INTRODUCTION
Past tense is a verb form used to indicate that an action or event occurred in the past. It is used to describe actions or states that have already taken place and are no longer happening in the present.
In English, there are two types of past tense: regular past tense and irregular past tense. Regular past tense verbs are formed by adding -ed to the base form of the verb, such as “walked” or “talked.” Irregular past tense verbs, on the other hand, do not follow a regular pattern and must be memorized individually, such as “ate” or “went.”
Past tense is often used to describe completed actions or events, such as “yesterday, I walked to the store” or “last night, I watched a movie.” It can also be used to describe a state or situation in the past, such as “when I was a child, I lived in a small town.”
It’s important to note that there are different ways to express past tense depending on the context and the verb tense being used. For example, the past perfect tense is used to indicate an action that was completed before another past action, such as “I had eaten breakfast before I went to work.”
The Past Simple tense is sometimes called the “preterite tense”. We can use several tenses and forms to talk about the past, but the Past Simple tense is the one we use most often.
In this lesson we look at the structure and use of the Past Simple tense, followed by a quiz to check your understanding.
We use the Past Simple tense when:
The event is in the past
The event is completely finished
We say (or understand) the time and/or place of the event
Example:
POSITIVE FORM
I called Jennie at nine last night, but he was not at home.
(Saya menelepon Jennie jam sembilan tadi malam, tetapi dia tidak ada di rumah)
I got a package in the mail. When I opened it, I found a surprise.
(Saya mendapat paket melalui pos. Ketika saya membukanya, saya menemukan kejutan)
Wayan went to his friends’ house yesterday, but they were not at home.
(Wayan pergi ke rumah teman-temannya kemarin, tetapi mereka tidak ada di rumah)
I’m sure you met Cindy at the party last night.
(Saya yakin Anda bertemu Cindy di pesta tadi malam)
Ann threw a ball out the window and hit another student.
(Ann melemparkan sebuah bola ke luar jendela dan mengenai siswa lain)
He swept the ashes from the fireplace this morning.
(Laki-laki itu menyapu abu dari perapian pagi ini)
He wore an elegant grey jacket yesterday.
(Laki-laki itu mengenakan jaket abu-abu yang elegan kemarin)
We went to Surabaya last July.
(Kami pergi ke Surabaya Juli lalu)
I asked Komang if she wanted to come round and play with Isabel.
(Saya bertanya kepada Komang apakah dia ingin datang dan bermain dengan Isabel)
NEGATIVE FORM
She did not cry when she got the letter.
(Perempuan itu tidak menangis ketika dia mendapat surat itu)
They did not visit our grandma’s house two weeks ago.
(Mereka tidak mengunjungi rumah nenek kami dua minggu yang lalu)
Yesterday, my brother did not taste a very delicious snack.
(Kemarin, adikku tidak merasakan jajanan yang sangat enak)
I really did not enjoy the party last night.
(Saya sangat tidak menikmati pesta tadi malam)
We did not have a bad day yesterday.
(Kita tidak mengalami hari yang buruk kemarin)
She did not leave the group of people.
(Perempuan itu tidak meninggalkan kelompok orang)
Two days ago, we did not gather our things together.
(Dua hari yang lalu, kami tidak mengumpulkan barang-barang kami)
We didn’t leave the office until eight o’clock last night.
(Kami tidak meninggalkan kantor sampai jam delapan tadi malam)
They did not go a call from Phil last night.
(Merka tidak menerima telepon dari Phil tadi malam)
The submarine did not dive just in time to avoid the attack.
(Kapal selam tidak menyelam tepat pada waktunya untuk menghindari serangan)
She did not polish the brass yesterday.
(Dia tidak memoles kuningan kemarin)
INTERROGATIVE FORM
Did Wayan eat this morning?
(Apakah Wayan sudah makan pagi ini?)
Did you go to Wayan’s house yesterday?
(Apakah kamu pergi ke rumah Wayan kemarin?)
Did your father drink coffee last night?
(Apakah ayahmu minum kopi tadi malam?)
Did Raisa sing her old song last week?
(Apakah Raisa menyanyikan lagu lamanya minggu lalu?)
Did your dog run this afternoon?
(Apakah anjing mu berlari sore ini?)
Did Mr Abdi walk to my house this morning?
(Apakah Bapak Abdi berjalan ke rumah saya pagi ini?)
Did he play football last week?
(Apakah laki-laki itu bermain sepak bola minggu lalu?)
Did you bring the note yesterday?
(Apakah kamu membawa catatan itu kemarin?)
Did we buy those balls two days ago?
(Apakah kita membeli bola itu dua hari lalu?)
Did you meet our lecturer yesterday?
(Apakah anda bertemu dengan dosen kita kemarin?)
