday speech. But you need to know all of them in order to understand the books you read, newspapers, etc., complex sources of information. Indeed, in a sentence in English, the type of tense used helps to better understand the idea expressed by the author.
