SIMPLE PAST
FUNCIONES DEL "SIMPLE PAST"
El "simple past" se utiliza para hablar de una acción que concluyó en un tiempo anterior al actual. La duración no es relevante. El tiempo en que se sitúa la acción puede ser el pasado reciente o un pasado lejano.
EJEMPLOS
John Cabot sailed to America in 1498.
My father died last year.
He lived in Fiji in 1976.
We crossed the Channel yesterday.
Siempre se utiliza el "simple past" para referirse a cuándo ocurrió algo, de modo que va asociado a ciertas expresiones temporales que indican:
frecuencia: often, sometimes, always
I sometimes walked home at lunchtime.
I often brought my lunch to school.
un tiempo determinado: last week, when I was a child, yesterday, six weeks ago
We saw a good film last week.
Yesterday, I arrived in Geneva.
She finished her work atseven o'clock
I went to the theatre last night
un tiempo indeterminado: the other day, ages ago, a long time ago People lived in caves a long time ago.
She played the piano when she was a child.
Nota: el término ago es útil para expresar distancia temporal en el pasado. Se coloca después del periodo de tiempo de que se trate: a week ago, three years ago, a minute ago.
Cuidado: el "simple past" del inglés puede parecerse a un tiempo verbal de tu propio idioma y, sin embargo, su significado puede ser distinto.
FORMACIÓN DEL "SIMPLE PAST"
FORMACIÓN DEL "SIMPLE PAST" CON VERBOS REGULARES
Afirmativa
Sujeto + raíz + ed
I skipped.
Negativa
Sujeto + did not + infinitivo sin to
They didn't go.
Interrogativa
Did + sujeto + infinitivo sin to
Did she arrive?
Interrogativa negativa
Did not + sujeto + infinitivo sin to
Didn't you play?
TO WALK
AfirmativaNegativaInterrogativaI walked I didn't walk Did I walk?
You walked You didn't walk Did you walk?
He walked He didn't walk Did he walk?
We walked We didn't walk Did we walk?
They walked They didn't walk Did they walk?
"SIMPLE PAST" DE LOS VERBOS TO BE, TO HAVE, TO DO
SujetoVerbo Be Have Do
I was had did
You were had did
He/She/It was had did
We were had did
You were had did
They were had did
NOTAS SOBRE LAS CONSTRUCCIONES AFIRMATIVA, NEGATIVA E INTERROGATIVA
AFIRMATIVA
La forma afirmativa del "simple past" es sencilla.
I was in Japan last year
She had a headache yesterday.
We did our homework last night.
NEGATIVA E INTERROGATIVA
Para las formas negativa e interrogativa del "simple past" del verbo "do" como verbo ordinario, se emplea como auxiliar "do", e.g. We didn't do our homework last night.
La forma negativa del verbo "have" en "simple past" suele construirse utilizando el auxiliar "do", aunque en ocasiones solo se añade not o la contracción "n't".
La forma interrogativa del verbo "have" en "simple past" suele emplear el auxiliar "do".
EJEMPLOS
They weren't in Rio last summer.
We didn't have any money.
We didn't have time to visit the Eiffel Tower.
We didn't do our exercises this morning.
Were they in Iceland last January?
Did you have a bicycle when you were young?
Did you do much climbing in Switzerland?
Nota: para construir las formas negativa e interrogativa de todos los verbos en "simple past", se utiliza siempre el auxiliar 'did''.
"SIMPLE PAST": VERBOS IRREGULARES
Algunos verbos hacen el "simple past" de forma irregular. Estos son los más comunes.
TO GO
He went to a club last night.
Did he go to the cinema last night?
He didn't go to bed early last night.
TO GIVE
We gave her a doll for her birthday.
They didn't give John their new address.
Did Barry give you my passport?
TO COME
My parents came to visit me last July.
We didn't come because it was raining.
Did he come to your party last week?
