Questions tagged [past-simple]
Questions related to the past simple, simple past or preterite, which is mainly used to describe events in the past.
672
questions
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Tenses for questions and responses
-Where have you been?
-I've been at Ivan's.
-Where were you?
-I was at Ivan's.
-Where have you been?
-I was at Ivan's.
-Where were you?
-I've been at Ivan's.
Are all of these dialogues correct? What'...
0
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1answer
21 views
Is “I got a headache” correct?
I got a headache.
Is this sentence grammatically correct?
Headache is a countable noun. Therefore a headache part is correct.
Can we use simple past tense without any words like yesterday, last week ...
0
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1answer
21 views
“a team of graphics editors, designers and editors brought the project to life this month.” is the statement correct?(It's taken from an article)
I think we can only use "this month" with the present perfect tense not with the past tense. Here 'this month' is used with past tense which is wrong I think because we specify the time ...
0
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1answer
62 views
I've spent (at least) a year in the US
He's spent (at least) a year in the US.
He spent (at least) a year in the US.
Which is correct? Is "spend" a stative verb?
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0answers
35 views
I always thought that he was a great teacher [duplicate]
I've always thought that he was a great teacher.
I always thought that he was a great teacher.
If I've just changed my opinion about him being a great teacher, can I say that (2) and (3) mean the ...
0
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1answer
23 views
Which past tense should I use in this case, past simple or past perfect contnuous?
Assume that I want to say that I lived for a while in one country, but then I moved away.
What tense do I need to use for that purpose?
e.g.:
I had been living in England for 2 years, but then in 2015 ...
0
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0answers
48 views
I wrote a letter for an hour
I've just read that it is not possible to say "I wrote a letter for three hours", but I've seen many examples like "I read the book for an hour" or "I watched the film for an ...
9
votes
1answer
1k views
“Did you already…?” and “Have you already…?”
Is there any semantic difference between "Did you already" and "Have you already" questions?
For example:
1a) Did you already do your homework?
1b) Have you already done your ...
0
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1answer
25 views
Is continuous a better solution in this sentence?
The two men were thieves and the TV they were carrying was his TV!
just wondering if "is carrying" could be changed in carried because the action was completed. He helped them carry to their ...
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0answers
36 views
I didn't know what I should/was supposed to do
Can 'should' be used in the past? I don't mean a regret here. I haven't found an answer on the Internet because all the explanations describe regrets.
I didn't know what I should/was supposed to do
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1answer
29 views
Can present perfect and present simple be used in the same sentence?
I occasionally say a sentence in which mixing the two tenses feels natural but in theory they express different relations to time so I am unsure whether this is correct.
One example sentence would be: ...
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1answer
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I/some people/people have experienced symptoms when I/they had pneumonia
I have experienced these three symptoms when I had pneumonia.
I experienced these three symptoms when I had pneumonia.
What is the difference between (1) and (2)?
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1answer
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that’s/that was one of the worst experiences [duplicate]
I'd like to know whether "that's" should have been replaced by "that was" in the following. The experience took place in the past.
I tried Mary's muffins last Friday, and that’s ...
-1
votes
1answer
25 views
What have you done or what did you do? [duplicate]
Suppose a child is accused of misbehaviour and the parent wants to know what the child has done. Would it be okay to ask the child: "what have you done?" or should they say "what did ...
1
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0answers
36 views
Why is 'when' used with a past simple instead of a past perfect?
I've come across the following:
(A)
Joe had been on a diet for a month when he came to stay with us, and we noticed immediately that he had already lost a lot of weight.
According to Advanced ...
0
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1answer
31 views
Why is the present perfect used instead of simple past?
In an article about whether it is safe for pregnant women to cycle, a woman who is no longer pregnant ( she has recently given birth to her second child) says: "I have cycled during both ...
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0answers
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Simple past or Past perfect tense in noun clause after a preposition?
He spoke about how he trained himself to hold his breath for a long time.
