How to ask questions in the PAST SIMPLE tense

TRANSCRIPT

Hi. I'm Rebecca from engVid. If you're a beginner or intermediate level student, this is a really important lesson for you, and that's because we're going to focus on the past simple tense, and specifically on making questions or forming questions in the past simple tense.

Now, why are these two areas specifically a little bit more challenging for students? For two reasons. First of all, when we're talking about the past tense, it's a little bit more challenging because we have to deal with regular verbs and irregular verbs, and when we're talking about questions it's a little bit harder because we have to add some words when we form a question and we have to change other words. All right? And all of this we have to do quite a lot when we speak in English, because most of the time when you speak in English or when you speak probably in any language, we tend to talk more about the past than about anything else. So, certainly, when we speak in English, we use this tense very, very often. Okay? So, let's have a look at exactly how to make these changes so that you can ask questions in the past simple tense very easily. Okay.

So, first of all, let's look at the sentence. When we form a sentence using a regular verb in the past, so what we do is we take the base verb, which in this first case is "work", and we add "ed" or "d". Okay? If the verb already ends in "e", like "dance", then we just add a "d"; and if not, we add "ed". So: "He worked", right? "He worked", "work" becomes "worked". But what happens when we need to make the question? Two things. First, you have to add this extra word: "Did". Without that, your question, I guarantee you, will be wrong. It might be casual, it might be informal, but it will grammatically be incorrect. So we need that word "Did" to form the question, and then we have to make another change. We have to add this: "Did he work?" So what happened? Here, when we had the sentence, we had to write "ed", and we said: "He worked." But when we come back to the question, we are coming back to the base form off the verb, so we do not say: "Did he worked?" We just say: "Did he work?" All right? So try to get the rhythm of that. And I'll try to repeat it for you, too, which you can then listen to and repeat after me. So, for example: "He worked.", "Did he work?", "She played.", "Did she play?", "They visited.", "Did they visit?" All right? You see? In each case, we have come back to the base form of the verb. So, do not say: "Did he worked?" Don't say: "He worked?" Try to use the entire expression: "Did he work?", "Did she play?", "Did they visit?" Okay? That's with regular verbs.

Now, what happens when we have irregular verbs? Well, you have to learn a little bit more. First, you have to learn: What is the past tense form to use with those irregular verbs? So, for example, in this one, the verb itself is the verb "go". "I go." Or let's say: "He goes." But in the past, you have to know that the past tense form of "go" is "went". All right? How do you know that? Well, you just have to learn it. Okay? There's no other way. There's a list of irregular verbs, and then you have to learn them by heart, you probably know many of them because you hear them a lot, but otherwise, you have to learn them. There's not much choice, there. Okay?

So in the past: "He went." How do we make that into a question, and what happens? The same thing that happened up here with the regular verbs. So: "He went." becomes: "Did he go?" All right? So let's see. "He went to the store." When we ask the question, we say: "Did he go to the store?" All right? So, again, we had to add the word "did", and we have to come back to the base form of the verb, which in this case was "go". All right?

[nafeesaahmadzai]

I have never seen teacher like you, you’re the best English teacher in the world thank you so much Rebecca 🥰

[josegabrielsilva]

Hi Rebecca, thank you so much for your lessons. I decided to learn English by myself a year ago. And even when I was a beginner I understood everything that you were teaching. English with you becomes so easy. Thank you for the bottom of my heart.

[Kate]

I understand this lesson very well. Thanks a lot. You're one of the best English teacher.

[fransiscanovitasari]

Thank you Rebecca. This video really helps me as a teacher of beginner students.

[Francisko]

Your English is absolutely clear. You are the first person I can understand. Thank you very much.

[malleshwarrao]

I am using the grammar in a wrong way until now. Now i have learnt it.she is amazing.

[Yosh]

thanks for this lesson and this tutorial helped me alot of english sentences but i still watching your videos to improve my english skills because i am not a native english speaker so thats why ive watch your lessons by the way thanks for helping us :)

[billaday]

Thanks Rebecca for your lessons! Great job!

[akankshasingh]

Very nicely you have explained. This video has really helped me. Thanks a lot 🙏🙏

[highlandersom]

Hi Rebbeca thanks a lot I'm doing exercise from your videos that you did in past or current and you helped me out a lot of things in English I'm the one who started to learn English in YouTube before the school thanks you so much for your helping us I'm very glad to see this video

[jamiesalih]

Your explain and teaching was very helpful for me, so i want say thank you very much to you teacher Rebecca ☺️💓💯👍🏽

[nancytawhite]

you are the best teacher that i have ever had in my entire life thank you

[annedesilva]

no mam not tired at all.very intrasting.thank you soooo clear.💝💐💐💐💐💐

[johngeecliffmanggay]

Thank you mam rebecca...i feel more improvement with my english skill..more power.and God bless..

[sab]

Thank you very much. You explain better than my teacher.

[CONCOMITTANT]

Hi Rebecca, thank you for the lesson. Could you tell me if you have a lesson on negative questions?

[ishaakismail]

Greatest teacher of all time

Thanks dear

[rogermark]

Hello I have a question. Why u didn't use 'feels' ? I thought that 'it' is a singular so we should put 's' at the end? Thanks

[ahmadawira]

I assure you madam that your method by writing on the board is the best method ever .
Thank you very much .❤❤❤❤

[astpanda]

really really thank you. you are best English teacher ever.