The Past Simple TenseUsage 1. Use the Past Simple to express an action that started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.Examples:I saw a movie yesterday.Last year, I traveled to apan. !id you have dinner last ni"ht# She washed her car two hours a"o. $. %e use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. &hese actions happen 1st, $nd, 'rd, (th, and so on. Examples:I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.Hearrivedfromtheairportat8:00,checkedintothehotelat9:00, and met the others at 10:00.!id you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs '.&he Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. ) duration is a lon"er action often indicated by expressions such as* for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.Examples:I lived in !ra"il for two years.#uti studied $apanese for fi%e years.&hey sat at the beach all day.&hey did not stay at the party the entire time. 'e talked on the phone for thirty minutes. (.&he Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meanin" as +used to., &o make it clear that we are talkin" about a habit, we often add expressions such as* always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was youn"er, etc. Examples:I studied -rench when I was a child..e played the violin..e didn/t play the piano. !id you play a musical instrument when you were a kid# She worked at the movie theater after school.0. &he Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or "enerali1ations which are no lon"er true. )s in US2 ( above, this use of the Simple Past is 3uite similar to the expression +used to.4Examples:(he was shy as a child, but now she is %ery outgoing.He didn/t like tomatoes before. !id you live in &e)as when you were a kid*eople paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past. Time Expressionsyesterdaylast week5 month5 year6in $711when I was 88888 a week5 month 5 year a"osuddenlyForm: Verb to beI * I was born in Israel.he* .e was a doctor. she* She was in the US).it* It was cold yesterday waswaswe* %e were at home yesterday.you* 9ou were ri"ht: they* &hey were in Italy last summer.werewereNegative Form: Verb to beI, he, she, it;was not I wasn=t sick last week..e wasn=t in 2ilat last summer.She wasn=t at school on ?onday.we, you, they @ were not %e were not at home on Saturday.9ou weren=t happy with your "rades.&hey weren=t an"ry with his behavior. Qestions !ith Verb to be9es 5 Ao Buestion%h @ Aon; SubCect Buestion%h; SubCect Buestion%as%as%ere%ereI, she, he, itI, she, he, itwe, you, theywe, you, theyDest of the sentence#Dest of the sentence#Dest of the sentence#Dest of the sentence#%ho5%hat%ho5%hatwaswas Dest of the sentence#Dest of the sentence#%h ; word%h ; wordwaswaswerewereI, she, he, itI, she, he, itwe, you, theywe, you, theyDest of the sentence#Dest of the sentence#Past Simple: "eglar Verbs&he Past Simple tense of the most 2n"lish verbs