This document provides an overview and examples of using different past tenses in English: - The Past Simple is used for completed past actions and habitual past actions. It is formed by adding "-ed" to regular verbs. - The Past Continuous expresses an ongoing action in the past. It is formed using "was/were" and "-ing". - The Past Perfect expresses an action that occurred before another past action. It is formed using "had" and the past participle. - Examples are given of how to form questions and negatives for each tense. Guidance is provided on when to use each tense together to clarify the sequence of past events.

1. Past Tenses
Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect
EF intermediate 5A

2. As a general rule …
• Use the Past Simple for finished past
actions
• Use the past continuous for an action in
progress at a specific time in the past.
• Use the Past Perfect when you are talking
about the past to talk about an earlier
past action.

3. Past Simple
Use the Past Simple for FINISHED past actions:
• Single completed actions in the past:
In 2001 she went to Miami
• A repeated action or habit in the past:
He always said what size sofa he wanted
• A state in the past:
He wanted everything in his hotel room covered
in clear plastic.

4. Past Simple
worked stopped studied went had
• Regular verbs: add –ed to the infinitive
(remember the spelling rules)
• Irregular verbs: review the list (again? Yes,
again … (page 156 on your Student’s Book)

5. Past Simple
• Remember to use the auxiliary word did
(didn’t) for questions and negatives:
Subject + didn’t + verb
I stayed at home because I didn’t feel well
(question word) + did + subject + verb
What time did he go out?

6. Past Continuous
Use the Past Continuous for:
• A longer action in the past
In 1998 they were touring in Europe and the
USA for most of the year
• Actions which were in progress when another
(shorter) action happened.
While they were having their end-of-tour party,
they threw the pies at each other.

7. Past Continuous
• Subject + was/were + (not) + verb + -ing
I was(n’t) working when you called
• (Question Word) + was/were + subject + verb
+ -ing
What were you doing when he called?

8. Past Perfect
When there is more than one action in the past,
we often use the Past Perfect for the action
that happened first:
SECOND ACTION (PAST SIMPLE) FIRST ACTION (PAST PERFECT)
I decided to make the series because I had (I’d) seen an
article in the newspaper
By the time she got up the next
day,
the weather had changed

9. Past Perfect
• Subject + had (‘d) + Past Participle
The Titanic had sunk the day before she arrived
in France
• Subject + hadn’t + Past Participle
I hadn’t heard of any of the women before
• (Question Word) + had + subject + Past
Participle
What had he done before you met him?

10. Tips
• We often use the Past Perfect after realised,
thought, forgot and remembered
• We use the same adverbs and time phrases
with the Past Perfect as we do with the
Present Perfect Simple: never, ever, recently,
lately, this week, just, yet, already …

11. Using the past Narrative Tenses
Together
When John arrived, they had dinner
Present
First action Second action
When John arrived, they were having dinner
Present
First action in progress
Second action

12. Using the past Narrative Tenses
Together
When John arrived, they had already had dinner
Second actionFirst action (finished)
Present
Or … They had already had dinner when John arrived