من طرف - You called</STRONG> Debbie.
- Did</STRONG> you call</STRONG> Debbie?
- You did not call</STRONG> Debbie.
Complete List of Simple Past Forms
USE 1 Completed Action in the Past
Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action 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:
USE 1 Completed Action in the Past
Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action 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</STRONG> a movie yesterday.
- I didn't see</STRONG> a play yesterday.
- Last year, I traveled</STRONG> to Japan.
- Last year, I didn't travel</STRONG> to Korea.
- Did</STRONG> you have</STRONG> dinner last night?
- She washed</STRONG> her car.
- He didn't wash</STRONG> his car.
USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions
We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.
Examples:
- I finished</STRONG> work, walked</STRONG> to the beach, and found</STRONG> a nice place to swim.
- He arrived</STRONG> from the airport at 8:00, checked</STRONG> into the hotel at 9:00, and met</STRONG> the others at 10:00.
- Did</STRONG> you add</STRONG> flour, pour</STRONG> in the milk, and then add</STRONG> the eggs?
USE 3 Duration in Past
The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.
Examples:
- I lived</STRONG> in Brazil for two years.
- Shauna studied</STRONG> Japanese for five years.
- They sat</STRONG> at the beach all day.
- They did not stay</STRONG> at the party the entire time.
- We talked</STRONG> on the phone for thirty minutes.
- A: How long did</STRONG> you wait</STRONG> for them?
B: We waited</STRONG> for one hour.
USE 4 Habits in the Past
The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as "used to." To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.
Examples:
- I studied</STRONG> French when I was a child.
- He played</STRONG> the violin.
- He didn't play</STRONG> the piano.
- Did</STRONG> you play</STRONG> a musical instrument when you were a kid?
- She worked</STRONG> at the movie theater after school.
- They never went</STRONG> to school, they always skipped</STRONG> class.
USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations
The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the Simple Past is quite similar to the expression "used to."
Examples:
- She was</STRONG> shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.
- He didn't like</STRONG> tomatoes before.
- Did</STRONG> you live</STRONG> in Texas when you were</STRONG> a kid?
- People paid</STRONG> much more to make cell phone calls in the past.
IMPORTANT When-Clauses Happen First
Clauses are groups of words which have meaning but are often not complete sentences. Some clauses begin with the word "when" such as "when I dropped my pen..." or "when class began..." These clauses are called when-clauses, and they are very important. The examples below contain when-clauses.
Examples:
- When I paid her one dollar</STRONG>, she answered my question.
- She answered my question when I paid her one dollar</STRONG>.
When-clauses are important because they always happen first when both clauses are in the Simple Past. Both of the examples above mean the same thing: first, I paid her one dollar, and then, she answered my question. It is not important whether "when I paid her one dollar" is at the beginning of the sentence or at the end of the sentence. However, the example below has a different meaning. First, she answered my question, and then, I paid her one dollar.
Example:
- I paid her one dollar when she answered my question</STRONG>.
ADVERB PLACEMENT
The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
- You just</STRONG> called Debbie.
- Did you just</STRONG> call Debbie?
