English language learners encounter this grammatical topic fairly quickly. You need to tell, for example, what you did yesterday. How to do it? It's obvious what to use special form a verb different from the one used in the present tense. To do it right you need to know general principle, which forms the past tense in English language. This is what this article is about.
When is the best time to start studying?
First of all, it is necessary to clarify that you should approach the study of the past form of a verb only after you have completely mastered how to form the present tense. Especially in sentences where pronouns are the subject he, she, it(or their corresponding nouns). If you still do not feel confident with the present tense, then it is better to postpone a detailed acquaintance with the past. Otherwise, you risk getting confused. Especially in light of the fact that it is necessary to study not only affirmative, but also interrogative and negative sentences.
Let's start by understanding the two basic principles by which changes English verbs in the past time. This is the basis of this topic in grammar.
Regular and irregular verbs
The first group is the most numerous, but the method of formation here is the simplest. In the second group, everything is somewhat more complicated, which is why verb forms have to be learned by heart. But the plus is that there are not so many of them. And there are even fewer of those that are constantly used in speech. But first things first.
Let's start with regular verbs. They are named so because they form the past tense according to a single pattern (rule). In English this is done by adding the suffix -ed. For example:
- look - looked - looked;
- answer - answered - answered.
In these chains you see the initial form of the verb, then the simple past tense (in English Past Simple) and the past participle (Past Participle).
If the stem of the verb ends with a consonant and a vowel - y, then in the past form it changes to - i, as in these examples:
- cry - cried - cried;
- study - studied - studied.
If before -y there is one more vowel, then no change occurs:
- destroy - destroyed - destroyed.
With the second group of verbs (irregular) the situation is somewhat more complicated. They have no fixed ways of forming past forms. In addition, irregular verbs often have different forms of the past tense and the corresponding participle, for example:
- write - wrote - written.
In some cases, two forms or even all three may coincide:
- send - sent - sent;
- put - put - put.
Since such verbs do not follow a single rule for the formation of past forms, they are simply remembered like a poem.
Past forms for be, have, can
These verbs are used not only as semantic ones, but also as auxiliary and modal ones (that is, they convey a certain grammatical meaning), so they need to be highlighted separately.
Past tense in English: a brief description
Surely you already know that there are a total of 12 tenses in this language. It turns out that there are 4 of them that have passed. Let’s figure out why each one is needed.
Past Simple is used when:
- The action took place at a certain, known moment in the past (or there was a constant sign of the object):
We lived there in 1998.
He was a doctor. - The action was repeated regularly in the past:
I went fishing every summer.
- Several actions were performed in the past one after another:
She came home, had lunch, washed the dishes and went shopping.
Past Continuous is used when:
- The action took place at the indicated moment in the past:
Last night I was watching TV at home.
- The action lasted for a designated period of time in the past:
They were playing football from 10 a.m. to 12 a.m.
Past Perfect is used when:
- An action occurred before a certain moment in the past (or before another past action):
She had cooked dinner before I came back.
Past Perfect Continuous is used when:
- The action lasted and ended in the past; Often this is the result:
He was tired because he had been working all night.
Declarative, interrogative and negative sentences
Let's look at the basic principles in the form of a diagram. You can form different types of sentences, which will be united by one similarity - the past tense. The English language offers fairly similar basics, which are not difficult to remember.
In the diagrams below, V means verb (verb), and the numbers 2 or 3 in the lower corner are the second or third form in the table of irregular verbs.
Easier than it seems - that’s what can be said about such a phenomenon as the past tense in English. The more you practice (do exercises, listen to texts, read, answer questions, participate in dialogues), the better you will do. Not all of the past tenses are used in everyday speech. But you need to know them all in order to understand books to read, newspapers, etc. are complex sources of information. Indeed, in a sentence in English, the type of tense used helps to better understand the idea expressed by the author.
Today we will look at Lately, belonging to the Simple group in English grammar - Past Simple Tense. In English courses for adults from Easy Speak, our students begin to use this time already at the first level. It is translated into Russian as “simple past tense.” From the article you will learn when it is used, how it is formed, and how to construct negative and interrogative sentences in this tense.
When we use Past Simple
We use the simple past tense when we say:
1. About events or actions that occurred in the past and the time for which has expired. That is, the action or event is complete.
(he bought a car last year, they went on vacation last month, the meeting was last week)
2. About events or actions in the past that were repeated regularly, but are not happening now.
(she danced at school, we went to the gym last year)
3. About events in the past that happened one after another.
(they met, walked in the park, went to the cinema)
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How is the affirmative form of the Past Simple formed?
