Past Tenses
Using Past Simple and Past Progressive
Écoutez le texte du cours.
🎧 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. At the café, we talked about our favorite games. It was a fun day, even with the rain!
⚡ Learning goals
- Understand past simple and past progressive
- Use past tenses in sentences
- Talk about past activities clearly
🔑 Key language
- I went to the park. Last weekend, I went to the park.
- We were playing soccer. While we were playing soccer, it started to rain.
- I had a picnic. We had a picnic at the park.
🌍 Global comprehension
AI writing analysis
Task: Write about a fun day you had last weekend.
Use past simple and past progressive in your answer.
Success criteria: Clear use of past tenses and activities.
- went
- played
- started
- packed
- talked
- 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:
We use the past simple to talk about completed actions in the past. For example, 'I went to the park.'
- I visited my grandmother yesterday.
- She watched a movie last night.
- They played soccer last week.
- Using present tense instead of past. → Always use the past form of the verb.
- Forgetting to use 'did' in negatives. → Use 'did not' for negatives.
🟣 Using Past Progressive
Rule:
We use the past progressive to talk about actions that were happening at a specific time in the past. For example, 'I was playing soccer.'
- I was reading a book when he called.
- They were eating when it started to rain.
- She was studying at 7 PM.
- Using past simple instead of past progressive. → Use 'was/were + verb-ing' for ongoing actions.
- Forgetting to use 'was' or 'were'. → Always include 'was' or 'were'.
🟣 Combining Past Simple and Past Progressive
Rule:
We often use both tenses together to show a completed action and an ongoing action. For example, 'I was eating when it started to rain.'
- She was studying when I called her.
- They were walking when they saw the dog.
- I was watching TV when the lights went out.
- Mixing up the tenses. → Identify which action is ongoing and which is completed.
- Using the wrong form of 'to be'. → Use 'was' for singular and 'were' for plural.
🟣 Using Time Expressions
Rule:
We often use time expressions with past simple and past progressive. For example, 'last weekend', 'when', and 'while'.
- I went to the park last weekend.
- While I was studying, my phone rang.
- They were playing soccer when it started to rain.
- Forgetting to use time expressions. → Always include a time expression for clarity.
- Using the wrong time expression. → Use 'when' for specific moments and 'while' for ongoing actions.
🧩 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 you share your experiences clearly.
Verb & Adjective Pack:
Remember to use 'went' for completed actions and 'was/were + verb-ing' for ongoing actions.
AI oral analysis
Oral task: Write about a day you enjoyed last weekend.
Use both past simple and past progressive in your answer.
Success criteria: Clear use of both tenses and activities.
- went
- played
- started
- packed
- talked
- past simple
- past progressive
🚀 Quick challenge
Listen to the model, repeat aloud, then retry to improve your score.
AI Conversation Mission
You are sharing your weekend plans with a friend.
- Describe what you did last weekend.
- Explain what you were doing when something happened.
- Ask your friend about their weekend.
Use clear time markers.