⏳ Past Tense
The English past tense is used to talk about actions and events that have already happened. You use it to describe yesterday, last week, last year, or any completed event in the past. Learning the past tense helps you tell stories, describe experiences, and talk about what happened. Each English phrase includes translations in Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese.
🟢 When to Use the Past Tense
🕒 Completed Actions
I finished my homework.
She cleaned the kitchen.
🇪🇸 Spanish: Terminé mi tarea. / Ella limpió la cocina.
🇫🇷 French: J'ai fini mes devoirs. / Elle a nettoyé la cuisine.
🇩🇪 German: Ich habe meine Hausaufgaben beendet. / Sie hat die Küche geputzt.
🇮🇹 Italian: Ho finito i compiti. / Lei ha pulito la cucina.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Eu terminei a lição de casa. / Ela limpou a cozinha.
I finished my homework.
She cleaned the kitchen.
🇪🇸 Spanish: Terminé mi tarea. / Ella limpió la cocina.
🇫🇷 French: J'ai fini mes devoirs. / Elle a nettoyé la cuisine.
🇩🇪 German: Ich habe meine Hausaufgaben beendet. / Sie hat die Küche geputzt.
🇮🇹 Italian: Ho finito i compiti. / Lei ha pulito la cucina.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Eu terminei a lição de casa. / Ela limpou a cozinha.
📅 Specific Times
We arrived at noon.
They left on Friday.
🇪🇸 Spanish: Llegamos al mediodía. / Ellos se fueron el viernes.
🇫🇷 French: Nous sommes arrivés à midi. / Ils sont partis vendredi.
🇩🇪 German: Wir sind mittags angekommen. / Sie sind am Freitag abgefahren.
🇮🇹 Italian: Siamo arrivati a mezzogiorno. / Sono partiti venerdì.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Chegamos ao meio-dia. / Eles saíram na sexta-feira.
We arrived at noon.
They left on Friday.
🇪🇸 Spanish: Llegamos al mediodía. / Ellos se fueron el viernes.
🇫🇷 French: Nous sommes arrivés à midi. / Ils sont partis vendredi.
🇩🇪 German: Wir sind mittags angekommen. / Sie sind am Freitag abgefahren.
🇮🇹 Italian: Siamo arrivati a mezzogiorno. / Sono partiti venerdì.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Chegamos ao meio-dia. / Eles saíram na sexta-feira.
🎉 Past Experiences
I visited Iceland last summer.
He climbed his first mountain.
🇪🇸 Spanish: Visité Islandia el verano pasado. / Él subió su primera montaña.
🇫🇷 French: J'ai visité l'Islande l'été dernier. / Il a gravi sa première montagne.
🇩🇪 German: Ich habe Island letzten Sommer besucht. / Er hat seinen ersten Berg bestiegen.
🇮🇹 Italian: Ho visitato l'Islanda l'estate scorsa. / Lui ha scalato la sua prima montagna.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Eu visitei a Islândia no verão passado. / Ele subiu sua primeira montanha.
I visited Iceland last summer.
He climbed his first mountain.
🇪🇸 Spanish: Visité Islandia el verano pasado. / Él subió su primera montaña.
🇫🇷 French: J'ai visité l'Islande l'été dernier. / Il a gravi sa première montagne.
🇩🇪 German: Ich habe Island letzten Sommer besucht. / Er hat seinen ersten Berg bestiegen.
🇮🇹 Italian: Ho visitato l'Islanda l'estate scorsa. / Lui ha scalato la sua prima montagna.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Eu visitei a Islândia no verão passado. / Ele subiu sua primeira montanha.
📖 A Series of Events
I woke up, made breakfast, and caught the train.
🇪🇸 Spanish: Me desperté, preparé el desayuno y tomé el tren.
🇫🇷 French: Je me suis réveillé, j'ai préparé le petit-déjeuner et j'ai pris le train.
🇩🇪 German: Ich bin aufgewacht, habe gefrühstückt und den Zug genommen.
