Mada za sehemu hiiUse appropriate grammar and vocabulary both orally and in writingMada 4
- Talk about quantity using appropriate words (e.g., some, many, any, much)
- Express location using appropriate prepositions of place and time (target: in, at, on, under, inside, outside, over, near)
- Express past events (target: simple past tense, past continuous tense)
- Use conjunctions in oral and written contexts (target: so, because)
Expressing Past Events
When we talk about things that already happened, we use the past tense. In English, we have two main ways to talk about the past: simple past tense and past continuous tense.
What is simple past tense?
Simple past tense tells us about actions that happened and finished in the past. We often use words like yesterday, last week, last holiday, or ago to show the past.
How to form simple past
There are two types of verbs:
1. Regular verbs – add -ed to the verb:
| Present (base) | Past |
|---|---|
| play | played |
| walk | walked |
| watch | watched |
| cook | cooked |
| stay | stayed |
| help | helped |
2. Irregular verbs – the verb changes completely:
| Present (base) | Past |
|---|---|
| go | went |
| eat | ate |
| see | saw |
| buy | bought |
| catch | caught |
| cut | cut |
| write | wrote |
| fly | flew |
| tell | told |
Example sentences
- I played football yesterday.
- Mary went to Dodoma last week.
- We ate pilau on Kemy's birthday.
- Juma caught two big fish.
To ask a question about the past, we use Did + subject + base verb?
| Statement | Question |
|---|---|
| He brushed his teeth. | Did he brush his teeth? |
| She went to school. | Did she go to school? |
| They ate ugali. | Did they eat ugali? |
Answering questions
There are three ways to answer:
1. Long answer (full sentence):
- Did John brush his teeth? → Yes, he brushed his teeth. / No, he did not brush his teeth.
2. Short answer with pronoun:
- Did Amina go to school? → Yes, she did. / No, she did not.
3. Very short answer:
- Did Asha read the story? → Yes. / No.
What is past continuous?
Past continuous tense tells us about an action that was happening at a certain time in the past. It shows an action that was in progress.
How to form past continuous
Use: was/were + verb-ing
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| I | was |
| He, She, It | was |
| We, You, They | were |
Examples
- Juma was sleeping at 7:00 a.m.
- It was raining when he arrived.
- She was going to school when we met.
- They were playing football when the teacher came.
Key difference
- Simple past = action completed
- Past continuous = action in progress at a specific time
Compare:
- I watched a movie. (completed action)
- I was watching a movie when you called. (action in progress)
To ask a question about an action in progress, use Was/Were + subject + verb-ing?
| Statement | Question |
|---|---|
| She was cooking. | Was she cooking? |
| They were dancing. | Were they dancing? |
Answering questions
- Long answer: Were the children singing? → Yes, the children were singing. / No, the children were not singing.
- Short answer: Was Baraka cooking? → Yes, he was. / No, he was not.
- Very short answer: Was Asha reading? → Yes. / No.
Look at this dialogue and notice how past tenses are used:
Roza: How was your weekend? Juma: It was great! I visited my grandparents. Roza: Did you buy them a gift? Juma: Yes, I bought some gifts. Roza: What did you do? Juma: I helped my grandpa, we went fishing, and I caught two fish. We cut and grilled them for dinner.
Notice:
- was, visited, bought, helped, went, caught, cut, grilled are simple past
- The question "What did you do?" uses Did + subject + base verb
- Remember time words: yesterday, last week, ago, last holiday
- For regular verbs → add -ed
- For irregular verbs → learn the past forms by heart
- For questions → use Did (simple past) or Was/Were (past continuous)
- Watch for actions happening at the same time → use past continuous with "when" or "while"
When you tell your friends about what you did during the weekend or a school holiday, you use these tenses. For example, if you visited your grandparents in the village during the holidays, you might say: "Last month, I went to my village. I helped my grandfather in the shamba, and we caught fish at the lake. While we were cooking the fish, it started raining!" This helps you share your experiences clearly with others.
Swali
Which word correctly completes the sentence? Yesterday, I ______ to school.
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