Course III

The Simple Past

Let’s start the lesson with a joke:

 Course III
The Simple Past

Structure of the Course (First part)

1.How do we form the Simple Past? –Regular Verbs

2. Affirmative, negative and interrogative forms of the Simple

Past.

3. Timelines, and concepts- When should we use the Simple

Past?
 1. How do we form the
Simple Past?
1. Rule Number 1.
The Simple Past tense in regular verbs is formed by adding - ed to the root (base) of the verb.

Să luăm verbul “to walk” [a merge]

Andrei walks to school every day (Prezentul Simplu; baza verbului + “-s” (persoana a III-a,
singular forma afirmativă). În acest exemplu, folosim prezentul simplu pentru a exprima o
acțiune reptitivă.

Andrei walked to school today. (Trecutul simplu, baza verbului “to walk” + participiul trecut “-
ed”. În acest exemplu, trecutul simplu se folosește în cazul unei acțiuni încheiate în trecut.
Imaginați-vă o discuție între mama lui Andrei și vecina de la etajul 1:

Viorica (vecina de la 1): Ce face Andrei? [How’s Andrei?]

Mama lui Andrei: Se simte mai bine! Astazi, a mers la școală pe jos. [He’s feeling
much better. He walked to school today.]
 1. How do we form the
Simple Past?

1. Rule Number 1.

It’s easy to form the Simple Past.

Let’s return to the verb “to walk” and conjugate it for each person:

The most challenging part,

when discussing the Simple
Past, is to make distinctions
between regular and
irregular verbs.
 1. How do we form the
Simple Past?

1. Rule Number 2: Verbs ending in “-e” add “-d” only.

Examples:
[to] love – I loved the Game of Thrones season finale. (said no one ever)
[to] move – When the girl started talking on the phone, John moved to
another seat.

Why is our aim so We don’t know

bad? RULE NO 2.
 1. Affirmative, negative,
interrogative forms of
the Simple Past
1. Rule No. 3: The negative of regular and irregular verbs is formed with did not (didn't) and
the base (root) of the verb.

Affirmative: Yesterday, I walked to school.

Negative: Yesterday, I did not walk to school. [regula did not+ baza verbului + terminație “-ed”
sau “-d”
Negative (contraction): Yesterday, I didn’t walk to school. [contracție între verbul auxiliar “did”
și negația “not” + baza verbului. Forma preferată în conversație și în limbajul informal. Pot fi
folosite interschimbabil.
Atenție! Pentru forma negativă și interogativă (ce au în componență verbul auxiliar “to do” în
forma sa de trecut “did”, vom adăuga DOAR baza verbului primar fară terminațiile “-ed” sau
“-d”. I walked (afirmativ) devine I did not walk (negație) și Did I walk ? (interogație)

Interrogative: Did I walk to school?

Pentru forma interogativă a prezentului simplu, vom inversa poziția verbului auxiliar cu cea a
subiectului (desori pronume/substantiv). Exemplu: I
 1. Spelling notes for the
Simple Past

Let’s break it down:

1.As previously mentioned, if a verb ends in –e, we will only add a “-d” at the end of the word.
(Seen in Table marked 1)
2.If a verb ends in a vowel followed by –y, we will eliminate the –y and add “-ed” (Seen in
Table marked 2)
3.If a verb ends in a consonant followed by –y, we will change the –y into an –i and add “-ed”
(Seen in Table marked 3)
 1. Spelling notes for the
Simple Past
Accentul cade pe o
Doubling consonants:
anumită vocală.
1.If there is a consonant after a stressed vowel at the end of the word, double the consonant.
Examples:

Stop- stopped.
Ban- banned.
Swap- swapped.

2. If the vowel is not stressed, we do not double it.

Open- opened (Here the stress is on “o”, not on “e”.

Offer- offered (Here the stress is on “o”, not on “e”.

3. Lastly, in British English, certain words double their last “-l” in the Simple Past form regardless
of vowel stress.

Travel- travelled; cancel-cancelled, marvel-marvelled.

 1. Timeline and concepts

Past When the When the action took place Used for a The Simple Past is used for an action
action time is asked at a definite time although past habit whose time is not given but which
with a about the time is not mentioned. (a) occupied a period of time now
terminated, or (b) occurred at a
given moment in a period of time now
time. terminated.
I met him When did you The train was ten minutes late. He always He worked in that bank for four
yesterday. meet him? carried an years. (but he does not work there
umbrella. now)

Pasteur When did They never She lived in Rome for a long time.
died in Pasteur die? drank wine. (but she is not living there now)
1895.

He finished When did he

1. Timeline and concepts

Tineți minte!
1.Acțiunea are loc în trecut? (Da)
2.Este incheiată acțiunea? (Da)
3.Există vreo conexiune (punte de
legătură cu prezentul)? (Nu)
4.Știm exact când a avut loc
acțiunea? (Da, de cele mai multe
ori)
ACESTE ÎNTREBĂRI VĂ POT AJUTA
SĂ IDENITIFICAȚI PREZENTUL
SIMPLU FĂRĂ MARI DIFICULTĂȚI.