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Day 8: Past Tense - Simple Past & Present Perfect
Master Past Tense Without Confusion & Talk About Yesterday
Learn the difference between Simple Past and Present Perfect with clear rules, examples, and practice exercises
Today's Lessons
Past Tense Without Confusion
Clear explanation of Simple Past tense - when to use it, how to form it, and common time expressions.
Talking About Yesterday
Learn to describe past events, share stories, and talk about what happened yesterday naturally.
Simple Past vs Present Perfect
Understand the key differences between these two tenses and when to use each one correctly.
Simple Past Tense - Clear Explanation
Use Simple Past for actions that started and finished in the past. The time is usually mentioned or understood.
When to Use
Completed actions in the past
• I watched a movie yesterday.
• She visited London last year.
• They arrived at 5 PM.
How to Form
Subject + Verb (past form) + Object
Regular: Add -ed
• walk → walked
• play → played
Irregular: Special forms
• go → went
• eat → ate
Negative Form
Subject + did not (didn't) + base verb
• I didn't go to the party.
• She didn't like the food.
• They didn't finish the work.
Question Form
Did + subject + base verb?
• Did you see him?
• Did she call you?
• Did they arrive on time?
Simple Past vs Present Perfect
Understanding the difference is key to speaking English naturally:
| Situation | Simple Past | Present Perfect |
|---|---|---|
| Time Reference | Finished time yesterday, last week, in 2020, when I was young |
Unfinished/connected time ever, never, already, yet, since, for |
| Example | I visited Paris in 2019. | I have visited Paris (in my life - no specific time). |
| Completed Action | She finished her work an hour ago. | She has just finished her work (recent, connected to now). |
| Experience | I went to that restaurant last week. | I have been to that restaurant (sometime in my life). |
| Result | I lost my keys yesterday (and found them later). | I have lost my keys (and still can't find them). |
Quick Memory Trick:
Simple Past = "When? When did it happen?" (specific time is important)
Present Perfect = "What happened? Is it connected to now?" (time is not specific)
Present Perfect = "What happened? Is it connected to now?" (time is not specific)
Regular & Irregular Verbs - Quick Reference
Learn these common verbs for talking about yesterday:
Regular Verb
Work
worked
worked
"I worked from home yesterday."
Regular Verb
Play
played
played
"We played cricket in the evening."
Regular Verb
Watch
watched
watched
"She watched a movie last night."
Regular Verb
Study
studied
studied
"He studied for two hours."
Irregular Verb
Go
went
gone
"I went to the market yesterday."
Irregular Verb
Eat
ate
eaten
"We ate pizza for dinner."
Irregular Verb
See
saw
seen
"I saw him at the station."
Irregular Verb
Come
came
come
"She came home late."
Irregular Verb
Buy
bought
bought
"They bought a new car."
Irregular Verb
Take
took
taken
"He took the bus to work."
Time Expressions for Past Tense
Use these words to talk about the past:
Yesterday
कल
Last night
कल रात
Last week
पिछले हफ्ते
Last month
पिछले महीने
Last year
पिछले साल
...ago
...पहले
In 2010
2010 में
When I was young
जब मैं छोटा था
This morning
आज सुबह
Just now
अभी अभी
Conversation Practice: Talking About Yesterday
Practice these dialogues to talk about past events naturally:
A:
What did you do yesterday?
आपने कल क्या किया?
B:
I went to the office in the morning, and in the evening I watched a movie with friends.
मैं सुबह ऑफिस गया, और शाम को दोस्तों के साथ फिल्म देखी।
A:
Did you have dinner at home?
क्या आपने घर पर खाना खाया?
B:
No, I didn't. I ate at a restaurant. The food was delicious.
नहीं, मैंने रेस्टोरेंट में खाया। खाना बहुत स्वादिष्ट था।
A:
Have you ever been to that restaurant before?
क्या आप पहले कभी उस रेस्टोरेंट में गए हैं?
B:
Yes, I have been there twice. But yesterday was the first time I tried their pasta.
हाँ, मैं दो बार जा चुका हूँ। लेकिन कल पहली बार उनका पास्ता ट्राई किया।
Practice Exercises
Test your understanding of past tense:
1
Fill in the blanks with Simple Past
Yesterday I _____ (wake) up at 7 AM. I _____ (have) breakfast and then I _____ (go) to work. I _____ (work) until 6 PM. In the evening, I _____ (meet) my friend for coffee.
