Draft:Past tense in English

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Declined by Gheus 54 days ago. Last edited by Gheus 54 days ago. Reviewer: Inform author.

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Comment: WP:NOTGUIDE applies. I suggest to WP:SMERGE this draft with Past_tense#English. Gheus (talk) 15:16, 1 March 2025 (UTC)

The past tense in English is used to describe past events and their constructions. In English, there are several ways to express past events. To describe events that have an impact on the present reality, the Present Perfect tense is used. For actions that started in the past and are still ongoing, the Present Perfect Progressive tense is used. The most commonly used past tense is Past Simple, which describes past actions that have no connection to the present. It is used to indicate events that happened and finished in the past. To describe actions that were ongoing at a specific time in the past or occurred over a longer period, the Past Progressive tense is used. Finally, English has the Past Perfect tense, which describes the precedence of one event over another in the past. This tense is used when discussing actions that were completed before another action or event in the past.

Ways of describing the past

The past can be expressed in English in the following ways:^[1]^[2]^[3]

One of the formal past tenses includes: Past Simple, Past Progressive, Past Perfect, and Past Perfect Progressive.
When the described event or state correlates with the present, the Present Perfect or Present Perfect Progressive tenses are used. These tenses describe events that happened in the past but still have an impact on the present. She has spilled her coffee means she spilled her coffee, so she must clean the mess.
To describe an action that started in the past and is still ongoing, the Present Perfect Progressive is used. I've been waiting for you since 3 o'clock means the waiting started in the past and is still continuing.
When describing the past from the point of view of the future, the Future Perfect tense is used.
Certainty regarding past events can be expressed using one of the past tenses, most commonly the Past Perfect. As you will have noticed, we have a new manager means, from the future perspective, one is certain that the new manager has been noticed by now.

Past Simple

The tense is formed by adding the suffix -d or -ed to the base form of the verb. Questions are formed using the auxiliary verb did: He went there early. Did he go there early? For irregular verbs, the appropriate form is used.^[4]

The pronunciation is as follows:^[4]

/d/ after voiced consonants and vowels: played /ˈpleɪd/
/t/ after voiceless consonants: helped /helpt/
/ɪd/ after d and t: visited /ˈvɪzɪtɪd/.

Person	Affirmative	Emphatic affirmative	Interrogative	Negative	Short affirmative answer	Short negative answer
1st sg	I watched	I did watch	Did I watch?	I did not watch	Yes, I did	No, I did not
2nd sg + pl	You watched	You did watch	Did you watch?	You did not watch	Yes, you did	No, you did not
3rd sg	He/She/It watched	He/She/It did watch	Did he/she/it watch?	He/She/It does not watch	Yes, he/she/it did	No, he/she/it did not
1st pl	We watched	We did watch	Did we watch?	We did not watch	Yes, we did	No, we did not
3rd pl	They watched	They did watch	Did they watch?	They did not watch	Yes, they did	No, they did not

An exception is the verb to be:^[5]

Person	Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative	Short affirmative answer	Short negative answer
1st sg	I was happy.	I was not happy.	Was I happy?	Yes, I was	No, I was not
2nd sg + pl	You were happy.	You were not happy.	Were you happy?	Yes, you were	No, you were not
3rd sg	He/She/It was happy.	He/She/It was not happy.	Was he/she/it happy?	Yes, he/she/it was	No, he/she/it was not
1st pl	We were happy.	We were not happy.	Were we happy?	Yes, we were	No, we were not
3rd pl	They were happy.	They were not happy.	Were they happy?	Yes, they were	No, they were not

Past Simple is used to describe historical events: *The nuclear bomb destroyed Hiroshima*.