🇮🇹 Italian: Mi sono svegliato, ho preparato la colazione e ho preso il treno.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Eu acordei, fiz o café da manhã e peguei o trem.
I woke up, made breakfast, and caught the train.
🇪🇸 Spanish: Me desperté, preparé el desayuno y tomé el tren.
🇫🇷 French: Je me suis réveillé, j'ai préparé le petit-déjeuner et j'ai pris le train.
🇩🇪 German: Ich bin aufgewacht, habe gefrühstückt und den Zug genommen.
🇮🇹 Italian: Mi sono svegliato, ho preparato la colazione e ho preso il treno.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Eu acordei, fiz o café da manhã e peguei o trem.
🧠 Useful Grammar
Common Time Words
yesterday
last night
last weekend
two days ago
in 2023
yesterday
last night
last weekend
two days ago
in 2023
Regular Verbs
Most verbs add -ed.
walk → walked
paint → painted
laugh → laughed
Most verbs add -ed.
walk → walked
paint → painted
laugh → laughed
Irregular Verbs
Some verbs change completely.
go → went
eat → ate
see → saw
buy → bought
Some verbs change completely.
go → went
eat → ate
see → saw
buy → bought
⚠️ Common Learner Mistakes
❌ Yesterday I go shopping.
✅ Yesterday I went shopping.
✅ Yesterday I went shopping.
❌ She buyed a bicycle.
✅ She bought a bicycle.
✅ She bought a bicycle.
❌ We goed home early.
✅ We went home early.
✅ We went home early.
❌ He play football yesterday.
✅ He played football yesterday.
✅ He played football yesterday.
❓ Useful Questions
What did you do yesterday?
🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Qué hiciste ayer?
🇫🇷 French: Qu'avez-vous fait hier ?
🇩🇪 German: Was haben Sie gestern gemacht?
🇮🇹 Italian: Cosa hai fatto ieri?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: O que você fez ontem?
A common question about recent activities.
🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Qué hiciste ayer?
🇫🇷 French: Qu'avez-vous fait hier ?
🇩🇪 German: Was haben Sie gestern gemacht?
🇮🇹 Italian: Cosa hai fatto ieri?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: O que você fez ontem?
A common question about recent activities.
Where did you grow up?
🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Dónde creciste?
🇫🇷 French: Où avez-vous grandi ?
🇩🇪 German: Wo sind Sie aufgewachsen?
🇮🇹 Italian: Dove sei cresciuto?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Onde você cresceu?
Used when asking about someone's childhood.
🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Dónde creciste?
🇫🇷 French: Où avez-vous grandi ?
🇩🇪 German: Wo sind Sie aufgewachsen?
🇮🇹 Italian: Dove sei cresciuto?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Onde você cresceu?
Used when asking about someone's childhood.
When did you arrive?
🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Cuándo llegaste?
🇫🇷 French: Quand êtes-vous arrivé ?
🇩🇪 German: Wann sind Sie angekommen?
🇮🇹 Italian: Quando sei arrivato?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Quando você chegou?
Asks about a completed action.
🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Cuándo llegaste?
🇫🇷 French: Quand êtes-vous arrivé ?
🇩🇪 German: Wann sind Sie angekommen?
🇮🇹 Italian: Quando sei arrivato?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Quando você chegou?
Asks about a completed action.
Who taught you English?
🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Quién te enseñó inglés?
🇫🇷 French: Qui vous a appris l'anglais ?
🇩🇪 German: Wer hat Ihnen Englisch beigebracht?
🇮🇹 Italian: Chi ti ha insegnato l'inglese?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Quem te ensinou inglês?
Uses the irregular past tense verb taught.
🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Quién te enseñó inglés?
🇫🇷 French: Qui vous a appris l'anglais ?
🇩🇪 German: Wer hat Ihnen Englisch beigebracht?
🇮🇹 Italian: Chi ti ha insegnato l'inglese?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Quem te ensinou inglês?
Uses the irregular past tense verb taught.
💬 Everyday Conversation
Talking About the Weekend
A: What did you do over the weekend?
B: I visited my grandparents and helped them in the garden.