Answers: woke, had, went, worked, met
2
Choose: Simple Past or Present Perfect?
a) I _____ (visit) my grandmother last weekend.
b) I _____ (visit) my grandmother three times this month.
c) She _____ (not/eat) lunch yet.
d) She _____ (not/eat) lunch yesterday.
b) I _____ (visit) my grandmother three times this month.
c) She _____ (not/eat) lunch yet.
d) She _____ (not/eat) lunch yesterday.
Answers: a) visited (Simple Past - specific time), b) have visited (Present Perfect - ongoing month), c) hasn't eaten (Present Perfect - yet), d) didn't eat (Simple Past - yesterday)
3
Make negative sentences
a) I saw him yesterday. → I _____ him yesterday.
b) She ate breakfast. → She _____ breakfast.
c) They arrived on time. → They _____ on time.
b) She ate breakfast. → She _____ breakfast.
c) They arrived on time. → They _____ on time.
Answers: didn't see, didn't eat, didn't arrive
4
Write 3 sentences about what you did yesterday
Use at least one irregular verb and one time expression.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ I didn't went to office.
✅ I didn't go to office.
After "did/didn't", always use the base form of the verb, not past tense.
❌ I have seen him yesterday.
✅ I saw him yesterday. OR I have seen him (no specific time).
Don't use Present Perfect with specific past time expressions like yesterday, last week, etc.
❌ She go to market yesterday.
✅ She went to market yesterday.
Always use past form for completed past actions, not base form.
❌ Did you ate breakfast?
✅ Did you eat breakfast?
In questions with "did", use base form of the verb.
Today's Practice Routine (25 minutes)
5 min
Warm-up: Review 10 common irregular verbs (go→went, eat→ate, see→saw, etc.). Say each past form aloud.
8 min
Grammar Practice: Complete exercises 1 and 2 from above. Write the answers in a notebook.
7 min
Speaking Practice: Talk about your yesterday for 2 minutes. Record yourself or tell a friend/family member.
5 min
Present Perfect Practice: Make 3 sentences about your life experiences using "ever", "never", "already".
Frequently Asked Questions
When do I use "have been" vs "went"?
Use "went" for a specific past visit: "I went to Delhi last week." Use "have been" for experience without specific time: "I have been to Delhi many times."
What's the difference between "I didn't see" and "I haven't seen"?
"I didn't see" refers to a specific past occasion: "I didn't see him at the party yesterday." "I haven't seen" means up to now: "I haven't seen him today (and it's still possible)."
How do I remember irregular verbs?
Group them by patterns: drink-drank-drunk, sing-sang-sung (i-a-u pattern); buy-bought-bought, bring-brought-brought (-ought pattern); or practice with songs and stories.
Can I use Present Perfect with "yesterday"?
No, never. Present Perfect cannot be used with finished time expressions like yesterday, last week, in 2010, etc. Use Simple Past for those.
Day 8 Completion Checklist
Mark these tasks as complete before moving to Day 9:
Understood when to use Simple Past vs Present Perfect
Learned 10 common irregular verbs
Completed the practice exercises
Talked about yesterday for 2 minutes in English
Made 3 sentences about life experiences with Present Perfect
Excellent! You now know how to talk about the past confidently. Past tense is essential for sharing stories and experiences!
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दिन 8: भूतकाल - सिंपल पास्ट और प्रेजेंट परफेक्ट
बिना कन्फ्यूजन के भूतकाल सीखें और कल की बात करें
सिंपल पास्ट और प्रेजेंट परफेक्ट के बीच अंतर को स्पष्ट नियमों, उदाहरणों और अभ्यासों के साथ समझें
आज के पाठ
बिना कन्फ्यूजन के भूतकाल
सिंपल पास्ट टेंस की स्पष्ट व्याख्या - कब उपयोग करें, कैसे बनाएं, और सामान्य समय अभिव्यक्तियाँ।
कल की बात करना
पिछली घटनाओं का वर्णन करना, कहानियाँ साझा करना और कल क्या हुआ स्वाभाविक रूप से बताना सीखें।
सिंपल पास्ट बनाम प्रेजेंट परफेक्ट
इन दो टेंस के बीच मुख्य अंतर समझें और प्रत्येक का सही उपयोग कब करें।
सिंपल पास्ट टेंस - स्पष्ट व्याख्या
सिंपल पास्ट का उपयोग उन कार्यों के लिए करें जो अतीत में शुरू और समाप्त हुए। समय आमतौर पर उल्लेखित या समझा जाता है।
कब उपयोग करें
अतीत में पूर्ण किए गए कार्य
• मैंने कल एक फिल्म देखी।
• वह पिछले साल लंदन गई थी।
• वे शाम 5 बजे पहुंचे।
कैसे बनाएं
कर्ता + क्रिया (भूत रूप) + कर्म
नियमित: -ed जोड़ें
• walk → walked
• play → played
अनियमित: विशेष रूप
• go → went
• eat → ate
नकारात्मक रूप
कर्ता + did not (didn't) + मूल क्रिया
• मैं पार्टी में नहीं गया।
• उसे खाना पसंद नहीं आया।
• उन्होंने काम पूरा नहीं किया।
प्रश्न रूप
Did + कर्ता + मूल क्रिया?