Or
He spoke about how he had trained himself to hold his breath for a long time.
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0answers
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“When I've pulled up your hat I've seen your braids” or should I use the past simple?
Let's say I have just seen my daughter's braids under her hat. Should I say to her:
Baby when I've pulled up your hat I've seen your braids
or
Baby when I pulled up your hat I saw your braids
The ...
0
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1answer
24 views
Can you use past perfect tense in general past sentenses? [closed]
e.g. I usually started my day with the thing that had woken me up.
Or you must use past perfect only in specific situations.
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3answers
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Which one is correct? “Do you enjoyed sports?” or “Did you enjoy sports?” [closed]
I'm trying to understand one thing about this sentence. Can anyone tell me the mistake? "Do you enjoyed sports?" For what I know, that sentence is in the past tense. Shouldn't that be a ...
0
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0answers
29 views
What's the difference between “They finished the project by March” and “They had finished the project by March”? [duplicate]
What's the difference between
"They finished the project by March" and "They had finished the project by March"?
Can you give contexts when to use one and not the other?
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2answers
31 views
What's the difference between `Where did you think I was all this time?` and `Where did you think I have been all this time?`?
I have recently heard the first sentence Where did you think I was all this time? in a movie but my intuition as a non native speaker tells me that present perfect would suit better this case because &...
0
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1answer
36 views
Can simple past used as present perfect
I am confused about these two dialogues where Tom wants to borrow a big amount of money from Jim who is a very stingy person. Tom is talking to Steve about it. Tom, Jim, and Steve are very close ...
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0answers
19 views
Can I use Simple Past in a subordinate clause with “while” when the main clause is in the Past Progressive?
I was reading while she slept.
Or should it necessarily be "I was reading while she was sleeping" or "I read while she slept"?
Can I use the Simple Past in a subordinate clause ...
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1answer
50 views
Do I use the past simple or the present perfect after “I've been meaning” as in “I've been meaning to do something, but I've always forgotten/forgot”?
Could you tell me if I have to use the past simple or the present perfect after I've been meaning in the context below?
I've been meaning to watch the movie, but I always forgot to till now.
I've ...
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0answers
12 views
It's more than ten years since i last went, had gone or have gone to Alex
It's more than ten years since i last (went _ had gone _ have gone) to Alex
Which one is correct and why
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0answers
17 views
Are these grammatical? The simpler the better?
"He was washing the dishes while she was watching football"
"He said that he had been washing the dishes while she had been watching football"
"He said that he had been ...
2
votes
1answer
34 views
When he was vs when he had been [duplicate]
The investigation uncovered that he had taken bribes when he was/had
been governor of Maryland.
So the question is: is it when he was or when he had been?
I want to say "when he was" ...
1
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0answers
45 views
What is more natural for describing last night's actions, past simple or progressive?
— What did you do last night?
— I watched YouTube. And what about you?
— I met up with a friend and we watched a movie.
— And what did you do before the meeting?
— I roller-skated.
My textbook says ...
0
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0answers
35 views
now when I got older
I saw this sentence in my English training course. I don't understand how it's possible to combine "now" and Past Simple. Is there a mistake in the sentence or not? Could you explain, please?...
0
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1answer
34 views
Is this statement right? Ferrari just released a
I was reading this news over internet and i am wondering if this statement can be written differently or not.
Ferrari just released a few photos of its upcoming limited-edition track-focused 812
Can ...
1
vote
1answer
31 views
Online translator versus me. Whose translation is correct and why?
I wrote the following sentences in my native language and translated them into English. I wonder if they are correct.
Yesterday, the participants of the club held a meeting. My friend and
I had been ...
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0answers
20 views
You’ll tell me what you “learned”/“have learned"
For example, I lent my friend a book. Which one of these two sentences makes more sense to say?
So you’ll tell me what you learned.
So you’ll me what you have learned.
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1answer
21 views
We’ve read or we read?
Books we pretend we have read.
