Beginner · Now, yesterday and tomorrow · topic 15 of 59 · 16 min
Simple past: talking about yesterday
Explanation
The simple past (सामान्य भूतकाल) is for actions that started and finished in the past: yesterday, last week, in 2020, two days ago. The good news: the verb is the same for every person. I went, she went, they went.
Was and were
| Subject | Past of be | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I / he / she / it | was | I was tired. It was hot. |
| you / we / they | were | We were at home. They were late. |
Regular verbs: + ed
I watched a movie last night.
Say it: ai WOCHT a MOO-vee laast NYT
मैंने कल रात एक फ़िल्म देखी।
She cooked biryani on Sunday.
Say it: shee KUKT bir-YAA-nee on SUN-day
उसने रविवार को बिरयानी बनाई।
Irregular verbs: learn these first
| Verb | Past | Verb | Past |
|---|---|---|---|
| go | went | eat | ate |
| come | came | buy | bought |
| see | saw | take | took |
| have | had | make | made |
| get | got | give | gave |
| say | said | tell | told |
| do | did | write | wrote |
| meet | met | leave | left |
We went to Shimla last year.
Say it: wee WENT to SHIM-la laast YEER
हम पिछले साल शिमला गए थे।
I bought vegetables in the morning.
Say it: ai BAWT VEJ-ta-bulz in the MOR-ning
मैंने सुबह सब्ज़ियाँ ख़रीदीं।
Negatives and questions: did
| Type | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Negative | didn't + base verb | I didn't go. She didn't eat. |
| Question | Did + person + base verb? | Did you go? Did she eat? |
| Wh- question | Wh- + did + person + base verb? | Where did you go? |
I didn't see him yesterday.
Say it: ai DID-unt SEE him YES-ter-day
मैंने उसे कल नहीं देखा।
After did/didn't, use the base verb: "didn't see", not "didn't saw".
What did you eat for lunch?
Say it: wot did yoo EET for LUNCH?
तुमने दोपहर में क्या खाया?
Watch the lesson
Simple past: talking about yesterday · 1/7
Hello! Today we talk about the past: yesterday, last week, last year.
Prefer a video by a teacher? Find free videos on “simple past tense regular irregular verbs spoken english in hindi” on YouTube ↗
In real life: Monday morning at the office
Neha: Hi Kunal! How was your weekend? Kunal: It was great. I went to my cousin's wedding in Jaipur. Neha: Wow! Did you dance? Kunal: Yes, I danced a lot. And I ate too much! Neha: When did you come back? Kunal: I came back last night. I didn't sleep much, so I'm a bit tired.
Practice (0/4 done)
Say these sentences about yesterday.
Yesterday I went to the market. I bought some vegetables and came home.
कल मैं बाज़ार गया। मैंने कुछ सब्ज़ियाँ ख़रीदीं और घर आ गया।
Listen and type the sentence.
Write about your last Sunday in five or six sentences.
Choose the correct sentence.
Quick quiz
Pass the quiz (60% or more) or mark this topic as done when you are ready.
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