A: Did you have good weather?
B: Yes, it stayed sunny all day.
🇪🇸 Spanish:
A: ¿Qué hiciste el fin de semana?
B: Visité a mis abuelos y les ayudé en el jardín.
A: ¿Tuvieron buen tiempo?
B: Sí, estuvo soleado todo el día.
🇫🇷 French:
A: Qu'avez-vous fait ce week-end ?
B: J'ai rendu visite à mes grands-parents et je les ai aidés dans le jardin.
A: Aviez-vous beau temps ?
B: Oui, il est resté ensoleillé toute la journée.
🇩🇪 German:
A: Was haben Sie am Wochenende gemacht?
B: Ich habe meine Großeltern besucht und ihnen im Garten geholfen.
A: Hatten Sie gutes Wetter?
B: Ja, es blieb den ganzen Tag sonnig.
🇮🇹 Italian:
A: Cosa hai fatto nel fine settimana?
B: Ho visitato i miei nonni e li ho aiutati in giardino.
A: Avete avuto bel tempo?
B: Sì, è rimasto soleggiato tutto il giorno.
🇵🇹 Portuguese:
A: O que você fez no fim de semana?
B: Visitei meus avós e ajudei eles no jardim.
A: Vocês tiveram bom tempo?
B: Sim, ficou ensolarado o dia todo.
A: What did you do over the weekend?
B: I visited my grandparents and helped them in the garden.
A: Did you have good weather?
B: Yes, it stayed sunny all day.
🇪🇸 Spanish:
A: ¿Qué hiciste el fin de semana?
B: Visité a mis abuelos y les ayudé en el jardín.
A: ¿Tuvieron buen tiempo?
B: Sí, estuvo soleado todo el día.
🇫🇷 French:
A: Qu'avez-vous fait ce week-end ?
B: J'ai rendu visite à mes grands-parents et je les ai aidés dans le jardin.
A: Aviez-vous beau temps ?
B: Oui, il est resté ensoleillé toute la journée.
🇩🇪 German:
A: Was haben Sie am Wochenende gemacht?
B: Ich habe meine Großeltern besucht und ihnen im Garten geholfen.
A: Hatten Sie gutes Wetter?
B: Ja, es blieb den ganzen Tag sonnig.
🇮🇹 Italian:
A: Cosa hai fatto nel fine settimana?
B: Ho visitato i miei nonni e li ho aiutati in giardino.
A: Avete avuto bel tempo?
B: Sì, è rimasto soleggiato tutto il giorno.
🇵🇹 Portuguese:
A: O que você fez no fim de semana?
B: Visitei meus avós e ajudei eles no jardim.
A: Vocês tiveram bom tempo?
B: Sim, ficou ensolarado o dia todo.
📝 Example Sentences
🚂 The train arrived ten minutes early.
🇪🇸 Spanish: El tren llegó diez minutos antes.
🇫🇷 French: Le train est arrivé dix minutes en avance.
🇩🇪 German: Der Zug kam zehn Minuten früher an.
🇮🇹 Italian: Il treno è arrivato dieci minuti in anticipo.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: O trem chegou dez minutos adiantado.
A completed action at a specific time.
🇪🇸 Spanish: El tren llegó diez minutos antes.
🇫🇷 French: Le train est arrivé dix minutes en avance.
🇩🇪 German: Der Zug kam zehn Minuten früher an.
🇮🇹 Italian: Il treno è arrivato dieci minuti in anticipo.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: O trem chegou dez minutos adiantado.
A completed action at a specific time.
🎨 My sister painted a colorful mural.
🇪🇸 Spanish: Mi hermana pintó un mural colorido.
🇫🇷 French: Ma sœur a peint une fresque colorée.
🇩🇪 German: Meine Schwester hat ein buntes Wandgemälde gemalt.
🇮🇹 Italian: Mia sorella ha dipinto un murale colorato.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Minha irmã pintou um mural colorido.
Regular past tense ending with -ed.
🇪🇸 Spanish: Mi hermana pintó un mural colorido.