When forming the Past Simple, we always look at the verb, as it will change. There are two types of verbs in English: right and wrong.
Depending on the verb, the past tense is formed as follows:
- if the verb is correct, we add ending -ed(cook - cooked);
- if the verb is irregular, we put it in second form (see - saw).
There is no rule by which we can determine the correct or irregular verb in front of us. You can only find out by looking it up in a dictionary or remembering it.
The same goes for forms of irregular verbs. You need to memorize them or look them up in the dictionary. The Past Simple formation scheme is as follows:
The one we are talking about + a regular verb ending in ed or the 2nd form of an irregular verb.
| I | |
| You | |
| We | worked |
| They | slept |
| She | went |
| He | |
| It |
For example
I went to the cinema yesterday.
I went to the cinema yesterday.
She moved last year
She moved last year.
They married three years ago.
They got married three years ago.
Verb endings -ed in the Past Simple
There are a few caveats when adding the -ed ending to regular verbs.
- If the verb ends in -e, then it is added to the verb -d only:
chang e- chang ed- change;
clos e- clos ed— close.
- If the verb ends to a consonant, in front of which stands stressed vowel, then the consonant is doubled:
sto p-sto pped- stop;
ba n-ba nned- forbid.
Exceptions: verbs ending in -x and -w:
fi x-fi xed- fix;
flo w-flo wed- leak.
Note: V British English, when a verb ends in -l, it is doubled regardless of where the stress falls:
travel l- travel lled- travel.
American version:
travel l- travel led- travel.
- If the verb ends in -y and there is a consonant before it, then y changes to i+ed:
cr y-cr ied- cry;
tr y- tr ied- sample.
Important: If there is a vowel before -u, then the ending -ed is added without change letters:
sta y-sta yed- stay;
pla y- pla yed- play.
Companion words Past Simple
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These are clue words that help determine that this is the simple past tense:
- yesterday,
- last week / month / year,
- in 1989 (2000, 2012, etc.) year,
- two (three, four, etc.) days/month/years ago.
Examples
I saw him five days ago.
I saw him five days ago.
She watched this film yesterday.
She watched this film yesterday.
They lived in England in 1999 year.
They lived in England in 1999.
Negative sentences in Past Simple
Negation is formed using auxiliary verb did(This auxiliary do, but in the past form) and particles not. In this case, the semantic verb is used in the initial form.
The combination did + not will be our particle “ Not". For example, he did not participate in the exhibition, they did not go to the club yesterday.
The scheme for constructing a negative sentence in the Past Simple is as follows:
The one we are talking about + did + not + verb in the initial form.
| I | |||
| You | |||
| We | work | ||
| They | did | not | sleep |
| She | go | ||
| He | |||
| It |
Important point: The auxiliary verb did already shows that the sentence is in the past tense, so it itself verb in a sentence(run/jump/work) we do not put in the past tense, but use the initial form. That is, we do not put it in the 2nd form and do not add the ending ed.
Why do you need to show twice that this is the past tense?
Didn't swim yesterday.
He didn't swim yesterday.
NOT: He didn't swam yesterday.
For example
They did not work last summer.
They didn't work last summer.
She did not run yesterday.
She didn't run yesterday.
What abbreviation can you use?
We can shorten the negative particle not as follows.
Did + not = didn’t
We didn't win this battle.
We didn't win this battle.
Interrogative sentences in Past Simple
The construction of questions in the Past Simple is the same as in other tenses of this group (Simple). To ask a question, you need to put the auxiliary verb did first in the sentence. The semantic verb, as in negation, is not put in the past tense, but its initial form is used. There is no need to add the ending -ed.
Did + the person in question + the initial form of the verb.
| I | ||
| you | ||
| they | work? | |
| Did | we | sleep? |
| he | go? | |
| she | ||
| it |
Statement
He called me last week.
He called me last week.
They bought a new car.
They bought a new car.
Question
Did he called you last week?
Did he call you last week?
Did they buy a new car?
Did they buy a new car?
Short positive answer contains the auxiliary verb did, which replaces the action itself.
Yes, he did.
Yes, he called.
Yes, they did.
Yes, they bought it.
Complete positive answer is constructed as an affirmative sentence.
Yes, he called me last week.
Yes, he called me last week.
Yes, they bought a new car.
Yes, they bought a new car.
Short negative answer contains the auxiliary verb did and the negative particle not.
No, he did not.
