A1Functional

Talking About Past Experiences in English (A1 Level)

Posted on by adminatlingofrnd

Hello English learners! Today, we’re going to learn how to talk about things you did in the past. This is a very important skill because we often talk about our day, our weekend, or fun things we did before. Don’t worry, it’s easier than you think, especially at A1 level! We will focus on simple ways to describe your past experiences in English. This is great for English for Beginners and will help you with Spoken English Practice.

Why Talk About the Past?

Talking about the past is a big part of conversations. Imagine you meet a friend and they ask, “How was your weekend?”. You need to be able to talk about what you did! Being able to describe past events is essential for everyday communication in English. It helps you share stories, connect with people, and understand what others tell you about their lives.

The Simple Past Tense: Your Key to the Past

To talk about the past in English, we often use the Simple Past Tense. For many verbs, it’s very easy to make the past tense. We often just add -ed to the end of the verb! Let’s look at some examples:

  • Present: I watch TV.
  • Past: I watched TV. (Yesterday, last night, etc.)
  • Present: She plays football.
  • Past: She played football. (On Sunday, last week, etc.)
  • Present: We walk to school.
  • Past: We walked to school. (This morning, earlier, etc.)

See? It’s often just adding -ed! These are called ‘regular verbs’. There are also ‘irregular verbs’, which are a little different, but we’ll look at some simple ones later.

Making Positive Sentences About the Past

To make a positive sentence in the simple past, you use the subject (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) and the past tense form of the verb. Here are more examples:

  • I watched a movie last night.
  • You played video games yesterday.
  • He walked to the park this morning.
  • She cooked dinner for her family.
  • It rained a lot last week.
  • We visited our grandparents on Sunday.
  • They cleaned their house yesterday.

Notice how the verb is always in the past form, no matter who the subject is (I, you, he, she, etc.). This makes it quite simple!

Asking Simple Questions About the Past

To ask simple questions in the past, we often use the word ‘did’. ‘Did’ goes before the subject, and then we use the base form of the verb (the verb without -ed). Let’s see some examples:

  • Question: Did you watch TV last night?
  • Short Answer: Yes, I did. / No, I didn’t. (didn’t = did not)
  • Question: Did she play football yesterday?
  • Short Answer: Yes, she did. / No, she didn’t.
  • Question: Did they walk to school this morning?
  • Short Answer: Yes, they did. / No, they didn’t.

When you ask a question with ‘did’, the verb goes back to its base form. This is because ‘did’ already shows that we are talking about the past. This is important for Past Simple Questions!

More Examples and Common Verbs

Here are some more examples with common verbs you can use to talk about your past:

  • go – went (irregular verb)
    • I went to the shops yesterday.
    • Did you go to the beach last weekend?
  • eat – ate (irregular verb)
    • She ate pizza for lunch.
    • Did he eat breakfast this morning?
  • drink – drank (irregular verb)
    • We drank juice with dinner.
    • Did they drink coffee in the morning?
  • see – saw (irregular verb)
    • I saw a bird in the garden.
    • Did you see the new movie?
  • have – had (irregular verb)
    • He had a good time at the party.
    • Did she have a pet dog when she was young?
  • like – liked (regular verb)
    • They liked the ice cream very much.
    • Did you like the book?
  • want – wanted (regular verb)
    • I wanted to go to the cinema.
    • Did he want to play football?

Remember, practice makes perfect! Try using these verbs to talk about your own past.

Example Conversations: Talking About Your Day

Let’s see how we can use the simple past in a short conversation:

Conversation 1: About Yesterday

Person A: Hi! How are you?
Person B: I’m good, thanks! How about you?
Person A: I’m fine. What did you do yesterday?
Person B: Yesterday, I played basketball with my friends in the park. Then, I watched a funny movie at home. What about you?
Person A: I visited my grandma. We drank tea and talked a lot.

Conversation 2: About the Weekend

Person A: Hello! How was your weekend?
Person B: It was great, thanks! I went to the beach on Saturday. It was sunny and beautiful. And on Sunday, I cleaned my house.
Person A: Oh, nice! I just stayed at home and relaxed.

These are simple examples, but they show you how easy it is to start talking about past experiences in English. Focus on using simple past verbs and ‘did’ for questions.

Let’s Practice!

Now it’s your turn to practice! Fill in the blanks with the simple past tense of the verbs in brackets.

  1. I ___________ (watch) a cartoon yesterday morning.
  2. She ___________ (play) tennis last week.
  3. We ___________ (visit) our friends on Sunday.
  4. They ___________ (eat) pizza for dinner last night.
  5. He ___________ (go) to school by bus this morning.
  6. ___________ (Did) you ___________ (like) the movie? Yes, I ___________ (do).
  7. ___________ (Did) she ___________ (drink) coffee? No, she ___________ (do not).
  8. My brother ___________ (clean) his room yesterday afternoon.
  9. My mother ___________ (cook) a delicious meal last night.
  10. I ___________ (want) to buy a new book last week.

Answers to Practice

  1. I watched a cartoon yesterday morning.
  2. She played tennis last week.
  3. We visited our friends on Sunday.
  4. They ate pizza for dinner last night.
  5. He went to school by bus this morning.
  6. Did you like the movie? Yes, I did.
  7. Did she drink coffee? No, she didn’t.
  8. My brother cleaned his room yesterday afternoon.
  9. My mother cooked a delicious meal last night.
  10. I wanted to buy a new book last week.

Improve Your Spoken English and Practice Talking About the Past with Lingofrnd

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Lingofrnd is like a friendly English teacher in your pocket, available anytime you want to practice. It’s perfect for English for Beginners and learners of all levels. Start practicing today and see how quickly you improve your ability to talk about the past!
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Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve taken your first steps in talking about past experiences in English! Remember, the Simple Past Tense is your friend. Keep practicing using regular and irregular verbs, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. The more you practice, the more confident you will become in your Spoken English Practice. Use resources like Lingofrnd.com to practice speaking and keep learning. You’re doing great!