PAST TENSES present perfect past perfect

past tenses

1. PAST TENSES
English grammar

2. THERE ARE FOUR PAST TENSES
IN ENGLISH
PAST SIMPLE
PAST CONTINUOUS
PAST PERFECT
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
PAST TENSES
DESCRIBE COSAS
Que pasaron
Que estaban pasando
Que habian pasado
Que habian estado pasando

3. PAST SIMPLE
STRUCTURE
SUBJECT + PAST TENSE VERB
EXAMPLES
“I walked to the park yesterday”
“She visited her grandmother last weekend”
Irregular verbs:
“I ate breakfast at 7 AM.”
“They drove to the mountains for
the weekend”
“Describes actions
completed at a definite
point in the past”

4. PAST CONTINUOUS
STRUCTURE
SUBJECT + WAS/WERE + BASE VERB + ING
EXAMPLES
"I was reading a book when the phone rang."
"They were playing soccer at 5 PM yesterday."
“Describes actions in
progress at a specific time in
the.past”

5. PAST PERFECT
STRUCTURE
SUBJECT + HAD + PAST PARTICIPLE
EXAMPLES
"She had finished her homework before
dinner.“
"By the time we arrived, they had already left."
Describes actions
completed before
another event in the past.

6. PAST PERFECT COUNTINOUS
STRUCTURE
SUBJECT + HAD + BEEN + BASE VERB + ING
EXAMPLES
"He had been studying for hours before he
took a break."“
"They had been waiting for the bus since
morning."
“Indicates continuous
actions before a specific
event in the past.”

7. CHEAT SHEET
Past Tense Structure
Example Sentence
(English)
Example Sentence
(Spanish)
Usage (English)
Explanation in
Spanish
Past Simple
Subject + past tense
verb
I walked to the park
yesterday.
Caminé al parque
ayer.
Completed actions in
the past
Acciones completadas
en el pasado
(regular/irregular)
Past
Continuous
Subject + was/were
+ base verb + ing
I was reading a
book.
Estaba leyendo un
libro.
Ongoing actions at a
specific time in the
past
Acciones en progreso en
un momento específico
del pasado
Past Perfect
Subject + had + past
participle
She had finished her
homework.
Ella había terminado
su tarea.
Actions completed
before another event
in the past
Acciones completadas
antes de otro evento en
el pasado
Past Perfect
Continuous
Subject + had + been
+ base verb + ing
He had been
studying for hours.
Él había estado
estudiando por
horas.
Continuous actions
before a specific
point in the past
Acciones continuas
antes de un punto
específico en el pasado

8. Form two sentences using the simple past tense for the given verbs.
Play:
Example: I played soccer yesterday.
Write:
Example: She wrote a letter last night.
Eat:
Example: They ate lunch at 1 PM.
Go:
Example: He went to the store after school.
EXERCISES: PAST SIMPLE

9. Rewrite the given sentences in the past continuous tense.
She reads a book.
They play soccer.
I eat breakfast.
He writes a letter.
EXERCISES: PAST CONTINUOUS

10. EXERCISES: PAST PERFECT
Convert the sentences to the past perfect tense.
We arrived before the movie started.
She left after the party ended.
They finished the project before the deadline.
He called me after I left.

11. EXERCISES: PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
Rewrite the sentences using the past perfect continuous tense.
She studied for six hours before the exam.
They played football for two hours before it started raining.
I waited for them for an hour before they arrived.
He practiced the guitar for a week before the concert.

12. HOMEWORK
Write two sentences using the four types of past tenses we have studied.
Past simple
Past continuous
Past perfect
Past perfect continuous
UNTIL NEXT TIME!