Past Tenses
Using Past Simple and Past Progressive
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🎧 Read/Listen first
Last weekend, I went to the park with my friends. We played soccer and had a picnic. While we were eating, it started to rain. We quickly packed our things and ran to a nearby café. There, we talked about our plans for the next week. It was a fun day, even with the rain!
⚡ Learning goals
- Understand past simple and progressive
- Use past tenses in conversation
- Describe past activities clearly
🔑 Key language
- I went to the park. Last weekend, I went to the park.
- We were eating when it rained. We were eating when it started to rain.
- What did you do last weekend? What did you do last weekend?
🌍 Global comprehension
AI writing analysis
Task: Write about your last weekend.
Use past simple and past progressive.
Success criteria: Clear description of activities.
- went
- were eating
- rain
- past simple
- past progressive
✍️ Vocabulary
🧠 Flashcards interactives
Choisissez la bonne réponse, écoutez le modèle, puis répétez à voix haute.
⚙️ Rules & Grammar
🟣 Using Past Simple
Rule:
The past simple describes completed actions in the past. We often use it with time expressions like 'last week' or 'yesterday'.
- I visited my grandmother yesterday.
- They played soccer last weekend.
- She watched a movie last night.
- Using present tense instead of past. → Always use past forms like 'went'.
- Forgetting time expressions. → Include words like 'yesterday' or 'last week'.
🟣 Using Past Progressive
Rule:
The past progressive describes actions that were ongoing in the past. We often use it with 'when' to show something happened during that time.
- I was reading when she called.
- They were playing soccer when it started to rain.
- We were eating dinner when the phone rang.
- Using past simple instead of progressive. → Use 'was/were + verb-ing' for ongoing actions.
- Forgetting to use 'when'. → Always connect with 'when' for interruptions.
🟣 Combining Past Simple and Progressive
Rule:
We can use both tenses in one sentence to show an action that was interrupted. The past progressive shows the ongoing action, and the past simple shows the interruption.
- I was walking when I saw a dog.
- She was studying when her friend called.
- They were playing when it started to rain.
- Mixing tenses incorrectly. → Use past progressive for ongoing and past simple for interruptions.
- Forgetting to connect actions. → Use 'when' to connect the two actions.
🟣 Asking Questions in Past Tenses
Rule:
To ask questions in the past simple, use 'did' + subject + base form of the verb. For past progressive, use 'was/were' + subject + verb-ing.
- Did you go to the party?
- What were you doing at 5 PM?
- Did they play soccer last week?
- Using the wrong auxiliary verb. → Use 'did' for past simple and 'was/were' for progressive.
- Forgetting the base form of the verb. → Always use the base form after 'did'.
🧩 Guided practice
Mini-dialogue:
Last weekend, I went to the park. We were playing soccer when it started to rain.
Why this matters:
Using past tenses helps us tell stories clearly.
Verb & Adjective Pack:
Practice using past simple and past progressive to describe your activities.
AI oral analysis
Oral task: Write about a fun day you had.
Use past simple and past progressive.
Success criteria: Clear description of events.
- went
- were eating
- rain
- past simple
- past progressive
🚀 Quick challenge
Listen to the model, repeat aloud, then retry to improve your score.
AI Conversation Mission
You are talking about your weekend activities.
- Describe what you did last weekend.
- Explain what happened during your activities.
- Ask your partner about their weekend.
Use 'when' to connect actions.