Usage of the Past Simple

It expresses a past action done at a specific time: I came back at ten o'clock yesterday.^[6]
It is used for a past action that is completed and has no effect on the present.^[6]
It is used to describe a sequence of past events, commonly in narratives or stories: I woke up, got up, and left. And suddenly, I spotted him in the crowd. Also: When he came, I gave him some money.^[7]
It describes short, one-time past actions that interrupt another action in the past: The telephone rang when I was watching TV.^[8]
It is used to describe states in the past: Once there was a fisherman, who lived in a little house by the sea.^[9]
It signals habitual or repeated actions in the past: Every morning he got up and ate breakfast before he went to work.^[6]
It expresses an event that is understood to have happened before another past event, without using the past perfect tense: When the play finished, the audience left quickly.^[10]
In reported speech, it replaces the Present Simple: She thought I needed help.^[11]
It is used to describe an unreal or unlikely event in the present (Second Conditional): If you bought the car, you couldn't afford much more.^[6]

Past Perfect

The past perfect tense is formed using the auxiliary verb have in the past simple form along with the past participle of the main verb, e.g., I had listened.^[1]

Person	Affirmative	Interrogative	Negative	Short affirmative answer	Short negative answer
1st sg	I had watched	Had I watched?	I had not watched	Yes, I had	No, I had not
2nd sg + pl	You had watched	Had you watched?	You had not watched	Yes, you had	No, you had not
3rd sg	He/She/It had watched	Had he/she/it watched?	He/She/It had not watched	Yes, he/she/it had	No, he/she/it had not
1st pl	We had watched	Had we watched?	We had not watched	Yes, we had	No, we had not
3rd pl	They had watched	Had they watched?	They had not watched	Yes, they had	No, they had not

Usage of the Past Perfect

To describe an action completed in the past before another past action: When they came to see me, I had already left. Or: The army had won the battle before they crossed the river.^[10]
With prepositions after, when, as soon as: He went to Paris as soon as he had passed his exams.^[12]
After the phrase it was the first time: It was the first time I had heard her sing.^[13]
To express unfulfilled wishes and hopes: I had hoped we would leave tomorrow. Or: I had intended to see the film, but then you came.^[13]
To describe an unreal past event that was a condition for another unfulfilled event (Third Conditional): If you had bought a car, you couldn't have afforded a holiday abroad.^[10]
In reported speech, replacing Past Simple and Present Perfect: She announced that the rain had stopped.^[13]

Past Progressive

The past progressive tense is formed using the auxiliary verb to be in the past simple form (was, were) and the main verb in the gerund form, e.g., I was listening.^[1]

Person	Affirmative	Interrogative	Negative	Short affirmative answer	Short negative answer
1st sg	I was reading	Was I reading?	I was not reading	Yes, I was	No, I was not
2nd sg + pl	You were reading	Were you reading?	You were not reading	Yes, you were	No, you were not
3rd sg	He/She/It was reading	Was he/she/it reading?	He/She/It was not reading	Yes, he/she/it was	No, he/she/it was not
1st pl	We were reading	Were we reading?	We were not reading	Yes, we were	No, we were not
3rd pl	They were reading	Were they reading?	They were not reading	Yes, they were	No, they were not

Usage of the Past Progressive

To emphasize that an action was in progress at a specific moment in the past: At 9 p.m. we were having dinner.^[14]
To describe a past action that served as the background for another, shorter action: The war was raging around us when we saw each other last time.^[15]
To express a long-lasting past action interrupted by another: The telephone rang when I was having a bath.^[15]
To describe an event that lasted for a certain period, emphasizing its duration (often implying it was unfinished): They were talking in a loud voice all night, and I couldn't sleep.^[15]
To describe two actions happening at the same time in the past: John was playing football while she was doing her homework.^[15]
To describe a temporary situation: When I got home, water was running down the kitchen walls.^[14]
To set the scene or provide background information rather than focusing on the main event: I was having lunch with the President yesterday, and he said...^[14]
To express repeated or unexpected past events: Ann was always coming unannounced.^[14]
To describe an unreal condition in the present, especially one that would last for some time: I'd be happier if I were losing weight.^[15]
In reported speech, replacing the present progressive, especially when referring to a near-future or long-lasting action: She told me she was getting married. Or: He said he was reading Dostoyevsky.^[15]

