Past Tense

Exercises for practising Past Tense.

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When do we use Past Tense?

1) Past Tense is used for actions that happened in the past. (Die Past Tense wird verwendet, um über abgeschlossene Handlungen in der Vergangenheit zu sprechen.)
Example: I visited my grandparents yesterday.

2) For actions that happened in the past and took place one after the other. (Für Handlungen in der Vergangenheit, die hintereinander passiert sind.)
Example: He got up, went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth.

Signal words: yesterday, ago, last (week, year, month...), in (2010)

Questions in Past Tense
Questions in Past Tense are formed with did and the first form of the verb. (Fragen in Past Tense werden mit did und der ersten Form des Verbs gebildet.)
Did you play tennis yesterday?

Past Tense Negation
The negation in Past Tense is formed with didn't (did not) and the first form of the verb. (Verneinungen in Past Tense werden mit didn't bzw. did not und der ersten Form des Verbs gebildet.)
I didn't (did not) play tennis yesterday.

Fill in the verbs in Past Tense.

I ______ (get) a new bike yesterday.

Solution:
got

We ______ (do) our homework in the afternoon.

Solution:
did

Mary ______ the film yesterday evening.

Solution:
watched

They ______ this photo in the park last week.

Solution:
took

/ In English you say to take photos and not to make photos.

They ______ (fly) to New York.

Solution:
flew

She ______ (drink) a lot of orange juice yesterday.

Solution:
drank

She ______ English at the university five years ago.

Solution:
studied

She ______ an email to her friend.

Solution:
wrote

Peter __________ (not eat) vegetables for lunch.

Solution:
didn't eat

Caroline __________ (not take) a shower in the morning.

Solution:
didn't take

When __________ (she/visit) them?

Solution:
did she visit

Where __________ (you/meet) your girlfriend?

Solution:
did you meet

Tim ______ (swim) in the lake yesterday afternoon.

Solution:
swam

We ______ (have) breakfast two hours ago.

Solution:
had