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...
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Ejercicio Resuelto

Simple past of regular verbs

Type the correct answer in the boxes.

d ed ied

1. I (walk) to work last week.
2. He (study) computer science for five years.
3. They (arrive) at the party late.
4. We (marry) in a church.
5. It (end) at 6 pm.
6. Ellen (wait) for an hour.
7. You (like) the movie. I didn't.
8. Bob (need) that book yesterday.
9. They (use) my new pen.
10. The teacher (help) the students after class.

Caso práctico

Simple past with ago
Paco arrived in London two hours ago. He travelled from Madrid Barajas to London Heathrow. He waited for his luggage at the airport and then he took the tube to the city centre, where he had previously made a reservation. When he arrived at the hotel, Paco was a bit excited, so he left his things there and went out for a walk through the streets of London.
The London Underground is the oldest, and one of the longest and most expansive metro systems in the world, dating from 1863.

Imagen de Arpingstoneen Wikimedia.

Public domain
Imagen de Javier Gil en Wikimedia.
Licencia CC
London seemed an incredible city for Paco. He observed with attention everything and everywhere around him. But Paco was extremely tired. It was midnight in London and Paco decided to go to bed.

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)

Comprueba lo aprendido

Pregunta

Choose the correct answer with the particle ago.

1) My father went to Madrid ...

Respuestas

My father went to Madrid ago two days.

My father went to Madrid two days ago.

Retroalimentación

Pregunta

2) ... I played football.

Respuestas

I played football two hours ago.

Ago two hours  I played football.

Retroalimentación

Reflexión

Special verbs in the Simple Past

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.

Para saber más

Click here to remember how we use the Simple Past Tense.

Simple Past with ago: a bit of extra information.