Past Simple
一般过去式
We use the past simple tense for events that have already happened and that have already finished.
我们用一般过去时表示已经发生过并结束的事情
I talked to my brother for an hour.
Many verbs can be made into the past tense by simply adding ed at the end.
很多动词的过去式在后面加ed
play - played
If the verb ends in y, we change the y to ied
如果动词以y结尾我们用ied代替y
cry - cried
If the verb ends in a vowel followed by a consonant, we double the consonant and add ed
如果动词以一个元音和一个辅音结尾，我们双写结尾辅音加ed
drop - dropped
There are also many irregular verbs we need to remember
很多不规则的动词需要记
do - did/didn’t
Did helps us ask questions in the past tense.
Did you eat lunch today?
Didn’t helps us make negative past
tense statements.
I didn’t eat lunch today.
Some other useful irregular verbs are:
be - was/were
go - went
have - had
give - gave
wake - woke
drink - drank
drive - drove
get - got
run - ran
tell - told
eat - ate
see - saw
buy - bought
say - said
The past simple is used for actions that happened in the past and are finished. They are not connected to the present.
一般过去式用在发生在过去已经完成的事情，和现在没有关联
I read two books this week.
(The action started and finished.)
Present Perfect
现在完成式
To make the Present Perfect Tense, we use:
组成一个现在完成式
I/you/we/they +have + the past participle
or
it/he/she + has + past participle
For most verbs, the past participle is the same as the simple past,
大多数动词的完成式形式和过去式一样
but some words are irregular:
几个不规则的动词
be - been
give - given
buy - bought
meet - met
do - done
drink - drunk
ride - ridden
eat - eaten
go - gone
have - had
know - known
run - run
see - seen
sleep - slept
We use the present perfect for actions that happened in the past and are connected to the present.
我们用现在完成式表示事情发生在过去和现在有关联
(They are still true, or might happen again.)
I’ve read two books this week.
(I read two books this week and I might read more books this week.)
Past Simple vs. Present Perfect
一般过去式和现在完成式对比
Past Simple:
一般过去式
I lived in London for five years.
(I lived there for five years and I don’t live there any more. There is no connection to the present.)
Present Perfect:
现在完成式
I’ve lived in London for five years.
(I started living in London five years ago and I still live there.)
We use the Past Simple when we are talking about a specific time in the past:
我们用一般过去式谈论过去一段时间里发生的事情
I met her last Wednesday.
(We know exactly when I met her.)
We use the Present Perfect when we are talking about a non-specific time in the past:
我们用现在完成式表示不特定的时间里发生的事情
I’ve met her before.
(We don’t know exactly when I met her.)
I’ve ridden a horse before.
(The focus in the experience of riding the horse, not when it happened.)
Past Progressive
过去进行式
To make the Past Progressive, we use the past form of “be” + ing form of a verb
我们用be动词的过去式形式+动词ing，组成一个过去完成式
(just like the ing form of the verb that we use for the Present Progressive.)
I was eating an apple.
They were talking.
We use the Past Progressive to talk about something that was happening before, but for a period of time.
我们用过去进行式表达事情在过去的一个时间上发生
Yesterday I was talking to my sister between 6:30 and 7:00.
(the emphasis is on the progress)
We use the Past Simple to talk about things that happened one after another.
我们用过去进行式表达事情一件接一件地发生
Yesterday I woke up, got out of bed and ate breakfast.
We use the Past Progressive for things that happened at the same time.
我们用过去进行式表达事情在过去同一时间发生
Yesterday I was reading while I was eating my dinner.
If we want to talk about one action that happened while another action was already happening, we use the Past Simple and the Past Progressive together.
如果我们想表达
While I was sleeping, somebody called me on the telephone.
Somebody called me on the telephone when I was sleeping.