What if instead of have read, I simply wrote we read ?
Would the meaning of the sentence change?
2
votes
2answers
81 views
Past perfect for two simultaneous events “Her business had proved that it was possible to be sustainable and profitable at the same time.”
Could anyone please explain me why we use past perfect instead of past simple before “that” in the sentence below? As I understand, we use past perfect in a sequence of events to show that the action ...
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0answers
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But once we begin Vs But once we began
But once we began to work hard, poverty would vanish.
What happens if we use begin instead of begin and will instead of would, means like below:
But once we begin to work hard, poverty will vanish.
...
0
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3answers
46 views
The difference between: I’ve been rescued and I was rescued? [duplicate]
Can you tell me what is the difference between:
I have been rescued
and
I was rescued
I know the first one is in the present perfect tense (so it’s an unstated time in the past and has an ...
1
vote
1answer
108 views
Is there any difference between “since when did it become…” and “since when has it become…”? [duplicate]
Could you tell me if there is any difference in meaning between since when did it become and since when has it become? For example:
Person A: I'm going to the dentist tomorrow. It's such a pleasure.
...
2
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0answers
31 views
Wish with would or past simple [duplicate]
I have trouble with the verb 'wish'. Searching this website, I could not find an answer to my questions, which is 'when we use past simple and when would?'
a) I wish I would live in LA --> This is ...
0
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0answers
43 views
I have never thought you are ideal. / I never thought you were ideal
Is it correct explanation of an each sentence (in the brackets)?
I have never thought you are ideal. (it's about the present situation that started in the past)
I never thought you were ideal. (it's ...
4
votes
2answers
108 views
When can I use present perfect for old events?
In English Grammar in Use, it is said that we have to use past simple instead of present perfect for things that are not recent or new:
Use the past simple (not the present perfect) for things that ...
1
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1answer
21 views
Why does the author choose past simple instead of present perfect in “all the leads went nowhere”?
Detour Records have been trying to track down members of this band since the 90s but all the leads went nowhere. Then fast forward twenty years and after doing more research and from reading a post on ...
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2answers
75 views
never seen a video that wasn't/hasn't been disliked [closed]
I've never seen a video on YouTube that hasn't been disliked by people.
I've never seen a video on YouTube that wasn't disliked by people.
Which one is correct?
1
vote
0answers
33 views
The tallest building I have ever seen was in New York. Is the use of 'was' acceptable here? [duplicate]
A student has written
The tallest building I have ever seen was in New York.
I know the expected formation is
The tallest building I have ever seen is in New York.
But is the first sentence ...
1
vote
2answers
39 views
Correct usage of simple past and present perfect?
I have really been struggling with past simple and present perfect exercises today.
what I know is mostly:
simple past is used for finished actions made in the past and not related to the present and ...
0
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0answers
28 views
worked vs was working [duplicate]
Are these examples interchangeable or it's better to use the second one if we say "he was living in Seattle", because there is emphasis of temporary action?
Tom worked in a hotel when he ...
0
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0answers
76 views
didn't pay attention vs wasn't paying attention
As I understand, following sentences have the same meaning, haven't they? There is only a small difference that the first one says about the fact (I didn’t pay attention), but the second one says ...
0
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1answer
30 views
The past perfect event happens before which sentence? The next one or the previous one?
If there is no such word as before or when, how do I know when the past perfect event takes place? I tried to figure out the context, but which is the context, the previous sentence or the next ...
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0answers
33 views
Using of 'past perfect' in indirect narration
We know that in indirect narration, if the reporting verb is in the past tense, for the reported verb simple past is changed to past perfect.
For example,
Direct narration: I said to you, "Did ...
0
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1answer
82 views
I've realized that I had sent/sent you this task before - Past Perfect or Past Simple?
Which tense should I use in this sentence and why?
I've realized that I had sent/sent you this task before.
The context: a couple of days ago my student told me she had sent me some homework that I ...
