The Simple Present vs. the Simple Past

Summary

This video, hosted by Sarah from Poder, explains the key differences between the simple present and simple past tenses in English. It covers the use of simple present for habits and repeated actions, with examples like 'I eat breakfast at 7 am every day.' It also explains how simple past is used for specific events in the past, with examples such as 'I cooked dinner yesterday.' The video also explores how to form questions in both tenses, providing practice exercises to help viewers solidify their understanding.

Takeaways

• 😀 The simple present tense is used for habits or repeated actions, such as regular activities (e.g., 'I eat breakfast at 7:00 AM every day').
• 😀 The simple present tense requires adding 's' to the verb for third-person subjects (e.g., 'she eats', 'he goes').
• 😀 The simple past tense is used to describe actions that happened at a specific time in the past (e.g., 'I cooked dinner yesterday').
• 😀 Regular verbs in the simple past tense end in 'ed' (e.g., 'cooked', 'worked').
• 😀 Some verbs in the simple past tense are irregular, like 'go' becoming 'went', 'eat' becoming 'ate', and 'take' becoming 'took'.
• 😀 Simple present tense questions use 'do' or 'does' depending on the subject (e.g., 'When do you eat dinner?').
• 😀 In simple present questions, the base verb is used without any modifications (e.g., 'Where does he go?', not 'Where does he goes?').
• 😀 Simple past tense questions are formed by changing 'do' or 'does' to 'did' (e.g., 'When did you eat dinner?').
• 😀 In simple past questions, adding a time phrase (e.g., 'yesterday', 'last week') clarifies the past reference (e.g., 'Where did he go last week?').
• 😀 The video includes practice questions for both tenses, helping viewers understand the difference between simple present and simple past usage.

Q & A

What is the main difference between the simple present and simple past tenses?

The simple present tense is used for habits or repeated actions, things done regularly or usually. The simple past tense is used for actions that happened at a specific time in the past.

What are examples of actions in the simple present tense?

Examples include: 'I eat breakfast at 7:00 am every day,' 'She usually eats dinner at 6 pm,' and 'They go shopping on the weekends.'

What is the rule for using the simple present tense with 'he' and 'she'?

In the simple present tense, when the subject is 'he' or 'she', you need to add an 's' to the verb. For example: 'She usually eats dinner.'

How do we form the simple past tense with regular verbs?

In the simple past tense, regular verbs are formed by adding 'ed' to the base form of the verb. For example: 'I cooked dinner' or 'He worked yesterday.'

Can you give examples of irregular verbs in the simple past tense?

Examples of irregular verbs in the simple past tense include: 'go' becomes 'went,' 'eat' becomes 'ate,' 'take' becomes 'took,' and 'do' becomes 'did.'

What is the correct way to form questions in the simple present tense?

In simple present questions, start with a 'wh' question word, then use 'do' or 'does' (depending on the subject), followed by the subject, the base verb, and the rest of the sentence. For example: 'When do you eat dinner?'

How do we form questions in the simple past tense?

In the simple past tense, questions are formed by changing 'do' or 'does' to 'did.' For example: 'When did you eat dinner yesterday?'

Why is it important to add time phrases in simple past tense questions?

Adding time phrases like 'yesterday' or 'last week' in simple past tense questions helps clarify that the action took place in the past. For example: 'Where did he go grocery shopping last week?'

What is the base verb in a sentence, and how is it used?

The base verb is the verb without any endings or modifications. For example, 'eat' is the base form, while 'eating' or 'ate' are not. In questions, we use the base verb after 'do' or 'does' in the simple present tense.

What are some examples of questions in the simple present tense?

Examples include: 'When do you eat dinner?', 'Where does he go grocery shopping?', and 'What time did they play soccer?'