Past Perfect Progressive

The past perfect progressive tense is formed using the auxiliary verb have in the past form (had), the past participle of be (been), and the gerund form of the main verb, e.g., I had been listening.^[1]

Person	Affirmative	Interrogative	Negative	Short affirmative answer	Short negative answer
1st sg	I had been reading	Had I been reading?	I had not been reading	Yes, I had	No, I had not
2nd sg + pl	You had been reading	Had you been reading?	You had not been reading	Yes, you had	No, you had not
3rd sg	He/She/It had been reading	Had he/she/it been reading?	He/She/It had not been reading	Yes, he/she/it had	No, he/she/it had not
1st pl	We had been reading	Had we been reading?	We had not been reading	Yes, we had	No, we had not
3rd pl	They had been reading	Had they been reading?	They had not been reading	Yes, they had	No, they had not

Usage of the Past Perfect Progressive

To express a past action that had been happening for some time before another past action: They had been reading a book (for some time) when John entered the room.^[16]
To indicate how long an event had lasted before a specific past moment: We had been walking since sunrise, and we were hungry.^[17]
To emphasize the continuity of an event rather than its completion: I had been reading science fiction, and my mind was full of strange images. But: I had read all the magazines and got bored → completion is emphasized.^[17]
To describe relatively short-lived situations: My legs were stiff because I had been standing still for a long time. But: The tree that blew down had stood there for 500 years → emphasizes a long-lasting state.^[17]
In reported speech, replacing Past Progressive and Present Perfect Progressive: Mary's mother said she'd been having a wonderful time in Italy.^[13]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Prejbisz et al. (1997, p. 105)
^ Prejbisz et al. (1997, p. 114)
^ Swan (2015, p. 194)
^ ^a ^b Prejbisz et al. (1997, p. 92)
^ "Past Simple budowa i zastosowanie. Najpopularniejszy czas przeszły" [Past Simple Structure and Usage. The Most Popular Past Tense]. Chatschool (in Polish). Retrieved 2025-02-28.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Leech (2001, pp. 374–378)
^ Swan (2015, pp. 394–395)
^ Leech (2001, p. 375)
^ Leech (2001, p. 374)
^ ^a ^b ^c Leech (2001, pp. 369–371)
^ Swan (2015, pp. 248–250)
^ Swan (2015, pp. 398–399)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Leech (2001, p. 222)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Swan (2015, pp. 395–396)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Leech (2001, pp. 372–373)
^ Leech (2001, p. 371)
^ ^a ^b ^c Swan (2015, p. 400)

Bibliography

Prejbisz, Antoni; Jasińska, B.; Kryński, S.; Gozdawa-Gołębiowski, R. (1997). Nowa gramatyka angielska w ćwiczeniach [New English Grammar in Exercises] (in Polish). Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Szkolne PWN. ISBN 83-7195-192-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
Swan, Michael (2015). Practical English Usage. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-442098-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
Leech, Geoffrey (2001). An A – Z of English Grammar and Usage. Harlow: Longman. ISBN 0-582-40574-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)

[:0-1] Prejbisz et al. (1997, p. 105)

[2] Prejbisz et al. (1997, p. 114)

[3] Swan (2015, p. 194)

[:1-4] Prejbisz et al. (1997, p. 92)

[5] "Past Simple budowa i zastosowanie. Najpopularniejszy czas przeszły" [Past Simple Structure and Usage. The Most Popular Past Tense]. Chatschool (in Polish). Retrieved 2025-02-28.

[:2-6] Leech (2001, pp. 374–378)

[7] Swan (2015, pp. 394–395)

[8] Leech (2001, p. 375)

[9] Leech (2001, p. 374)

[:3-10] Leech (2001, pp. 369–371)

[11] Swan (2015, pp. 248–250)

[12] Swan (2015, pp. 398–399)

[:4-13] Leech (2001, p. 222)

[:5-14] Swan (2015, pp. 395–396)

[:6-15] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Leech (2001, pp. 372–373)

[16] Leech (2001, p. 371)

[:7-17] Swan (2015, p. 400)

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