The use of tenses

PAST TENSE SIMPLE

Theoretical grounds

The Past Tense Simple (Trecutul simplu) designates an event that occurred in the past and is
remembered at present.
Regular verbs add a d or ed to the short infinitive of the notional verb.
Notice:
a. The final consonant of the infinitive doubles when the preceding bowel is short and stressed:
E;g. stop : stopped prefer preferred

b. the verbs ending in y preceded by a consonant change the y. into i:

E.g. study - studied
c. the verbs ending in e add a d:
E.g. move - moved
d. the verbs ending in 1 double the consonant irrespective of accent:
E.g. control - controlled
travel - travelled
Irregular verbs have different forms for the infinitive, past and past participle.
The Past Tense Simple is used in order to express:
1. An action that occurred in a past moment:
a. The moment in the past is usually mentioned by adverbs such as: two hours ago,
yesterday, last week, in 1990, etc.:
E.g. I w$i'f to the opera last night.

b. The moment in the past may not be mentioned, but it may be deduced from the
context:
E.g. He shook his head and said no.

c. The action occurred in a past moment which is specified as a result of a question and
answer in the Present Perfect tense:
Ei.g. Have you seen this film?
Yes, I have. I saw the film last week.

2. An action that was repeated in the past (usually translated by an imperfect):

E.g. I often visited him.
3. Actions successively occurring in a past moment, usually introduced by when or after:
B.g. I saw him before he sow me.
He went out to play after he finished his work.
 4, A polite request with verbs like: wish, want, wonder, Jike, iufcnd*
E.. I wondered if you could lend me this book.

5. A Present Tense in Reported Speech, in case the verb in the main clause is in a Past
tense:
E.g. She told me she was ill. (Mi-a spus ca estc bolnava.)

| The negative of a verb in the Past Tense Simple is formed with did not or didnt and the short
infinitive of the verb:
E.g. I, you, she, he, (it), we, you, they did not/didnt go shopping.

The interrogative of a verb in the Past Tense Simple is fonned with did and the short infinitive
of the verb: .
E.g. Did I, you, he, she, (it), we, you, they go shopping?

Exercises
l. Supply the Past Tense Simple of the verbs in brackets:
We... football yesterday afternoon, (to play)
| It..; all last week, (to snow)
| I... breakfast quite late yesterday, (to have)
1 She... well last night, (to sleep)
| Yesterday, I... up at nine, (to wake)
- My mate... the room, (to enter)
| She always... of her headaches, (to complain)
- He... to see me. (to come)
| When he was a student he... in a hostel, (to live)
- Hemingway,|. The Old man and the Sea in 1952. (to write)

2. Turn the verbs in the following sentences into the Past Tense Simple, according to
the model, and make all other required changes:
I always bring ray umbrella with me. |
I brought my umbrella with me yesterday.
My leg often hurts.
Jane often buys sweets.
The boys usually go swimming in hot water.
- Father often has lunch in town.
- I frequently take my little brother for a ride.
r Mr. Goody always reads the paper in the evening.
! I usually lend books to my .friends.
- The students generally write interesting papers.
1 Thomas always tells us funny stories.

3. Make the following sentences negative:

- Deborah ate some cherries.
Mr. Doolittle went by car to the seaside.
- The Burtons gave the boy some oranges.
- Paul* s father drove a truck.
- Annabel invited Muriel to the garden party.
 Theodore brought me flowers,
The dressmaker made Helen a blouse.
We spew our holidays in the mountains.
Her friend taught us grammar.
The children sang an Irish song.
The shop sold toys from China.
The Film began at six sharp.

4. Make the sentences in Exercise 3 interrogative.

5. Translate into Romanian:
I knew him slightly and I didnt want to disturb him.
- He said it was too late to start skiing.
- It was a big snowstorm
I went ahead to the railway station.
- The woman, said the rain started about midnight.