No, he didn't call.
No, they did not.
No, they didn't buy it.
Complete negative answer is constructed as a negative sentence.
No, he did not call me last week.
No, he didn't call me last week.
No, they did not buy a new car.
No, they didn't buy a new car.
Special questions in the Past Simple
When we ask a question with the following question words:
- what,
- when,
- where,
- which,
Question word + did + the person in question + verb in the initial form?
| I | |||
| When | you | ||
| Where | they | work? | |
| What | did | we | meet? |
| Why | she | buy? | |
| he | |||
| it |
Let's look at examples.
Why did did you steal this thing?
Why did you steal this thing?
When did she sell her phone?
When did she sell her phone?
What did do they buy?
What did they buy?
So, we've looked at the simple past tense, which is actually not that simple. If you have any questions, ask them in the comments below the article.
Also, if you haven't done this yet, I advise you to read about other times of the Simple group:
Now let's move on to practice.
Exercise to consolidate Past Simple
Translate the following sentences into English:
1. He built his house in 1997.
2. They went to a concert last month.
3. Did you give her a gift yesterday? Yes, I gave her a gift yesterday.
4. We didn't see each other last week.
5. My friend broke her phone last year.
6. The children didn’t go to camp last summer.
7. Why did he move?
8. Did you go hiking last weekend? No, we didn't go.
Write your answers in the comments, and I will definitely check them.
Past Simple Tense- past simple tense, one of the main tenses of the English language, which is studied at the level elementary and at subsequent levels is considered in comparison with other times. To understand more complex times, you need to thoroughly know and be able to use Time Past Simple. Today we will talk in detail about the formation and use of this time.
Past Simple tense: education and use.
Learning the Past Simple is a milestone in language learning. Mastery of the past tense instantly expands the range of topics for conversation and gives more freedom in expressing thoughts. On the other hand, the Past Simple opens up the possibility of learning other, more complex past tenses. You are introduced to new forms of verbs that you most likely have not used before, which is undoubtedly a huge step forward.
Considering the importance of mastering Past Simple tense, a lot of time is devoted to it in classes.
When studying any tense, we must know how to construct a statement and how to use a given tense, what actions it conveys.
Let's start with statements.
Statement always begins with a subject followed by a semantic verb. In the statement in Past Simple the semantic verb is placed in the second form (V2):
I lived in Moscow ten years ago. - I lived in Moscow ten years ago.
He wrote a letter yesterday. - He wrote a letter yesterday.
They came to see us last weekend. - They came to visit us last weekend.
What is the second form of the verb?
This is a verb form that is used in the Past Simple to convey a past action. You probably know that all verbs are divided into correct And incorrect. Let's talk about regular verbs. They are called regular because they always form the second (and third) forms according to the rule. To form the second form of regular verbs, you need to add an ending to the verb ED:
Help - helped
look - looked
work - worked
When adding an ED ending to a verb, its pronunciation and spelling may change, so there are a number of rules to remember.
There are not many of these rules, but you need to understand them well, since now you are forming the basis for your further study. Therefore, we have dedicated a separate section to the end of ED, which discusses all the features of its use, rules of pronunciation and writing. Be sure to study! In this article we will look at them briefly.
Rules for pronunciation of words ending in ED.
| /id/ | /t/ | /d/ |
| Only after the sounds /t/ and /d/ | After voiceless and sibilant /p/, /h/, /s/, /k/, /f/, /tʃ/, /ʃ/ | After all other sounds (voiced and vowels) |
Rules for writing words ending in ED.
Let's move on to writing verbs ending in ED. There are several simple rules:
|
If the verb ends in a silent E, then when adding the ending we add only D |
close - closed dance - danced live - lived |
|
|
If a verb ends in a closed stressed syllable, then when adding an ending, the final consonant is doubled * letters X and W at the end of a word are not doubled |
admit- admitted beg - begged permit- permitted fixed-fixed row-rowed |
|
|
If a verb ends in Y preceded by a consonant, then Y is changed to I and ED is added |
apply - applied copy - copied dry - dried |
|
|
If there is a vowel before Y at the end of a word, then the ending is added without changes: |
enjoy - enjoyed obey - obeyed play - played |
|
|
If a verb ends in L and is preceded by a short vowel, the final consonant is doubled * in AmE the letter L at the end of a word before a short vowel is not doubled |
travel - travelled quarrel - quarreled |
|
|
If a verb ends in R in a stressed syllable, the final R is doubled |
occur - occurred prefer - preferred star- starred |
If the verb is irregular, then you need to refer to the table of irregular verbs and look in the second column. Tables of irregular verbs are usually found at the end of textbooks. Irregular verbs can be difficult to remember. How to make this task easier, read.
