📖 Lesson 1: Past Simple - Life Stories

Tell stories about your past experiences!

A2 Level | General English Course

Why Do We Need Past Simple? 🎯

The Past Simple tells us: "This happened. It's finished."

Use it to talk about completed actions in the past - yesterday, last week, in 2020, when you were a child...

The Timeline

PAST
(finished!)
NOW
FUTURE

Real Stories from Real People

👨‍🎤

Ed Sheeran

"I started playing guitar when I was 11. I moved to London when I was 17. I slept outside the London Eye because I didn't have money for a hotel."

Notice: All actions are FINISHED in the past!

👩‍🚀

Mae Jemison (First African-American woman in space)

"I dreamed of going to space since I was a child. I studied medicine and engineering. I joined NASA in 1987 and flew into space in 1992."

Notice: Regular verbs (-ed) AND irregular verbs (flew)!

⚽

Lionel Messi

"I left Argentina when I was 13. I moved to Barcelona with my family. It was difficult, but I worked hard every day. I won my first trophy in 2005."

Notice: Mix of regular (moved, worked) and irregular (left, was, won)!

Quick Discussion

  • Which story is most interesting to you? Why?
  • Can you find 3 regular verbs (-ed) in these stories?
  • Can you find 3 irregular verbs?
  • What's something YOU did when you were younger?

🎯 Today's Goal

By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to tell YOUR life story using Past Simple - both regular and irregular verbs!

How to Form Past Simple 📝

Regular Verbs: Just Add -ED

work → worked | play → played | watch → watched

Spelling Rule Example Result
Most verbs: + ed work, play, watch worked, played, watched
Verbs ending in -e: + d live, love, dance lived, loved, danced
Consonant + y: y → ied study, try, cry studied, tried, cried
Short vowel + consonant: double consonant + ed stop, plan, travel stopped, planned, travelled

Irregular Verbs: You Must Learn Them! 😅

Click each verb to reveal its past form:

go
→ went
have
→ had
be
→ was/were
see
→ saw
eat
→ ate
come
→ came
get
→ got
make
→ made
take
→ took
give
→ gave
think
→ thought
know
→ knew

Negative & Questions: Use DID

Form Structure Example
➕ Positive Subject + past verb I went to Paris.
➖ Negative Subject + didn't + base verb I didn't go to Paris.
❓ Question Did + subject + base verb? Did you go to Paris?

⚠️ Common Mistake!

WRONG: Did you went to Paris?

RIGHT: Did you go to Paris?

After DID, use the BASE form of the verb (no -ed, no irregular form!)

Now You Try!

Make sentences about yourself:

  • Yesterday I... (go? eat? watch? study?)
  • Last weekend I...
  • When I was a child, I...
  • I didn't... yesterday (something you DIDN'T do)

Let's Practice! ✏️

Exercise 1: Choose the Correct Form

1. I (go) to the cinema last night.

goed went gone

2. She (not/like) the food at the restaurant.

not liked didn't like doesn't liked

3. you (see) the match on TV?

Did ... see Did ... saw Do ... saw

4. They (study) all night for the exam.

studyed studied studieed

5. We (have) a great time at the party.

haved had has

6. He (not/tell) me the truth.

not told didn't told didn't tell

Exercise 2: Time Expressions

Past Simple often uses these time expressions:

yesterday | last week/month/year | in 2020 | ago | when I was... | on Monday

Now You Try!

Complete these sentences about yourself:

  • Yesterday, I...
  • Last weekend, I...
  • When I was 10 years old, I...
  • Three years ago, I...
  • In 2020, I...

Story Building Game 🎮

How to Play:

1. Click a card to select a topic

2. Tell a story about that topic using Past Simple

3. Use at least 5 different verbs!

Choose Your Story Topic:

🎂
A Birthday You Remember
✈️
A Trip or Vacation
😱
A Scary Experience
😂
A Funny Memory
🏆
An Achievement
❤️
Meeting Someone Special
🎭
An Embarrassing Moment
🎓
A School Memory

Story Starters to Help You:

  • "This happened when I was..."
  • "It was [year/day/time]..."
  • "I remember when..."
  • "One day, I..."
  • "The story begins when..."

Useful Verbs for Stories:

Regular: happened, started, decided, wanted, looked, walked, talked, laughed, cried, loved, hated

Irregular: went, saw, met, got, had, made, took, came, thought, felt, said, told, knew

Now Tell Your Story!

Include:

  • When did it happen?
  • Where were you?
  • Who was with you?
  • What happened? (at least 5 actions!)
  • How did you feel?

Tell Your Life Story 🗣️

Speaking Challenge: 3 Minutes Non-Stop!

Choose a topic and talk about your life experiences. Try to speak for the full 3 minutes!

3:00

Choose Your Topic:

1 Your Childhood

Talk about: Where you grew up, what you did for fun, who your friends were, what school was like, your favorite memories...

2 A Big Change in Your Life

Talk about: A time you moved, started something new, made an important decision, or your life changed significantly...

3 Your Best Day Ever

Talk about: What happened, who was there, why it was special, how you felt...

4 Learning Something New

Talk about: A skill you learned (driving, cooking, a language, a sport), who taught you, how difficult it was, how long it took...

Interview Your Partner

Ask these questions:

  • Where did you grow up?
  • What was your favorite subject at school?
  • What did you want to be when you were a child?
  • Where did you go on your last vacation?
  • What was the best gift you ever received?
  • When did you start learning English?
  • What was the most important decision you ever made?

Final Challenge 🏆

The "Life Timeline" Challenge

Create a timeline of 5 important events in your life. For each event, speak for 30 seconds to 1 minute!

👶

Event 1: Early Childhood (0-5 years)

Something that happened when you were very young. Maybe a story your parents told you, or your earliest memory.

I was born in... | When I was 3, I... | My parents told me that I...

🎒

Event 2: School Years

An important memory from your school days. A friend, a teacher, a success, or a funny moment.

When I was in primary school... | I remember one day... | My best friend and I...

🌟

Event 3: A Turning Point

Something that changed your life or the way you think. A decision, an experience, or a realization.

Everything changed when... | I decided to... | That was when I realized...

🎯

Event 4: An Achievement

Something you're proud of. It could be big or small - what matters is that it meant something to you.

I worked hard and... | I finally... | The moment I... was amazing!

🌅

Event 5: Recent Past

Something important that happened in the last few years. How did it shape who you are today?

A few years ago... | Last year, I... | Recently, I...

🎉 Congratulations!

You've completed Lesson 1!

You can now:

  • ✓ Use Past Simple with regular verbs (-ed)
  • ✓ Use common irregular verbs correctly
  • ✓ Make negative sentences with "didn't"
  • ✓ Ask questions with "Did...?"
  • ✓ Tell stories about your past

Next lesson: Lesson 2 - Interrupted Stories (Past Continuous + Past Simple)