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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“I rode / was riding / used to ride a bike every day”
Which tense should I use if I was on a holiday which lasted two weeks and during that time I rode a bike every day?
It was a great time because I rode a bike every day. (Past Simple)
It was a great ...
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Why is Past Perfect used here?
This is an excerpt from "The Moon and Sixpence", by W Somerset Maugham, the very beginning of chapter 18:
had this in my workbook as an example of a specific use of past perfect (the use i ...
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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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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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How to use Past Perfect and Past simple in Reporting?
"This is not the first time that the Bollywood actor has been detained at a US airport.
In 2012, Shah Rukh Khan was detained at New York airport for over two hours by immigration officials. The US ...
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"How did you get in here? Security!" vs "How have you gotten in here? Security!"
I have been doing some exercises on Past Simple vs Present Perfect as that's the topic that gives me the most troubles... and I can't comprehend why this sentence is correct?
"How did you get in ...
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What is the difference between Past Simple and Past Continuous for actions that are spread over time?
There are actions that are spread over time, to snore or to play tennis for example. For me it is not always clear should I use Past Simple or Past Continuous for such actions. For me it is absolutely ...
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I've worked here for two years vs I worked here for two years
Let's look at the sentence:
I've been working here for two years.
This sentence means that I'm still working. Right?
I have worked here for two years.
I worked here for two years.
What's the meaning ...
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Which is correct? "Today I've done something that I've never done before." or "Today I've done something I never did before
Question: Which is correct? "Today I've done something that I've never done before." or "Today I've done something I never did before.
Personally, the second one seems the most logical ...
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I saw/have seen him while I was there
Let’s say that while on a vacation I run across someone I knew. By now, the vacation has already ended.
Which of the following sentences is correct?
I saw him while I was there.
I’ve seen him while I ...
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Simple past or present perfect with the word "always" and "never" for actions until now
I would like to ask about the use of present perfect and simple past with the word " never" and "always" for actions until now.
As I know, for actions until now we should use ...
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It had cost... and it cost
This is a standalone sentence taken from my exercise book:
She bought her first watch at the age of eight. It had cost two
pounds.
I wonder why they chose this sentence as an example. If those are ...
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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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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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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 ...
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"It was the first time I did" vs. "it was the first time had done"
Could you tell me if there is any difference between the following sentences?
I saw that movie last year, and actually it was the first time I saw it.
I saw that movie last year, and actually it was ...
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What tense is a good choice for these sentences: past simple or past perfect?
But when I saw the very thin packaging I thought that it was a miracle that the record was not broken.
But when I saw the very thin packaging I thought that it was a miracle that the record had not ...
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Past Continuous + Past Simple
If two actions were happening at the same time, we can use both Past Simple + Past Simple and Past Simple + Past Continuous or conversely
While he was having his breakfast, I was reading the ...
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Past perfect (earlier past)
The basic meaning of the past perfect is "earlier past". We use past perfect to talk about something that happened before another action in the past, which is usually expressed by the past simple :
...
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What is the meaning of "would" and why the past tense is used in these examples?
Thank you for showing interest in this post. Please have a look at the would in the following excerpts from The Economist:
Conveniently for politicians, some of the pain of high inflation would
...
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What is the correct way to write this indirect speech? "...she told me she hadn't recognised/ didn't recognise me before I had faced/faced her"
oh I didn't recognise you before you faced me.
If I wanted to change it in indirect speech which would be acceptable?
"Yesterday I saw Claire and she told me she hadn't recognised/ didn't ...
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"I have had it for a long time" or "I had it for a long time"?
Let's say you sold your car 1 year ago.
Would you say:
I'm sad I sold my car. I have had it for a long time.
Or just
I'm sad I sold my car. I had it for a long time.
Are they both correct?
I ...
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How to Identify Habitual Simple past tense (Repetitive) and Simple past tense
There were always a couple of people who put their hands up right away, usually girls, usually from the town kids who dressed up for school. They sat in the front of every class, boys and girls ...
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Why Past Perfect in this example?
The example below is from a grammar guide
This glass is cracked. ~ So it is. I hadn't noticed.
Why not "I haven't noticed"? - Present Perfect, as it is something he hasn't noticed until the moment ...
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past simple and past continuous
1) Two years ago I was working in New York
2) Two years ago I studied in England
Both examples are from English grammar books. Could somebody explain to me why the past continuous is used in the ...
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Can we change places of the past simple and past continuous? Is it always idiomatic?
Can we change places of the past simple and past continuous? Is it always idiomatic?
I was walking home when I met Dan.
I met Dan when I was walking home.
When I met Dan, I was walking home.
When I ...