The second form of the verb is used only in statements.
IN denials and questions(except for a question to the subject) it is not the second form that is used, but first. The only exception is the question to the subject, where we do not change the word order and use the second form.
Negation is formed using the auxiliary verb DID and the negative particle NOT. Auxiliary verb with particle NOT is placed before the semantic verb in the first form. Colloquially DID NOT is shortened to DIDN"T :
| Subject | DIDN"T | V1 |
I didn't close the door. - I didn't close the door.
He didn't answer the question. - He didn’t answer the question.
We didn't go on holiday last year. - We didn’t go on vacation last year.
General issues are formed using the auxiliary verb DID, which is placed before the subject, followed by the semantic verb in the first form:
| DID | Subject | V1 | ? |
Did you understand the rule? - Did you understand the rule?
Did she find a job? - Has she found a job?
Did they go to Europe? - Did they go to Europe?
For building information question Before the auxiliary verb we put the necessary question word:
|
WHAT
|
DID | Subject | V1 | ? |
What did you do yesterday? - What did you do yesterday?
When did she sell her car? - When did she sell her car?
Why did they leave? - Why did they leave?
IN question to the subject(Who? Who?) the auxiliary verb DID is not used, but direct word order is used (as in the statement):
| WHO | V2 | ? |
Who called you yesterday? - Who called you yesterday?
Who repaired the car? - Who fixed the car?
Who told them about it? -Who told them about this?
Use of Past Simple tense.
Now that you know how to form Past Simple, let's look at the uses of this tense in English:
1. Past Simple is an action that happened in the past and has no relation to the present, a fact about the past:
I went to the movies yesterday. - I went to the cinema yesterday.
She graduated from University last year. - She graduated from university last year.
They moved to the USA three years ago. - They moved to America three years ago.
2. Past Simple is used if the action was regularly repeated in the past or was habitual, but is no longer repeated:
When I was a child, we often went fishing with my father. - When I was a child, we often went fishing with my dad.
She attended gym three times a week to keep fit. - She went to the gym three times a week to keep fit.
They sold fruits and vegetables. - They sold fruits and vegetables.
To express regular actions in the past, the USED TO and modal verb WOULD. You can read more about their use.
3. Actions that occurred in a row, one after another in the past:
I entered the room and greeted everyone. - I entered the room and said hello.
He turned on the TV and sat in his armchair. - He turned on the TV and sat down in his chair.
We bought some bread and left the shop. - We bought some bread and left the store.
4. When we talk about historical events and figures:
Columbus discovered America. - Columbus discovered America.
The First World War began in 1914. - First World War started in 1914.
Admiral Nelson defeated the French in the Battle of Trafalgar. - Admiral Nelson defeated the French at the Battle of Trafalgar.
Any time is perceived better if you remember its indicators.
Typical Past Simple tense indicators include: yesterday(yesterday), as well as combinations including words last(past, last) and ago(ago):
Last week - last week
last month - last month
last year - last year
an hour - an hour ago
two days ago - two days ago
three weeks ago - three weeks ago
In addition, prepositions of time can be used in, on, at and others, if the context makes it clear that the action occurred in the past:
We had breakfast at 8 o"clock. - We had breakfast at eight o'clock.
Their first lesson was on Tuesday. - Their first lesson was on Tuesday.
He got married in 2000. - He got married in 2000.
Common mistakes when using Past Simple tense:
- incorrect pronunciation of endings of regular verbs.
You can correct this error by doing exercises on reading endings. Pronounce endings clearly. Don't try to speak quickly until you can pronounce the endings without deafening them.
- adding ED to irregular verbs or using the wrong form of an irregular verb.
You will most likely be understood, but it is better to avoid this mistake. Read more texts in Past Simple, highlight the regular and irregular verbs in them with different colors. You can make up examples with irregular verbs and give them to your familiar teachers or for checking.
Many people forget to put DID before the subject in questions or use the second form of the verb in questions and statements.
This problem is relevant for all times. In this situation, only practice will help.
If you are learning English on your own, you can try this method: write down all the formulas (affirmations, negations, general and informational questions) in the margins of the page, then select sentences from the texts in the Past Simple and form all the forms by writing them opposite the formulas. At first you will often look at the hint, then less and less, and in the end you will remember everything automatically. Tested by experience!)