• क्या तुमने उसे देखा?
• क्या उसने तुम्हें फोन किया?
• क्या वे समय पर पहुंचे?
सिंपल पास्ट बनाम प्रेजेंट परफेक्ट
अंतर समझना स्वाभाविक रूप से अंग्रेजी बोलने की कुंजी है:
| स्थिति | सिंपल पास्ट | प्रेजेंट परफेक्ट |
|---|---|---|
| समय संदर्भ | समाप्त समय कल, पिछले हफ्ते, 2020 में, जब मैं छोटा था |
अपूर्ण/जुड़ा समय कभी, कभी नहीं, पहले से ही, अभी तक, से, के लिए |
| उदाहरण | मैं 2019 में पेरिस गया था। | मैं पेरिस गया हूँ (मेरे जीवन में - कोई विशिष्ट समय नहीं)। |
| पूर्ण कार्य | उसने एक घंटे पहले अपना काम खत्म किया। | उसने अभी अपना काम खत्म किया है (हाल ही में, अब से जुड़ा)। |
| अनुभव | मैं पिछले हफ्ते उस रेस्टोरेंट में गया था। | मैं उस रेस्टोरेंट में गया हूँ (मेरे जीवन में कभी)। |
| परिणाम | मैंने कल अपनी चाबियाँ खो दीं (और बाद में मिल गईं)। | मैंने अपनी चाबियाँ खो दी हैं (और अभी भी नहीं मिलीं)। |
नियमित और अनियमित क्रियाएँ - त्वरित संदर्भ
कल की बात करने के लिए ये सामान्य क्रियाएँ सीखें:
नियमित क्रिया
Work
worked
worked
"मैंने कल घर से काम किया।"
नियमित क्रिया
Play
played
played
"हमने शाम को क्रिकेट खेला।"
अनियमित क्रिया
Go
went
gone
"मैं कल बाजार गया।"
अनियमित क्रिया
Eat
ate
eaten
"हमने रात के खाने में पिज्जा खाया।"
आज की अभ्यास दिनचर्या (25 मिनट)
5 मिनट
वार्म-अप: 10 सामान्य अनियमित क्रियाओं की समीक्षा करें। प्रत्येक भूत रूप जोर से बोलें।
8 मिनट
व्याकरण अभ्यास: ऊपर दिए गए अभ्यास 1 और 2 पूरे करें। उत्तर नोटबुक में लिखें।
7 मिनट
बोलने का अभ्यास: 2 मिनट के लिए अपने कल के बारे में बात करें। खुद को रिकॉर्ड करें या किसी दोस्त/परिवार को बताएं।
5 मिनट
प्रेजेंट परफेक्ट अभ्यास: "ever", "never", "already" का उपयोग करके अपने जीवन के अनुभवों के बारे में 3 वाक्य बनाएं।
दिन 8 पूरा होना चेकलिस्ट
दिन 9 पर जाने से पहले इन कार्यों को पूरा के रूप में चिह्नित करें:
सिंपल पास्ट बनाम प्रेजेंट परफेक्ट का उपयोग कब करना है समझा
10 सामान्य अनियमित क्रियाएँ सीखीं
अभ्यास अभ्यास पूरे किए
अंग्रेजी में 2 मिनट के लिए कल की बात की
प्रेजेंट परफेक्ट के साथ जीवन के अनुभवों के बारे में 3 वाक्य बनाए
उत्कृष्ट! अब आप आत्मविश्वास से अतीत की बात कर सकते हैं। भूतकाल कहानियों और अनुभवों को साझा करने के लिए आवश्यक है!
Master the Past to Share Your Stories
Talking about the past is essential for conversations. Whether sharing experiences or telling stories, past tense helps you connect with others!
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