Download grammar.past simple

8.1. EL PASADO SIMPLE
El pasado simple tiene dos traducciones posibles al español, el pretérito indefinido y el pretérito
imperfecto. La frase he worked se traducirá por él trabajó o él trabajaba , dependerá del
contexto.
8.1. EL PASADO SIMPLE
8.1.1. FORMACIÓN
Debemos distinguir entre la forma afirmativa , por un lado, y la interrogativa y negativa por
otro. La afirmativa se forma de dos maneras diferentes según sea el verbo regular o irregular.
Mientras que la interrogativa y negativa se forman igual , ya sean verbos regulares o irregulares.
Vamos a empezar por la forma afirmativa.
Los verbos regulares forman el pasado simple cogiendo el verbo como lo encontramos en el
diccionario y quitando el "to". Luego necesitamos añadir "-ed" al verbo:
I finished work and walked to the beach
Algunos verbos tienen cambios en su ortografía cuando añadimos "-ed":

Si el verbo termina en "-e", sólo añadimos "-d" para formar el pasado simple:
He lived just outside London

Si el verbo termina en sílaba tónica y las tres últimas letras son: consonante más vocal
más consonante, doblaremos la última consonante y luego añadimos "-ed":
Jog / jogged
Refer / referred
Regret / regretted
Yesterday my dad stopped smoking

Los acabados en –y precedida de consonante, cambian –y en –i:
Hurry / hurried
Marry / married
It was late, so he hurried home from the disco
Muchos verbos forman el pasado simple de una forma irregular, no tienen regla fija y hay que
estudiar su pasado en cada caso (véase lista de verbos irregulares en el anexo). Los verbos
irregulares forman un grupo relativamente reducido pero muy importante ya que encontramos
verbos como come , eat , do y see :
We saw the concert on TV
Some people were very generous and gave me money
RECUERDA

Para negar y preguntar en presente se utiliza el verbo auxiliar "Did" para todas las
personas. El verbo que le sigue no va en pasado: Did you play tennis? (no Did you
played tennis?), I didn’t dance at the party, they didn’t give me a birthday present.
Damos a continuación la conjugación del pasado simple
AFIRMATIVA
I / you / he / she / it / we / they + thought
NEGATIVA
I / you / he / she / it / we / they + did not / didn’t + think
INTERROGATIVA
Did + I / you / he / she / it / we / they + think?
8.1.2. USOS

Usamos el pasado simple para hablar de una acción o evento pasado que tuvo lugar en
un punto específico del pasado. Podemos decir exactamente cuándo ocurrió, o no, si así
lo preferimos:
Last week I bought a ticket for a concert
I met my friends in a café at four o’clock

El pasado simple se refiere a una acción pasada (terminada) en un tiempo pasado. Esto
quiere decir que no sólo la acción está terminada sino que también el tiempo cuando
ocurrió está terminado y pasado:
When I was a child I didn’t like poetry
My sister studied German in Berlin last year

También usamos el pasado simple para expresar una acción habitual en el pasado. Con
este mismo sentido se suele usar la construcción used to + infinitivo. Used to significa
que algo ocurría con frecuencia en el pasado pero que ahora ya no ocurre:
He never smoked
We went every Saturday to the same pub
We used to go every Saturday to the same pub

Otro uso importante del pasado simple es la narraciones en pasado:
Tom got up, took a shower, shaved, got dressed, had breakfast and left for work

Con el pasado simple es frecuente encontrar en la frase adverbios de tiempo específicos
al pasado como: yesterday (ayer), the day before yesterday (anteayer), last week (la
semana pasada), last year (el año pasado), two years ago (hace dos años):
Yesterday he went to work by car
We enjoyed the party last night
EJERCICIOS
1. Escribir la forma correcta de los verbos regulares entre paréntesis en pasado simple:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
.
I (walk) to work last week
He (study) Law for five years
They (arrive) late at school
We (marry) in an old church
The film (end) at 3 pm
Betty (wait) for an hour
You (like) the concert
Tom ( need) that book yesterday
They (use) my new rubber
The teacher (help) the students
2. Formar frases negativas como en el ejemplo: I spoke to Carmen but I didn't speak to
Fernando.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
They swam on Friday but they ___________on Monday.
I went to work on Monday but I __________to work on Wednesday.
He bought a new car. He ____________a second-hand car.
She learnt German in high school. She _________German in primary school.
We got up late this morning. We ____________late yesterday.
They did Maths at school but they __________Maths at University.
He slept on the sofa last night but he ____________on the sofa the night before.
I ate meat for lunch but I ____________anything for dinner.
You saw my boyfriend but I ___________your boyfriend.
They lived in Seville. They ____________in Berlin.
3.Cambiar las frases a interrogativas como en el ejemplo: He went to the shop yesterday. Did he
go to the shop yesterday?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
They saw the movie last week.
Alice wrote him a letter.
George and Lisa had dinner at the MacDonalds.
They got up at 7 o'clock .
He bought a new car last year.
I arrived late for class.
It rained all night?
We sat near the door.
He drived to work yesterday.
She told him an incredible story.
RESOLUCIÓN DE EJERCICIOS
1.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
I walked to work last week
He studied Law for five years
They arrived late at school
We married in an old church
The film ended at 3 pm
Betty waited for an hour
You liked the concert
Tom needed that book yesterday
They used my new rubber
The teacher helped the students
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
They swam on Friday but they didn´t swim on Monday.
I went to work on Monday but I didn´t work to work on Wednesday.
He bought a new car. He didn´t buy a second-hand car.
She learnt German in high school. She didn´t learn German in primary school.
We got up late this morning. We didn´t get up late yesterday.
They did Maths at school but they didn´t do Maths at University.
2.
g.
h.
i.
j.
He slept on the sofa last night but he didn´t sleep on the sofa the night before.
I ate meat for lunch but I didn´t eat anything for dinner.
You saw my boyfriend but I didn´t see your boyfriend.
They lived in Seville. They didn´t live in Berlin.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
Did they see the movie last week?
Did Alice write him a letter?
Did George and Lisa have dinner at the MacDonalds?
Did they get up at 7 o'clock ?
Did he buy a new car last year?
Did I arrive late for class?
Did It rained all night?
Did we sit near the door?
Did he drive to work yesterday?
Did she tell him an incredible story?
3.