The Past Simple is often confused with other tenses. In particular, this and . It's important to understand the differences here. Read about the differences in the use of tenses in our following articles: and.
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If you ask what is the most difficult thing about learning English, I think most would say that it is the tenses of the verb. After all, in the Russian language there are only three of them, and in English there are as many as twelve. In this article we will take a closer look at the past tense in English. With its help we talk about the events of the past. In English, as many as five tenses can be used for this purpose. These are the four times of the Past group: , and time . In addition, you can express the past using the phrase used to and the verb would.
You can read more about each verb tense in the corresponding grammar section. Here we will focus on comparison when using these verb tenses and will only briefly repeat them.
Past Simple
This is the most understandable and used tense. Formed by adding the ending – ed to regular verbs. Irregular ones use the second form of the verb. To ask a question, we put the auxiliary verb did in first place, and take the main verb from the dictionary (that is, we do not change it). For negation we use did not + main verb without change.
We use the Past Simple in all cases when we talk about a past event as an accomplished fact. This may be a single action, an event that has been repeated several times in the past, or a chain of successive events. In this case, time indicators are often (but not necessarily) used: last week, yesterday, fife years ago, in 1969 and so on:
I saw this movie last month.
I saw this movie last month.
She came home, watched TV, cooked dinner and wrote a letter.
She came home, watched TV, cooked dinner and wrote a letter.
Every day I had lunch at this café last year.
Last year I had lunch at this cafe every day.
PastContinuous
This tense is used when it is important for us to emphasize the duration of an action in the past, to show the process itself, and not the fact of the action. To form this tense, we use the past tense of the verb to be: was/were and add the ending – ing to the main verb.
When you called me, I was watching TV.
When you called me, I was watching TV.
Yesterday I was waiting for him for three hours.
Yesterday I waited for him for three hours.
I think it will be more clear use of Past Continuous, if you make a literal translation: I was watching TV, I would be waiting. This translation allows us to see that action is a long process. This is the logic of the English language.
PastPerfect
This time is also called completed. To form it, the past form of the verb have: had and the third form of the main verb are used. This tense is used when they want to emphasize the completion of an action before a certain point in time or before the start of another action. It is often used in indirect speech when agreeing on tenses. In this case, the sentence may contain the preposition by with a specific date or time (by three o’clock) or the words when, after, before and others. There is one secret: when translating into Russian, you can put the word “already” before the verb in the Past Perfect.
I had done my homework by seven o’clock yesterday.
Yesterday by seven o'clock I (already) had done my homework.
She thought she had lost money.
She thought that she had (already) lost the money.
PastPerfectContinuous
This long action in the past which was passing and ended or was still going on when another past action occurred. That is, we can use it when we want to emphasize the duration of a past action and at the same time its completeness. The period during which this first action lasted is indicated in the text using the prepositions for, since, or in some other way. To form this tense, the verb to b e is placed in the Past Perfect: had been, and the main verb takes on the ending - ing. Fortunately, in conversational practice this time is almost never used.
When I came home yesterday my mother had been cleaning home for two hours.
Yesterday, when I came home, my mother had been cleaning the apartment for two hours.
PresentPerfect
Although this tense refers to the present, it is most often translated into Russian as the past tense. Therefore, there is confusion when using it. The secret is that although this time is called completed, it is directly related to the present: either the action ended immediately before the moment of speech, or the action ended, and the period of time when it occurred is still ongoing, or the result of this action had an impact on situation in the present. There is another option: the period of time when the action took place has ended, but the action itself is still ongoing. The Present Perfect is formed using the verb have/has and the third form of the main verb.
I have seen her this week.
I saw her this week.
He has lived in Krasnodar for ten years.
He lived in Krasnodar for ten years. (But he still lives here).
Which past tense should I use?
In order not to get confused in the use of the past tense and to use the tense construction correctly, I propose to consider several examples.
Let's take the following situation: yesterday my mother baked a cake. And depending on what we want to emphasize in this situation, we will use different tense forms of the verb.
1. If we are simply talking about this as a fait accompli, then we need to use the Past Simple:
Yesterday my mother baked a very delicious cake.
Yesterday my mother baked a very delicious cake.
2. If it is important to show that mom baked the cake for a long time, that is, the process itself, then use the Past Continuous:
My mother was baking this cake for two hours yesterday.
Yesterday my mother baked this cake for two hours (literally, she spent two hours baking this cake).
We will use the same tense in the next phrase:
When I came home yesterday my mother was baking a cake.
