Tenses · CEFR A1 · Starting
Past Simple — English tenses
One finished action, at a finished time. Yesterday, last week, in 2019.
The shape
verb-ed, or the second form
Tell somebody what happened yesterday.
In Hindi
बीते हुए किसी एक पूरे काम के लिए — कल, पिछले हफ़्ते, 2019 में।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The mistake to fix first
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
I did not went there. | I did not go there. After "did", the verb goes back to its plain form. |
Past Simple examples
Easiest first. Every sentence is authored, with the Hindi it comes from.
I went to the market yesterday.
मैं कल बाजार {गया|गई}।
I had breakfast.
मैंने नाश्ता किया।
I drank tea.
मैंने चाय पी।
I called him.
मैंने उसे फोन किया।
also correct: I called her.
I talked to him.
मैंने उससे बात की।
also correct: I spoke to her.
I bought a book.
मैंने एक किताब खरीदी।
I watched TV.
मैंने टीवी देखा।
I got up early in the morning.
मैं सुबह जल्दी {उठा|उठी}।
also correct: I woke up early.
I cooked dinner at night.
मैंने रात को खाना बनाया।
I cleaned my room.
मैंने अपना कमरा साफ किया।
Easy to confuse with
Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.
- Past ContinuousA2Set the scene for a story
- Present PerfectB1Talk about experience and about what has changed
- Telling a storyB1Tell what happened without losing your listener
Questions people ask
- What is the past simple used for?
- One finished action, at a finished time. Yesterday, last week, in 2019. In practice: tell somebody what happened yesterday.
- How do you form the past simple?
- verb-ed, or the second form.
- What is the most common mistake with the past simple?
- Saying “I did not went there.” instead of “I did not go there.”. After "did", the verb goes back to its plain form.
Where past simple fits
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
Past Simple is a CEFR A1 structure — the starting band — and it belongs to tenses. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
CoCap turns this page into practice: Hindi sentence in, English sentence out, corrected one thing at a time. Free, no card.
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