We use the past simple for finished actions at a definite time in the past: yesterday, last week, in 2020, two days ago.

Regular verbs add -ed: work → worked, visit → visited. If a verb ends in -e, add only -d: live → lived. After a consonant + y, change y to -ied: study → studied. Short verbs with one vowel + one consonant double the consonant: stop → stopped.

The ending -ed has three sounds: /t/ (worked), /d/ (lived) and /ɪd/ after t or d (wanted, needed). The form is the same for all persons.

Many common verbs are irregular. Learn them in groups: go → went, see → saw, have → had, do → did, make → made, take → took, come → came, buy → bought, eat → ate, drink → drank, get → got, give → gave, say → said, tell → told, write → wrote, read → read (sounds like “red”), meet → met, sleep → slept, think → thought.

Negative: did not (didn’t) + base verb: I didn’t go out. She didn’t see him. Questions: Did + subject + base verb? Did you enjoy the film? Short answer: Yes, I did. No, I didn’t. The verb “was/were” (past of “to be”) does not use “did”: Were you at home? I wasn’t tired.

Question words: What did you do? Where did you go? Who did you meet? Why did you stay at home?

Use sequencing words to make a story easy to follow: first, then, next, after that, later, in the end, finally. For surprises use suddenly and unfortunately. To show two things at once use while or meanwhile.

Use “when” and “while”: I was cooking when the phone rang. A good short story has a beginning, a problem and an end.

• What did you do last weekend?
• Where did you go yesterday?
• What did you have for dinner last night?
• Who did you speak to this morning?
• When did you start learning English?
• What time did you go to bed last night?
• Did you sleep well last night?
• What was the weather like yesterday?
• Did you cook today?
• Where did you spend your last holiday?
• What was the last film or book you enjoyed?
• What did you buy last week?

• Tell me about the best day of last month.
• Describe a trip you took. What happened first, next, and in the end?
• Tell me about a time you were late. What happened?
• What was the last party you went to? Describe the sounds and the atmosphere.
• Tell me about a funny thing that happened to you.
• What was the last thing you learned?
• Tell me about the last time you met an old friend.
• Describe your last birthday.
• What did you do last New Year’s Eve?
• Tell me about a time you got lost.
• What was the biggest surprise last year?
• What was the best meal you ate last month?

• Which day in your life would you like to live again? Why?
• What was the most important decision you made last year?
• How do memories of sounds and smells help us tell stories?
• What lesson did you learn from a mistake?
• What is the most interesting story someone told you?
• What was the hardest thing you did last year? How did you do it?
• How do you think the world was different fifty years ago?
• If you could go back in time for one day, where would you go?

• What did you have for breakfast today?
• Did you sleep well last night?
• Who did you talk to yesterday?
• Where did you go last summer?
• What was the last film you watched?
• What did you buy last week?
• When did you last cook for friends or family?
• What did you do on your last birthday?
• What was the weather like yesterday?
• What time did you get up this morning?
• Did you read or watch the news today? What happened?
• How did you learn English?

• What was the best day of last year? Tell the whole story.
• What was your worst day at school or at work?
• Who was the most important person in your life ten years ago?
• What was the last time you laughed a lot? Why?
• Was your last holiday good or bad? Why?
• What did you want to do yesterday but couldn’t?
• What was the best present you ever got?
• If you could change one thing you did last week, what would it be?

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