This is a set of slide that summarize some of the most outstanding characteristics of present and past simple tenses.

1. To be
Use the verb to be when
you speak about:
*Age
*Occupation
*Place
*Mood
*Characteristics
*Definitions
Conjugation:
I am
He/She/It Is
We/You/They Are
● I am 28 years old
● I am a teacher
● We are in Medellin
● We are happy
● They are tall, and strong
● An atom is the smallest unit of
matter which can take part in a
chemical reaction.
slides by Martín A.Tobón M

2. Present simple
Use Present simple when
you speak about:
● Habits
● General facts
● Daily routines
● Repeated actions
● Permanent states
● Conjugation
He/ She/ It end in
–S, -ES, -IES
● She reads a book
monthly
● Water boils at 100 ºC
● He takes a shower at 4:
35 am
● We visit grandma on
Saturdays
● She lives in a town
Slides by Martín A. Tobón M

3. Third person
● S
Dives
Reads
Sleeps
Runs
Answers
Says
Calls
ES
Teaches
Watches
Washes
Kisses
Fixes
Goes
buzzes
IES
Studies
Flies
Cries
Fries
Slides by Martín A. Tobón M

4. Do/ Does
● The auxiliaries do/ does refer to present tense.
● They are used in interrogative and negative
sentences
● Use Does with he, she,
it
Does he play soccer?
Does she speak French?
Does it go fast?
It does not work
He does not know it
She does not like it.
● Use Do with They,
We, You, I
Do I speak fast?
Do they swim well?
Do we read a lot?
You do not wear jeans
We do not drink alcohol
They do not tell the truth
I do not have problems
Slides by Martín A. Tobón M

5. Past tense
● Regular verbs
End in
-D
I received the letter
yesterday
-ed
She watched T.V last Friday
night
-ied
We studied all weekend.
● Irregular Verbs
You have to learn Irregular
forms by heart.
I took the pill at 8:00am
She left the office at 4:00pm
He flew to France
It broke in peaces
We did the homework
They brought some candy
You sent the papers on time
She wrote a letter to me
Slides by Martín A. Tobón M

6. Past tense pronunciation
/ t/
Walked
Worked
Talked
Laughed
Stopped
Searched
Washed
Watched
Dressed
Produce
/d/
Answered
Called
Lived
Memorized
Received
Stayed
Studied
Believed
Enjoyed
Cleaned
/Id/
Acted
Added
Accepted
Recommended
Commented
Ended
Invented
Painted
Planted
Landed
Slides by Martín A. Tobón M

7. Did
Negative
● I did not work yesterday
● She did not hide the
information
● He did not hurt himself
● We did not shake the hip
● They did not tear the paper
● He did not throw the stone
● We did not know the answer
● They did not forbid smoking
here
Interrogative
● Did you go to the play?
● Did she call you yesterday?
● Did he leave on time?
● Did you eat before class?
● Did you choose your car?
● Did she burn the letter?
● Did they throw the stone?
● Did they forgive you?
● Did he forget her birthday?
● Did you work last weekend?
Slides by Martin A. Tobón M

8. To be in past tense
● Use verb to be when
you speak about
*Age
*Occupation
*Place
*Mood
*Characteristics
● Conjugation:
● I, he, she, it WAS
● We, you, they WERE
I was 21 in 1999
She was a secretary
They were in Aruba
He was tired
She was thin
Slides by Martín A. Tobón M

9. Yes-no questions vs information questions
Yes-no questions obtain a
yes or no for an answer.
This can be in a short or a
long form.
● Are you happy? yes, I
am/ no, I am not
● Was she in Cali? Yes,
she was/ no, she was not
● Does she speak English?
Yes, she does/ no, she
does not
● Did they play golf? Yes,
they did/ no, they did not.
Information questions obtain
new information
● What do you do?
● Which kind of music does
your girlfriend like?
● Where is your father?
● Who was your best friend
in school?
● When did we start
classes?
● How did you know about
this program?
Slides by Martín A. Tobón M