PAST SIMPLE
(or simple past)
&
PAST CONTINUOUS
(or past progressive)
PAST SIMPLE
• As you know, Past Simple refers to finished
actions:
Those people danced yesterday.
Not dancing now.
The –ed tells me it is past.
PAST SIMPLE
• Remember -ed means did and did = past
so...
Negative
>
I didn’t dance yesterday.
Interrogative
>
Did I dance yesterday?
If I have did, no -ed.
PAST SIMPLE
• The same with the irregular verbs. Let’s see the
verb RUN (base form), RAN (past simple form):
I ran a marathon.
Affirmative: I know it’s past because the verb changes
I didn’t run a marathon.
Did you run a marathon?
Negative and Question: I know it
because of the word did, so
I don’t have to change the verb.
PAST SIMPLE
• With verb to be is even simpler:
I am nice > I was nice.
He is my friend > He was my friend.
They are hungry > They were hungry.
• Negative and Questions work as Present Simple:
Are you deaf? > Were you deaf?
We aren’t ready > We weren’t ready.
PAST CONTINUOUS
• Past continuous is also a finished action, but you
use it to say it happened for a period of time.
I can say:
THEY DANCED. (past simple, they danced yesterday)
Or, I can say:
THEY WERE DANCING. (past continuous,
they were dancing from 10 to 1am. yesterday)
PAST CONTINUOUS
• So it’s always like this: was/were + [verb+ing]
I was cooking when you arrived.
Past continuous
Past simple
Mary wasn’t reading the book when you entered.
Past simple
Past continuous
Were they talking when you saw them?
Past continuous
Past simple
PAST CONTINUOUS
• Lets exercise:
1. Why ________ he having lunch at 4pm?
2. ________ you still working at 7pm last night?
3. At 8.30am today I ________ driving to work.
4. We ________ sleeping at 11pm.
5. My brother and sister ________ playing
tennis at 11am yesterday.
PAST CONTINUOUS
• Lets exercise:
was
1. Why ________
he having lunch at 4pm?
were
2. ________
you still working at 7pm last night?
was
3. At 8.30am today I ________
driving to work.
were
4. We ________
sleeping at 11pm.
were
5. My brother and sister ________
playing
tennis at 11am yesterday.
REMEMBER
I WAS DOING SOMETHING WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENED.
PAST CONTINUOUS or SIMPLE?
Lembre: você estava fazendo algo quando algo aconteceu.
was / were
verb+ing
verb in the past
PAST CONTINUOUS or
PAST SIMPLE?
• Lets exercise:
6. I ________ (meet) John in town yesterday when he ________ (shop).
7. Mary ________ (wait) for me when I ________ (arrive).
8. ________ (he/have) a shower when I ________ (call)?
9.I ________ (not/know) what to do while the baby ________ (cry).
10.The telephone ________ (ring) while we ________ (watch) TV.
PAST CONTINUOUS or
PAST SIMPLE?
• Lets exercise:
shopping(shop).
met
6. I ________
(meet) John in town yesterday when he was
________
waiting (wait) for me when I ________
arrived (arrive).
7. Mary was
________
called (call)?
Was he having (he/have) a shower when I ________
8. ______________
know (not/know) what to do while the baby ________
was crying (cry).
9.I didn’t
________
rang
were watching (watch) TV.
10.The telephone ________
(ring) while we ____________
NÃO CONFUNDIR!
PAST SIMPLE
PAST CONTINUOUS
Eu vi você ontem...
I saw you yesterday...
Ele caiu no chão...
He fell on the floor...
*NÃO EXISTE:
Ele não estava foi.
He wasn’t went.
She didn’t talked. Ela não conversoussou.
He didn’t speaking. Ele não faloundo.
We weren’t look. Nós não estávamos olha.
...quando eu estava correndo.
...when I was running.
...enquanto ele estava falando no telefone.
...while he was talking on the phone.
EXISTE:
He didn’t go.
She didn’t talk.
He wasn’t speaking.
We weren’t looking.
Ele não foi.
= P.S.
Ela não conversou.
Ele não estava falando.
Nós não estávamos olhando.
= P.C.
Irregular verbs
PAST SIMPLE
AM
IS
ARE
BEGIN
CAN
DO
GO
HAVE
MEET
SEE
TAKE
WAS
WERE
BEGAN
COULD
DID
WENT
HAD
MET
SAW
TOOK