1. Paco arrived two hours ago (past simple + ago)
Caso práctico
Remember that the Past Simple tense is used when:
- The action happened in the past.
- The action/event is completed /finished at the time of speaking.
- The time or/and place is stated or understood.
- The length or duration of the event/action is not important.
Besides, note that when we tell a story, we normally use the Past Simple tense. We may use the Past Continuous tense to set and describe the scene, but we almost always use the Past Simple tense for the action. Look at this example of the beginning of a story:
The wind was howling around the hotel and the rain was pouring down. It was cold. The door opened and James Bond entered. He took off his coat, which was very wet, and ordered a drink at the bar. He sat down in the corner of the lounge and quietly drank his...
Ejercicio Resuelto
Simple past of regular verbs
Type the correct answer in the boxes.
| d | ed | ied |
Caso práctico
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Imagen de Arpingstoneen Wikimedia. Public domain |
Imagen de Javier Gil en Wikimedia.
Licencia CC
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Retroalimentación
In English, some phrases are often used with the Past Simple Tense to define time:
yesterday, last night, last month, last year, ago, many years ago, some time ago, a long time ago, ...
The particle ago makes reference to a finished action in the past. It is placed at the end of the sentence. In Spanish ago means "hace", and it is placed before the quantity of time -BE CAREFUL: the order is different in English and Spanish:
Ejercicio Resuelto
You have noticed the use of ago in the reading activity above. Take this into account to complete the sentences with the particle ago or the past tense.
1. Sonia broke the windows (two days)
2. I (go) to London three years ago.
3. Paco (send) a letter to his parents three days ago.
4. I drank a soda (two hours)
5. My grandmother (eat) a couple of hours ago.
6. I forgot my keys in my jacket (one month)
7. I ran six kilometres (five days)
8. That family was poor (ten years)
9. He committed a murder (three years)
10. I began a puzzle (two days)
Retroalimentación
1. Sonia broke the windows (two days)
2. I (go) to London three years ago.
3. Paco (send) a letter to his parents three days ago.
4. I drank a soda (two hours)
5. My grandmother (eat) a couple of hours ago.
6. I forgot my keys in my jacket (one month)
7. I ran six kilometres (five days)
8. That family was poor (ten years)
9. He committed a murder (three years)
10. I began a puzzle (two days)
Comprueba lo aprendido
Pregunta
Choose the correct answer with the particle ago.
1) My father went to Madrid ...
Solución
Pregunta
2) ... I played football.
Solución
Reflexión
Many frequently used verbs are irregular. You find these words in the appendix of a dictionary or in any English book. You must learn these words by heart (de memoria). Some of these verbs are TO BE, TO HAVE and TO DO.
Retroalimentación
| 1) have as a full verb | ||
|---|---|---|
| affirmative sentence | negative sentence | question |
| every time regardless the subject (I, he, she, it, we, you, they): | ||
| I had a book. | I did not have a book. | Did I have a book? |
| 2) be as a full verb | ||
|---|---|---|
| affirmative sentence | negative sentence | question |
| I, he, she, it: | ||
| I was in Rome. | I was not in Rome. | Was I in Rome? |
| we, you, they: | ||
| We were in Rome. | We were not in Rome. | Were we in Rome? |
| 3) do as a full verb | ||
|---|---|---|
| affirmative sentence | negative sentence | question |
| every time regardless the subject (I, he, she, it, we, you, they): | ||
| I did an exercise. | I did not do an exercise. | Did I do an exercise? |
Para saber más
Click here to remember how we use the Simple Past Tense.
Simple Past with ago: a bit of extra information.