Yesterday, when I came home, my mother was baking a cake (she was the baker).
Because in this sentence it is important for you to show what your mother was doing (process) when you returned home.
3. If we want to tell that the action ended at some point, that is, the cake was already ready, then the Past Perfect tense is what we need:
Yesterday when I came home my mother had baked a delicious cake.
Yesterday my mother baked a delicious cake for my arrival.
Yesterday my mother had baked a cake by the celebration beginning.
Yesterday, for the beginning of the celebration, my mother baked a cake.
4. And here is a case when the Past Perfect Continuous tense can be used: you came home yesterday, and your mother was preparing a cake, and she had been doing this for two hours:
When I came home yesterday my mother had been baking a cake for two hours.
Yesterday, when I came home, my mother had already been baking a cake for two hours.
Please note that if we remove the period of time during which the first action lasted (the cake was being prepared) to the moment when the second action occurred (I came home), then in this case we need to use the Past Continuous tense (see example above).
5. In the case when it is important for us to emphasize the presence of the cake that mom made yesterday, we can use the Present Perfect tense. At the same time, it is not so important who, when and how long it took to prepare this cake, but what is important is that it exists and you can try it, and everything else is incidental information:
Has your mother baked a cake?
Did your mother bake a cake? (Meaning: Do you have cake?)
My mother has baked a cake. Would you like to try it?
My mother baked a cake. Want to try it? (Meaning there is cake to try).
Another situation
Let's take another example: you thought about something in the past.
I never thought about this.
I never thought about it. – You emphasize the fact of the absence of thoughts (about it) ever in the past.
I thought about this last week.
I thought about this last week. – You say that in the past the thought (about this) came to you.
2. Past Continuous
I was thinking about this all day.
I've been thinking about this all day. – You want to emphasize that the thinking process was long.
I was thinking about it when you came back.
I was thinking about this when you came back. – You want to emphasize that at the time of her return you were in the process of thinking.
I had thought a lot about this before.
I've thought about this a lot before. – You want to emphasize that you used to think (about this), but this process has ended and you no longer think about it.
When you called, I already had thought about this.
When you called, I already thought about it. – You want to emphasize that by the time she called, you had already thought about everything and are not thinking about it anymore.
4. Past Perfect Continuous
I told her that I had been thinking about it for three months.
I told her that I had been thinking about this for three months. – You want to emphasize that your thoughts (about this) continued for three months before the moment of conversation with her.
5. Present Perfect
I have thought about this. I agree.
I thought about it. I agree. – You want to emphasize the result of your thoughts – agreement.
Two More Ways to Express the Past
In order to talk about the past, in addition to the tense forms of verbs, in English there are also the constructions used to and would.
Usedto can be used instead of the Past Simple when a habitual or repeatedly repeated action takes place in the past, which no longer occurs in the present. Or when we describe a state or situation that was in the past, but now it does not exist. For example:
She used to go for a walk in this park every morning.
She used to walk in this park every morning (but now she doesn’t).
When I lived in Sochi, I didn’t use to have a car.
When I lived in Sochi, I didn’t have a car (but now I do).
If you are in doubt about whether it is better to use the phrase used to or the Past Simple, then pay attention to what action you want to describe. If the action or state was familiar, routine, often repeated in the past, then it is better to use used to in a declarative sentence. However, in interrogative and negative sentences it is preferable to use the Past Simple.
If the sentence contains an indication of a specific point in time ( last month, last year, yesterday and others), then the used to phrase cannot be used. This phrase is also not used if the sentence indicates the duration of the action (for five years - within five years) or its frequency (three times - three times). In this case, the Past Simple tense is used. For example:
She went for a walk in this park last year.
Last year she walked in this park.
She went for a walk in this park every morning for five years.
She walked in this park every morning for five years.
She went for a walk in this park three times.
She went for a walk to this park three times.
Verb would can also be used to describe repeated actions in the past that no longer occur, but it is not used to describe states. For example:
When I was young I would play volleyball.
When I was young, I played volleyball.
But if you want to describe a situation or state in the past, then you need to use the used to phrase:
I used to live in Moscow.
I used to live in Moscow.
As you can see, if you understand the past tense in English, it turns out that not everything is so complicated. Depending on what you want to emphasize: the duration of the action, its completion, repetition in the past, influence on the present, or the fact of the action itself, you can use the tense or construction you need. The more conversational practice you have, the easier it is to navigate verb tenses. Practice English with us on the channel “English - Speak Freely!” and be successful in learning the language!