🇫🇷 French: Ma sœur a peint une fresque colorée.
🇩🇪 German: Meine Schwester hat ein buntes Wandgemälde gemalt.
🇮🇹 Italian: Mia sorella ha dipinto un murale colorato.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Minha irmã pintou um mural colorido.
Regular past tense ending with -ed.
🏕️ We built a campfire beside the lake.
🇪🇸 Spanish: Construimos una fogata junto al lago.
🇫🇷 French: Nous avons allumé un feu de camp près du lac.
🇩🇪 German: Wir haben ein Lagerfeuer neben dem See gemacht.
🇮🇹 Italian: Abbiamo acceso un falò vicino al lago.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Fizemos uma fogueira ao lado do lago.
An action completed in the past.
🇪🇸 Spanish: Construimos una fogata junto al lago.
🇫🇷 French: Nous avons allumé un feu de camp près du lac.
🇩🇪 German: Wir haben ein Lagerfeuer neben dem See gemacht.
🇮🇹 Italian: Abbiamo acceso un falò vicino al lago.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Fizemos uma fogueira ao lado do lago.
An action completed in the past.
📚 I found an interesting book at the market.
🇪🇸 Spanish: Encontré un libro interesante en el mercado.
🇫🇷 French: J'ai trouvé un livre intéressant au marché.
🇩🇪 German: Ich habe auf dem Markt ein interessantes Buch gefunden.
🇮🇹 Italian: Ho trovato un libro interessante al mercato.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Encontrei um livro interessante no mercado.
Uses the irregular verb find → found.
🇪🇸 Spanish: Encontré un libro interesante en el mercado.
🇫🇷 French: J'ai trouvé un livre intéressant au marché.
🇩🇪 German: Ich habe auf dem Markt ein interessantes Buch gefunden.
🇮🇹 Italian: Ho trovato un libro interessante al mercato.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Encontrei um livro interessante no mercado.
Uses the irregular verb find → found.
🌠 They watched a meteor shower last night.
🇪🇸 Spanish: Vieron una lluvia de meteoros anoche.
🇫🇷 French: Ils ont regardé une pluie d'étoiles filantes hier soir.
🇩🇪 German: Sie haben gestern Abend einen Meteorstrom beobachtet.
🇮🇹 Italian: Hanno guardato una pioggia di meteore ieri sera.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Eles assistiram a uma chuva de meteoros ontem à noite.
Describes a finished event.
🇪🇸 Spanish: Vieron una lluvia de meteoros anoche.
🇫🇷 French: Ils ont regardé une pluie d'étoiles filantes hier soir.
🇩🇪 German: Sie haben gestern Abend einen Meteorstrom beobachtet.
🇮🇹 Italian: Hanno guardato una pioggia di meteore ieri sera.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Eles assistiram a uma chuva de meteoros ontem à noite.
Describes a finished event.
🚴 Oliver rode his bicycle across the bridge.
🇪🇸 Spanish: Oliver montó su bicicleta a través del puente.
🇫🇷 French: Oliver a traversé le pont à vélo.
🇩🇪 German: Oliver ist mit dem Fahrrad über die Brücke gefahren.
🇮🇹 Italian: Oliver ha attraversato il ponte in bicicletta.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Oliver andou de bicicleta pela ponte.
Uses the irregular verb ride → rode.
🇪🇸 Spanish: Oliver montó su bicicleta a través del puente.
🇫🇷 French: Oliver a traversé le pont à vélo.
🇩🇪 German: Oliver ist mit dem Fahrrad über die Brücke gefahren.
🇮🇹 Italian: Oliver ha attraversato il ponte in bicicletta.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Oliver andou de bicicleta pela ponte.
Uses the irregular verb ride → rode.
🏆 Final Practice
Choose the correct past tense verb.
- Yesterday we _____ a new hiking trail. → explored
- She _____ her passport before the trip. → found
- The children _____ snowballs all afternoon. → threw
- My uncle _____ a delicious apple pie. → baked
- I _____ my best friend at the concert. → met
- They _____ home after the fireworks ended. → drove