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AmE_ she (went out)/ (has gone out) to the supermarket
I know that AmE speakers tend to use the simple past in situations in which we should use the present perfect. I would like to ask if in the US, natives would use simple past in this context:
A ...
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Lest we forget, many large conflicts (have) started over small, insignificant areas
dictionary.com:
(1) Lest we forget, many large conflicts have started over small, insignificant areas.
my variant:
(2) Lest we forget, many large conflicts started over small, insignificant areas.
The ...
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What were you doing all day yestarday? / What did you do all day yestarday?
What were you doing all day yesterday?
vs
What did you do all day yesterday?
If I understand right, both sentences are correct but there are some differencies in their meaning.
We use Past ...
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Is it correct to first use the past simple and then the past perfect?
According to my understanding, the thing you use the past perfect to describe should happen before the thing you use the past simple to describe. Therefore, I wonder if my use of the tenses is wrong. ...
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how to understand where it is better not to use Past Perfect?
I am confused, because I use Past Perfect even where it's not needed. Please, help me to figure out.
For instance, why we don't say:
We had had nothing in common with her, so we quickly lost contact....
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He was tired because he worked for six hours
What sentence would you use in a casual conversation if you just wanted to convey the fact? Is the first one okay or not?
He was tired because he worked for six hours.
He was tired because he had ...
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Can I use present perfect instead of past simple in this sentence?
There was a bus drivers' strike last week, so ....(there/be) no buses.
I question if I can use there has been in this example. I thought we could use present perfect because we still do not see any ...
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Present perfect or past simple to explain a project
When you explain your project to someone what do you choose between:
I did this simulation because..., I considered only ...
I have done this simulation because ..., I have considered only...
To me, ...
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"While + Past Simple" or "While + Past Continuous"
Question :
Last night, while they (sleep), a burglar broke into their house.
Answer A :
Last night, while they slept, a burglar broke into their house.
Or
Answer B :
Last night, while they was ...
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what did you do / have you done; in this context
My dad lent me his car but I did something stupid with; I scratched the car (not very much). After I came back home and because I did something bad to his car I was acting very kindly with him. He ...
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sentence with 2 tenses (present perfect and past simple)
Is it correct to reply to someone:
Context : I sent an email 1 hour ago and he replied me 10 min ago, and I want to tell a colleage.
I sent an email and he replied that {message}.
Or (I sent an email ...
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present simple + present perfect/ past simple
I made an exam 2 months ago, and now I am saying:
"I think that I have suceeded the exam or I think I succeed the exam"
According to me, the PP is better because the past action is relevant ...
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Pluperfect and simple past
I'm trying to talk about a person like this:
He had come prepared for the video.
He came prepared for the video.
Now the thing is that we say that pluperfect is used to talk about an event that ...
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Can someone explain this conditional? (Past simple + past perfect)
I've just come across one conditional that I don't quite understand.
If what she said was true, Marilyn had almost certainly left town last night.
I understand that the first part of the sentence is ...
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Usage of simple past and past continuous tenses in this example
Are both sentences grammatically accurate, and how does the meaning differ if at all?
Grandma May knitted a sweater while she was listening to music.
Grandma May was knitting a sweater while she ...
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Interpreting complex narratives
I've been struggling with understanding the usage of past tenses in complex narratives such as this one:
Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn’t
...
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was just here / has just been here
He was just here, but he has gone away.
He has just been here, but he has gone away.
Which sentence is idiomatic? I suppose the first one because we need to show the difference in his location.
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<have> never had a girlfriend
Peter is a soldier. He's been fighting in a battle for days. Suppose he's now fatally injured. He's going to die soon. Lying in the arms of his army friend, he says,
I've never had a girlfriend.
I'...
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Which tense is it the most natural to use when you describe something that happens in a recording?
Which tense is it the most natural to use when you describe something that happens in audio: the present simple, past simple, or past continuous. For example:
We are going to listen to a recording, ...
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I have usually liked
I found these sentences on the site where the grammar rules about the use of present perfect were explained:
I have usually liked the people I worked with.
I have usually liked the people I have ...
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Simple past with the "by some point in the past" phrase. What to choose and when?
Why does it use the past simple tense rather than the past perfect (had been)?
(1) Odenkirk confirmed by early September 2021 that he was back on set
filming.
The source: https://en.wikipedia.org/...
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Use of the present perfect simple by persons in authority making a report
I read this report, made by a senior coroner at an inquest, and I wondered whether it has become common for the present perfect simple to be used in this way?
"She had been missing for a few days ...
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Why is the progressive form used in “since we weren't playing...”
Why did the author choose a continuous form?
Kim would always encourage me to wear baseball hats when we played because she said it made me look a heavy metal drummer, and since we weren't playing ...
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How to use past simple instead of 'used to'?
I just noticed this use of past simple in Genesis 1:2:
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
...
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