Questions tagged [past-simple]
Questions related to the past simple, simple past or preterite, which is mainly used to describe events in the past.
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past simple for a habit still in work
The train _ at 8.30 p.m. today, but as a rule it _ at 8.00 p.m. sharp.
ANSWER: left and started
but could left and starts be ok as it is a general habits still in work at the time of writing so ...
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0answers
23 views
Is it correct to use Past Continuous with 'since' adverbial clause?
For example:
"Since I done my first homework, I was doing my second homework"
I've seen plenty of examples on English learner's sites demonstrating either Past Simple or Present Perfect as the main ...
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2answers
27 views
usage of 'while' and 'when'
I met many interesting people while I was living in Vancouver.
Can I change the sentence above to the sentences below? Do they have slightly different meanings?
I met many interesting people when ...
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3answers
34 views
“I learned” vs “I have learned” when it comes to past experiences that have indirect connection to the present?
I'm writing a blog post about my experience in college and I'm not sure which of following titles should I use:
10 Life Lessons I Learned After Leaving College
10 Life Lessons I Have Learned After ...
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1answer
32 views
difference between past simple and past continuous - when I called her
When I called her, she was studying.
I know what it means.
When I called her, she studied.
But does the second sentence mean she started studying when I called her?
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1answer
18 views
implications of past simple tense - a few minutes ago
I learned that the past simple tense is used for actions which are completed at a definite point in time in the past.
Then, does the sentence below imply that they are not dancing anymore now (at the ...
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1answer
25 views
past simple and past continuous - that summer
He was staying in Rome that summer.
He stayed in Rome that summer.
Can I use the two sentences above interchangeably? Or do they have slightly different meanings?
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0answers
15 views
Some past tense question
I played football
I had played football
I have played football
I was playing football
Can someone tell me what is the differece between those sentences if they are correct. If they aren't correct, ...
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1answer
28 views
is “if i knew you were ill , i would have visited you” grammatically correct?
i wanted to know if it's okay to use future perfect (using WOULD not WILL) with Past Simple.
i wanted to say if i knew he was ill at a point in the past , i will visit him at this point in the past.
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2answers
18 views
Would past simple be ok in this case
Complete the passage with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.
Goldilocks is probably the most famous and most charming “squatter” of all times.While the Bear family was looking(look)for ...
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2answers
19 views
Using “Since” with past simple
Which is more accurate
"This was the context of multiple questions I asked since I started working here."
Or
"This was the context of multiple questions I have asked since I started working here."...
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0answers
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How long+take or How long
Which one of these two sentences is correct:
How long did you take to watch TV? Or
How long did you watch TV?
I just want to know the duration or time the "you" took to watch TV. Which one would ...
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1answer
29 views
{listened/have listened} the recordings {several/too many} times
If I want to say to anyone that
I listened the recordings several times today.
I have listened the recordings too many times today.
Which form is the correct form of the sentence? If none, ...
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1answer
33 views
What tense is this: “Why'd you make him live all those years alone?”
In the movie "Something big" with Dean Martin, Mr. Baker asks colonel's wife:
"Why'd you make him live all those years alone?"
What tense is that? Grammary suggest me:
Why'd you made him live all ...
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1answer
73 views
Clarifications about the Past Simple and Present (whole) Perfect
I have some problems when I'm translating my language to english or english in to my language.
I sometimes watch videos with english subtitles, and I often see that they are using Present Perfect ...
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1answer
62 views
I already finished the work
I have such a rule in my head that if we have "already", "still" or "yet" I am obliged to use Perfect Tenses.
But can these words be used in Past Simple?
I already finished the work (some time in ...
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0answers
9 views
Can I say I'm in time? [duplicate]
"I'm in time"
"I'm on time"
"I'm at time"
Which one is correct? What are differences between those forms?
Example:
- Am I late for work?
- No, you are on/in/at time.
In this situation, which one is ...
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0answers
20 views
I had done when you had come by the evening
We have "A" and B moments in the past. "A" happened first, "B" happened second. "A" should be in Perfect. Example:
I had done when you came
I had done - "A"
When you came - "B"
"A" happened before ...
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1answer
29 views
We swam in the same pool we saw / had seen in the photos
Which is the correct form and why?
On safari we swam in the same pool we saw in the photos on the website.
On safari we swam in the same pool we had seen in the photos on the website.
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1answer
32 views
Present Perfect vs. Past Simple with unfinished time periods: this week
I ____ (read) six books this week.
The correct answer is:
I have read six books this week.
Why are we using Present Perfect since we specify when we did the activity? Is it wrong to say (Past ...
2
votes
2answers
45 views
why past simple in this sentence
when you brought my breakfast before I start walking in the morning, I felt happy
Does brought mean that the action of bringing breakfast is in the past it is over now (past simple), but that the ...
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1answer
61 views
“Because” with past perfect or past simple?
This is from a newspaper:
The real reason he was arrested was because he smeared poo all over the walls.
Shouldn't the past perfect be used:
... he was arrested because he had smeared poo all ...
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1answer
40 views
Can I use present perfect twice and present simple + simple past in the same sentence?
I have just checked your bank account, and it appears that you
have already received all of the money that I sent you.
I am not sure if I can use second past perfect verb tense in the same sentence ...
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vote
1answer
31 views
Which tense should I use after “by the time you read this”?
Could you please advise which sentence is grammatically correct?
By the time you read this, I have already bought tickets and I have
reserved a hotel.
or
By the time you read this, I have ...
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1answer
37 views
“I waited 4 years to see SS2” vs “I had to wait 4 years to see SS2”
My friend and I were talking about a movie called "Attack on Titans". The SS1 sequel began airing in 2013 while SS2 began airing in 2017.
