Grammar: A2 - ⚙️ Verbs in Depth: ⏳ Past & Future Tenses (Basics) - Lesson 2: Past Simple with regular verbs (-ed endings) - Affirmative, Negative, Question

✨ Lesson 2: Past Simple with Regular Verbs (-ed)

In our last lesson, we learned the past tense of 'be' (was/were). Today, we will learn the past simple for most other verbs in English: regular verbs¹.

Regular verbs are easy because they all follow the same pattern to make the past tense: we add -ed to the end.

Affirmative Statements: Add -ed

To make a positive statement in the past, you add '-ed' to the base form² of the verb. This rule is the same for all subjects (I, you, he, she, it, we, they).

• I played football yesterday.
• She visited the temples last week.
• They watched the Apsara dance show.

Spelling Rules for -ed:

• Most verbs: Add -ed (work → worked)
• Verbs ending in -e: Just add -d (live → lived)
• [Consonant] + y: Change 'y' to -ied (study → studied)
• One-syllable C-V-C verbs: Double the last consonant (stop → stopped)

Negatives and Questions with 'did'

This is the most important rule of the lesson! For negatives and questions with action verbs in the past simple, we use the helping verb did. When we use 'did', the main verb always returns to its base form (no -ed)!

Negative Form: didn't + [base verb]

• I didn't work yesterday. (NOT didn't worked)
• She didn't like the spicy food.

Question Form: Did + subject + [base verb]...?

• Did you visit Bayon temple?
• Did he watch the sunrise?

Short Answers:

• Did you enjoy the trip? → Yes, I did. / No, I didn't.

🧠 Practice Quiz: Create the Correct Form

Use the verb in parentheses ( ) to complete the sentence in the correct past simple form.

1. I ______ the temples yesterday. (visit)
   → visited
2. He ______ his homework last night. (not / finish)
   → didn't finish
3. ______ you ______ the food? (like)
   → Did you like
4. They ______ at a nice hotel near the river. (stay)
   → stayed

📝 Homework: Write About Yesterday

Write three sentences about what you did or did not do yesterday. Use the past simple.

Example: I visited my friend. We talked for a long time. I didn't watch TV.

---

1: ___________________________________

2: ___________________________________

3: ___________________________________

Vocabulary Glossary

1. Regular Verb: (Noun) - កិរិយាស័ព្ទធម្មតា (kĕ're'ya'sap thoam'mada) - A verb that forms its past tense by adding '-ed'. ↩
2. Base Form: (Noun) - ទម្រង់ដើម (tŭmrâng daem) - The simplest form of a verb, with no endings like '-s' or '-ed'. ↩