Lesson 1: Past Simple (Regular, Irregular, & "be")

Welcome! When my students finish a busy day of leading tours or exploring the countryside, they love to share their stories.

To talk about actions that are completely finished, we use the Past Simple tense. Let's look at how English verbs change when we talk about yesterday!

warning Common Mistake

In many languages, you can keep the base verb and just add a time word (e.g., "I go yesterday"). In English, adding "yesterday" is not enough! You must change the spelling of the verb itself. You cannot say "I go yesterday"—you must say "I went."

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Interactive Vocabulary

Regular

Visited

The past tense of 'visit'. We add '-ed' to make it regular.

Example: The guests visited the ancient pagoda yesterday.

Regular

Cycled

The past tense of 'cycle'. It already ends in 'e', so we just add '-d'.

Example: Sophea cycled through the beautiful local villages this morning.

Irregular

Went

The irregular past tense of 'go'. It completely changes its spelling.

Example: Lisa went to the market to buy fresh fruit for the team.

Irregular

Ate

The irregular past tense of 'eat'.

Example: We ate delicious bamboo sticky rice after the tour.

Verb 'Be'

Was

The singular past tense of the verb 'to be' (used with I, He, She, It).

Example: The bicycle tour was very interesting.

Verb 'Be'

Were

The plural past tense of the verb 'to be' (used with You, We, They).

Example: The tourists were very happy with their local guide.

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Knowledge Check

chat_bubble Tour Debrief

"Yesterday, we _____ through the small villages." Which regular verb fits?

(Hint: We need the past tense of 'cycle'.)

restaurant Food Review

What is the correct past tense of 'eat' for this sentence: "He _____ all the food!"

(Hint: 'Eat' is an irregular verb.)

groups Customer Feedback

"The guests _____ very tired after the long ride." Which verb 'be' is correct for a plural subject?

(Hint: 'Guests' is plural. Which form of 'be' is past plural?)

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Lesson Complete!

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Study Resources

Lesson Summary & Review

Let's review the key concepts covered in the interactive module above to ensure you are ready to talk about the past.

The Past Simple Tense

We use the Past Simple to talk about actions that started and finished in the past. To do this, we must change the verb.

• Regular Verbs: Most verbs just need an -ed or -d added to the end. (Example: Visit → Visited, Cycle → Cycled).
• Irregular Verbs: These verbs completely change their spelling. You have to memorize them! (Example: Go → Went, Eat → Ate).
• The Verb 'Be': The verb 'to be' (is/am/are) changes based on the subject.
  • I / He / She / It → Was
  • You / We / They → Were