I want to say this to my friend, but I don't have a better ...
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2answers
22 views
Had commissioned into commissioned?
Mona Lisa was commissioned to celebrate the birth at a baby boy. The lady in the painting was Lisa del Giocondi,who was a member of the Gheradini family in Florence. It is assumed that the family had ...
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1answer
30 views
Is the action simultaneous or not
I know Past Perfect rules and I have also read some questions here connected with this point, but I still doubt. “My telephone fell down ...
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vote
1answer
48 views
drove or was driving?
Is it true that if I say "Joe got a ticket because he drove too fast", this means that Joe drove too fast as a habit and instead I should say "Joe got a ticket because he was driving too fast"?
Is ...
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2answers
58 views
Before I (have) started the University I (had) worked as
Before I have started the University I worked as waitress in a cafe.
I'm not sure about the tenses here (present perfect/past simple).
Maybe it should be
Before I started university I had ...
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0answers
21 views
I had done and I was happy
Present Perfect is used for actions which happened in the past but have some influence for the present:
I have done it and now I am happy
What is "have done" action? It's something what happened ...
0
votes
1answer
52 views
Tenses past ind. Past perfect
Which one us correct?
Jane studied the lawyer's face carefully before she answered him.
Jane had studied the lawyer's face carefully before she answered him.
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1answer
27 views
Present Perfect or Past SImple Paradox
We can say:
I have done it today
though the action itself coulp happen in the morning but we cover it with a longer peiod which hasn't ended yet.
If it happened in the morning but now it's ...
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votes
2answers
57 views
What is correct “Your father just told me” or “Your father has just told me.”
In Oscar a 1991 American slapstick crime comedy film directed by John Landis, I heard: "Your father just told me".
Why do not correct to say "Your father has just told me."?
Because in "How English ...
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2answers
28 views
The use of the past perfect and past simple and present simple in context
Tell me please which of the following sentences is correct.
The teacher came up to Kate and said that the assignment had been done badly, because there were a lot of grammar mistakes.
The ...
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2answers
46 views
Which is the better choice here? Present perfect continuous or past simple?
Today is Sunday and I don't feel well because I have been drinking three days in a row: Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The drinking has stopped, but I can still feel its effect, so present perfect ...
2
votes
1answer
81 views
I miss you like I (have) never missed someone else [duplicate]
Which one of the following phrases is correct? I'm unsure about using present perfect or not.
I miss you like I've never missed someone else.
I miss you like I never missed someone else.
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vote
1answer
68 views
What is difference past simple and past perfect in this sentence?
I (non-native English speaker) have sometimes been confused about when to use past simple and when to use past perfect.
President Donald Trump has vetoed a measure from Congress that revoked his ...
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votes
1answer
50 views
weren't going vs didn't go [duplicate]
I already asked a question about “weren’t playing” vs. “didn’t play”. I’m not sure if the same rules apply in an example like this one:
The weather was very bad, so we didn't go north.
vs
The ...
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2answers
45 views
Is the past simple and past participle the same for all regular verbs?
So each verb has the base form (V1) which is used in present simple, the past simple (V2) and the past participle (V3).
For example:
V1: allow (I allow you to leave early)
V2: allowed (I allowed ...
6
votes
2answers
820 views
weren't playing vs didn't play
Did your team win the football match yesterday?
The weather was very bad, so we weren't playing.
vs
The weather was very bad, so we didn't play.
Is the first one not correct? Why is it?
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vote
2answers
21 views
Difference in meaning using Would + present or simple past
I'm wondering what the difference is between these two phrases.
What would happen if aliens visited Earth?
What would happen if aliens visit Earth?
Am I right in thinking that the first phrase ...
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vote
1answer
38 views
past simple/continuous with a specific time
I was driving too fast last night.
I drove too fast last night.
I want to know if the past simple and continuous can both be used in this case, because usually the past continuous is used for ...
1
vote
1answer
29 views
Can I use past continuous here?
A:..Then I sent you a message from the cafe to to say where I was
last night.
B: I didn't get any texts from you yesterday! I tried to phone
you but there was no answer.
I have two ...
0
votes
2answers
71 views
“Before it hardened” or “Before it hardens”?
Which one is the correct sentence?
a) Please eat the toffee before it hardens.
b) Please eat the toffee before it hardened.
1
vote
1answer
20 views
Past Continuous with while
The sentence:
The boy stole / was stealing the apples while nobody was looking / looked.
Question: Which variant is more appropriate?
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2answers
39 views
Can we give the answer to the present perfect question in past simple?
I saw this in a Cambridge conversation book:
A: Have you gone to school today?
B: Yes, I went to school today.
Can you please tell me why B answered in the Past Simple instead of the Present ...
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1answer
310 views
“Documents have been updated” VS “Documents are updated”
I've received an email titled "Documents have been updated" informing me that some changes were introduced in some our documents (no surprise here of course). But I'd like to know if there is any ...
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3answers
63 views
Use of the past simple to indicate an action has finished?
I was taught by an excellent teacher that in a sentence like "I cleaned the kitchen yesterday" the past simple is used to convey the whole kitchen was cleaned, otherwise you'd have to use past ...
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1answer
16 views
The order of actions (in the example sentence)
I talked to her before she had arrived.
Could you make the order of actions clear in this sentence?
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1answer
57 views
How write about personal achievements? (tense choice) [closed]
Let's say I have to describe my personal achievements during my work in some project. What tense should I use - the simple past or the present perfect?
The past simple
Achievements:
...
