0. Grundlagen Englisch - revision: present tenses
- past simple and continuous
HFW Bern
Philipp Brunner

1. Repetition: Present simple & continuous
Present simple for facts:
Regularly repeated actions
Generalisations
Present continuous for actions:
Actions at the time of speaking
Limited periods of time (processes)
Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses

2. Revision: Present simple & continuous
present simple: focus on facts & truths
The Aare flows through Berne.
Bobby doesn‘t go out every Friday.
Do you like cartoons?
present continuous: focus on actions
Don‘t disturb me. I am eating.
He is writing an important letter just now.
Are you using the computer at the moment? + - ? + - ?
Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses

3. The past simple I you he/she/it we they stayed in a hotel.
regular verbs
irregular verbs + - I
you
he/she/it we
they
stayed in a hotel.
went on holiday.
didn‘t stay in a hotel.
didn‘t go on holiday.
Did you stay in a hotel? – Yes, I did.
Did you go on holiday? – No, I didn‘t.
Refer to time adverbs!!
We use the past simple to talk about finished actions in the past.
Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses

4. The past simple (2) infinitive past work stay like study stop worked
stayed
liked (just add d if verb finishes in e)
studied (y  i after consonant)
stopped (double consonant if verb finishes consonant-vowel-consonant)
Spelling rules: see appendix 3, p152.
Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses

5. The past simple (3) – irregular verbs
Three groups of irregular verbs:
Infinitive
Past
Past participle 1
hit
put 2
tell
told
sell
sold 3
wake
woke
woken
take
took
taken
Irregular verbs: See appendix 2, p150.
Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses

6. Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses
your turn!!
Work on
Work on Appendix 2: cross out all the irregular verbs you already know. Compile the ones you have to learn into a new list.
Grammar Book Unit 4, p16-17
Murphy copies
20 minutes
Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses

7. Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses
The past continuous + I
he was working.
she it
you
we were working.
they -
he wasn‘t working.
we weren‘t working. ?
Was he working? Yes, he was No, he wasn‘t.
Were they working? Yes, they were. No, they weren‘t.
We use the past continuous to describe an action in progress at a specific moment in the past.
Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses

8. Past simple or past continuous?
Study the following examples. What‘s the rule?
When I took the photo, they were writing a song.
I was sitting at home when I saw the news on TV.
They were waiting for us when we arrived.
I was driving when you phoned me.
Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses

9. Past simple or past continuous?
Use the past simple for a completed action:
I took the photo. / I saw the news.
We arrived. / You phoned me.
Use the past continuous for an action in progress:
They were writing a song. / I was sitting at home.
They were waiting. / I was driving.
Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses

10. Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses
Summary O
past
future
Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses

11. Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses
your turn!!
Work on
Grammar Book Unit 5, p18-19
Murphy Copies
15 minutes
Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses