SIMPLE PAST

FUNZIONI DEL "SIMPLE PAST"

Il simple past si usa per parlare di azioni concluse che si sono svolte nel passato. La durata
dell'azione è irrilevante. L'azione può essersi svolta in un passato prossimo o remoto.

ESEMPI

 John Cabot sailed to America in 1498.

 My father died last year.
 He lived in Fiji in 1976.
 We crossed the Channel yesterday.

Il simple past si utilizza sempre per indicare in che momento si è verificato un avvenimento;
pertanto, questo tempo è sempre associato a un determinato tipo di espressioni temporali.

 frequenza: often, sometimes, always

I sometimes walked home at lunchtime.
I often brought my lunch to school.
 un momento preciso: last week, when I was a child, yesterday, six weeks ago
We saw a good film last week.
Yesterday, I arrived in Geneva.
She finished her work atseven o'clock
I went to the theatre last night
 un momento non preciso: the other day, ages ago, a long time ago People lived in caves a long
time ago.
She played the piano when she was a child.

Nota: la parola ago è un termine utile per esprimere la distanza nel passato. Si colloca dopo il
periodo di tempo: a week ago, three years ago, a minute ago.

Attenzione: Il simple past in inglese può sembrare simile al passato remoto in italiano, ma non sempre il
significato è lo stesso.

COME SI FORMA IL "SIMPLE PAST"

"SIMPLE PAST" CON I VERBI REGOLARI

Affermativa
Soggetto + verbo + ed  

I skipped.  

Negativa

Soggetto + did not + infinito senza to

They didn't go.

Interrogativa

Did + soggetto + infinito senza to

Did she arrive?

Interrogativa negativa

Did not + soggetto + infinito senza to

Didn't you play?

TO WALK

Affermativa Negativa Interrogativa

I walked I didn't walk Did I walk?

You walked You didn't walk Did you walk?

He walked He didn't walk Did he walk?

 Affermativa Negativa Interrogativa

We walked We didn't walk Did we walk?

They walked They didn't walk Did they walk?

"SIMPLE PAST" DI TO BE, TO HAVE, TO DO

Soggetto Verbo

  Be Have Do

I was had did

You were had did

He/She/It was had did

We were had did

You were had did

They were had did

NOTE SULLE FORME AFFERMATIVA, NEGATIVA E

INTERROGATIVA
AFFERMATIVA
La forma affermativa del simple past è semplice.

 I was in Japan lastyear

 She had a headache yesterday.
  We did our homework last night.

NEGATIVA E INTERROGATIVA
Le forme negativa e interrogativa al simple past di to do, in quanto verbo semplice, si formano
usando l'ausiliare to do, ad esempio: We didn't do our homework last night.
La forma negativa di have al simple past si forma solitamente con l'ausiliare do, ma talvolta si
aggiunge semplicemente not o la contrazione n't.

La forma interrogativa di have al simple past si forma solitamente con l'ausiliare do.

ESEMPI

 They weren't in Rio last summer.

 We didn't have any money.
 We didn't have time to visit the Eiffel Tower.
 We didn't do our exercises this morning.
 Were they in Iceland last January?
 Did you have a bicycle when you were young?
 Did you do much climbing in Switzerland?

Nota: Le forme negativa e interrogativa di tutti i verbi al simple past si formano sempre con
l'ausiliare did.

SIMPLE PAST E I VERBI IRREGOLARI

Alcuni vebri sono irregolari al simple past. Ecco un elenco dei più comuni

 He went to a club last night.

 Did he go to the cinema last night?
 He didn't go to bed early last night.

TO GIVE

 We gave her a doll for her birthday.

 They didn't give John their new address.
 Did Barry give you my passport?

TO COME

 My parents came to visit me last July.

 We didn't come because it was raining.
 Did he come to your party last week?