30 Past Tense English Flashcards
Master the past tenses in English with these vibrant, interactive flashcards. Each card explains a key past tense use, form, or example.
Simple Past: Habit
Definition: Past habits or routines.
Example: “She went to school by bus every day.”
Example: “She went to school by bus every day.”
Simple Past: Completed Action
Definition: Finished actions in the past.
Example: “He watched a movie last night.”
Example: “He watched a movie last night.”
Simple Past: Specific Time
Definition: Actions at a definite time.
Example: “I met her in 2010.”
Example: “I met her in 2010.”
Past Continuous: Interrupted Action
Definition: Longer action interrupted by another.
Example: “I was reading when he called.”
Example: “I was reading when he called.”
Past Continuous: Parallel Actions
Definition: Two actions happening at the same time.
Example: “She was cooking while I was cleaning.”
Example: “She was cooking while I was cleaning.”
Past Continuous: Background
Definition: Sets the scene in a story.
Example: “It was raining when I left.”
Example: “It was raining when I left.”
Simple Past: Negative
Definition: Use “did not” + base verb.
Example: “He did not go to work.”
Example: “He did not go to work.”
Past Continuous: Negative
Definition: Use “was/were not” + verb-ing.
Example: “They were not listening.”
Example: “They were not listening.”
Simple Past: Question
Definition: Use “Did” + subject + base verb.
Example: “Did you see the film?”
Example: “Did you see the film?”
Past Continuous: Question
Definition: Use “Was/Were” + subject + verb-ing.
Example: “Were you sleeping?”
Example: “Were you sleeping?”
Used To
Definition: Past habits or states no longer true.
Example: “I used to play football.”
Example: “I used to play football.”
Would (for Past Habit)
Definition: Repeated past actions (not states).
Example: “Every summer we would visit our grandparents.”
Example: “Every summer we would visit our grandparents.”
Past Perfect: Earlier Past
Definition: Action before another past action.
Example: “She had left before I arrived.”
Example: “She had left before I arrived.”
Past Perfect: Result in Past
Definition: Show result at a past moment.
Example: “He had finished his work when I called.”
Example: “He had finished his work when I called.”
Past Perfect: Negative
Definition: “Had not” + past participle.
Example: “They had not eaten before the show.”
Example: “They had not eaten before the show.”
Past Perfect: Question
Definition: “Had” + subject + past participle.
Example: “Had you seen her before?”
Example: “Had you seen her before?”
Past Perfect Continuous: Duration
Definition: Action continuing up to a past moment.
Example: “He had been working for hours.”
Example: “He had been working for hours.”
Past Perfect Continuous: Cause
Definition: Shows reason for a past result.
Example: “She was tired because she had been running.”
Example: “She was tired because she had been running.”
Simple Past: Regular Verbs
Definition: Add “-ed” to base verb.
Example: “They walked to school.”
Example: “They walked to school.”
Simple Past: Irregular Verbs
Definition: Use second form (V2).
Example: “She ate an apple.”
Example: “She ate an apple.”
Past Continuous: Time Expressions
Definition: Use with “while”, “when”, “as”.
Example: “While I was cooking, he arrived.”
Example: “While I was cooking, he arrived.”
Simple Past: Short Answers
Definition: Use “Yes, I did.” / “No, I didn’t.”
Example: “Did you call?” – “Yes, I did.”
Example: “Did you call?” – “Yes, I did.”
Past Continuous: Passive
Definition: “was/were being + past participle”.
Example: “The cake was being baked.”
Example: “The cake was being baked.”
Simple Past: Passive
Definition: “was/were + past participle”.
Example: “The letter was sent yesterday.”
Example: “The letter was sent yesterday.”
Past Perfect: Passive
Definition: “had been + past participle”.
Example: “The work had been done.”
Example: “The work had been done.”
Simple Past: With “Ago”
Definition: Use “ago” for past time.
Example: “I moved here two years ago.”
Example: “I moved here two years ago.”
Simple Past: With “Yesterday”
Definition: Use “yesterday” for recent past.
Example: “She called me yesterday.”
Example: “She called me yesterday.”
Simple Past: With “Last”
Definition: Use “last” for previous time.
Example: “We visited them last week.”
Example: “We visited them last week.”
Simple Past: With “When”
Definition: Use “when” to connect events.
Example: “When I arrived, they left.”
Example: “When I arrived, they left.”
Past Continuous: With “While”
Definition: Use “while” for background action.
Example: “While I was reading, it started to rain.”
Example: “While I was reading, it started to rain.”
