Unit 8: The Past Simple — Yesterday and Last Week

What will you learn?

You will learn to talk about yesterday, ask questions with did, and say what you did or didn't do. Start with regular verbs and learn two common irregular verbs: go → went and have → had.

yesterday · last night · last week · two days ago

Step 1. Yesterday

Look at the time words. They tell us when something happened.

yesterday

last night

last week

Today: I work at home.
Yesterday: I worked at home.

Say the sentences aloud. The teacher can use a calendar or draw a simple timeline to show the difference between today and yesterday.

Step 2. Regular verbs: add -ed

Present	Past	Example
work	worked	I worked yesterday.
walk	walked	We walked to the shops.
play	played	They played football.
watch	watched	She watched a film.
visit	visited	He visited his friend.

Exercise 1. Choose the past form

Complete each sentence with the correct past form.

1. Yesterday, I at home. (work) 2. Last night, we a film. (watch) 3. On Saturday, they football. (play) 4. Last week, she her aunt. (visit)

Step 3. Two important irregular verbs

Not every verb adds -ed. Learn these two common verbs.

Present	Past	Example
go	went	I go to work every day. Yesterday, I went by bus.
have	had	I have breakfast at seven. Yesterday, I had breakfast at eight.

Exercise 2. Regular or irregular?

1. I usually go by bus. Yesterday, I by train. 2. We usually play tennis. Last Saturday, we football. 3. She usually has tea. Yesterday, she coffee. 4. They usually work on Friday. Last Friday, they on Saturday.

Step 4. Questions with did

You already know Do you …? Now use Did you …? to ask about the past.

Present: Do you play football?
Past: Did you play football yesterday?

Remember: after did, use the main verb's basic form: play, not played.

Question	Short answer
Did you work yesterday?	Yes, I did. / No, I didn't.
Did she watch the film?	Yes, she did. / No, she didn't.
Did they go by bus?	Yes, they did. / No, they didn't.

Exercise 3. Choose the correct sentence

1. Which is correct?

Did you worked yesterday? Did you work yesterday?

2. Which is correct?

Did she went home? Did she go home?

3. Which is a short answer?

Yes, I did. Yes, I worked.

Step 5. Negatives with didn't

Use didn't + basic form.

I played football. → I didn't play football.
She went by bus. → She didn't go by bus.

Exercise 4. Complete the sentences

1. I didn't television yesterday. (watch) 2. He didn't to work yesterday. (go) 3. We didn't football last night. (play)

Step 6. Talk about yesterday

Read the questions. Ask a partner if you can, or write your own answers.

Did you work yesterday?
No, I didn't. I studied English.

Did you have breakfast this morning?
Yes, I did. I had bread and tea.

Exercise 5. Write your answers

1. What did you do yesterday? 2. Did you watch television last night? 3. Did you go out last weekend?

These are personal answers, so there is no single correct answer. Try saying them aloud.

Step 7. Mixed practice

Choose the correct past form. Look carefully at the time expression.

1. Every day I walk to work. Yesterday I to work. 2. Did you shopping yesterday? 3. She didn't breakfast at home. 4. Last night, we a film. 5. He usually has tea, but yesterday he coffee.

Step 8. Read and answer

Yesterday was Saturday. Anna didn't work. In the morning, she walked to the shops and bought some bread. In the afternoon, she went to see her friend. They had tea and watched a film. Anna went home at seven o'clock.

For this first lesson, notice walked, watched, went and had. The verb bought is another irregular past form; learners can understand it from the story and study it later.

Exercise 6. Check your understanding

1. Did Anna work yesterday? 2. How did she go to the shops? 3. What did Anna and her friend do?

Remember these patterns

Use	Pattern	Example
Positive	past form	I worked yesterday. / I went home.
Question	Did + subject + basic form?	Did you work? Did you go?
Negative	subject + didn't + basic form	I didn't work. I didn't go.
Short answer	Yes, subject did. / No, subject didn't.	Yes, I did. / No, I didn't.

Your turn: Say three things you did yesterday and one thing you didn't do.

Teacher's note

Use a calendar, a simple timeline, mime and familiar classroom vocabulary to establish past time. Begin with regular verbs, then add went and had as two useful irregular forms. Ask learners questions they can answer from their own lives.

Keep the central contrast visible: I worked, but Did you work? and I didn't work. After did and didn't, the main verb is in its basic form.

Other irregular verbs may appear naturally in a reading, such as bought, but do not require learners to memorise a long list in this unit. Recycle new forms in later lessons.