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Unit 12 · Pages 140–150

Talking About Last WeekKa hadlaya Toddobaadkii la soo dhaafay

Use the past tense to say what you did last week.

  • I can say what I did last weekend.
  • I can ask someone what they did.
Audio for this unit (16)

Sections in this unit

  1. 12.1Simple past tense — affirmative statementsKey Language140
  2. 12.2Simple past tense (affirmative)Further Examples140
  3. 12.3Simple past tense (regular verbs)How to Form140
  4. 12.4Write the past tense form of each verbExercise141
  5. 12.5Match each person to what they did last weekendListening141
  6. 12.6Use the chart to make 12 sentences about last weekSpeaking142
  7. 12.7Questions with "Did"Key Language142
  8. 12.8Three sounds of -edPronunciation143
  9. 12.9Listen and circle the correct -ed soundListening143
  10. 12.10Ask and answer questions about last weekendSpeaking144
  11. 12.11Short answers with "did / didn't"Key Language144
  12. 12.12Short answersFurther Examples145
  13. 12.13Write the correct short answerExercise145
  14. 12.14Full conversation about last week (output task)Speaking3146

RevisionKu celi

12.1 Simple past tense — affirmative statements

AhmedI studied English last night.

FatimaReally? I cooked dinner and visited my family.

  • NOTE: The ending -ed shows that the action is in the past. studied = study + ed; cooked = cook + ed; visited = visit + ed.
  • NOTE: Time expressions such as "last night" and "last week" tell us when the action happened. Place them at the end of the sentence.
  • NOTE: The verb form does not change for different subjects. Ahmed studied , Fatima studied , they studied — the -ed ending is always the same.

12.2 Simple past tense (affirmative)

  • NOTE: Each sentence above uses a different subject — he, she, he, she — but the past tense verb ending -ed never changes.

12.3 Simple past tense (regular verbs)

  • NOTE: The simple past form is the same for ALL subjects. There is no -s ending and no change for third person.
  • NOTE: Use time expressions like "last week," "yesterday," "on Friday," "last night" to show when the action happened.

12.5 Match each person to what they did last weekend

  • Audio script (teacher): A Hodan — "I cooked a big meal for my family last Saturday." B Carlos — "I played football with my friends on Friday evening." C Hassan — "I watched a film at home last night. It was good." D Priya — "I studied at the library all weekend. I have an exam." E Abdi — "I visited my grandmother last Friday." F Sophie — "I cleaned the house on Saturday morning."

12.6 Use the chart to make 12 sentences about last week

  • NOTE: Choose one item from each column and say the sentence out loud. For example: "My friend watched a film last Friday."

12.7 Questions with "Did"

FatimaDid you study yesterday?

YasminYes, I studied in the morning. Did you work?

FatimaNo, I cooked and cleaned the house.

  • NOTE: Use "Did" to start yes/no questions in the past. The main verb stays in the BASE form — study , NOT studied ; visit , NOT visited .
  • NOTE: Word order: Did + subject + BASE VERB + the rest of the sentence? For example: Did + she + visit + her family?

12.8 Three sounds of -ed

  • NOTE: Visited ends in /ɪd/ because the base verb visit ends in the -t sound. Adding another /t/ or /d/ would be impossible to say, so we add the extra syllable /ɪd/.
  • NOTE: Studied ends in /d/ because the base verb study ends in a vowel sound (the "ee" sound).

12.10 Ask and answer questions about last weekend

Student ADid you watch a film last weekend?

Student BYes, I watched a film on Friday.

  • NOTE: For "Yes" answers: Yes, I + PAST VERB. For "No" answers: No, I + different PAST VERB.

12.11 Short answers with "did / didn't"

AhmedDid you play football last Friday?

AbdiNo, I didn't. I worked late. Did you study?

AhmedYes, I did. I studied for two hours.

  • NOTE: Short answers use "did" or "didn't" — never the full verb. Say "Yes, I did" — NOT "Yes, I studied."
  • NOTE: "Didn't" = "did not." We almost always use the contraction in spoken English.

12.12 Short answers

  • NOTE: In the last example, Ifrah adds a full sentence — "She rested" — to give more information after the short answer. This makes the conversation sound more natural.

12.14 Full conversation about last week (output task)

Student ADid you study last weekend?

Student BYes, I did. I studied at the library on Saturday.

  • NOTE: First give a short answer ( Yes, I did. / No, I didn't. ), then add a full sentence to give more information.
  • NOTE: Every sentence must have a time expression at the end.
  • Audio script (teacher): Leo (British) — "I didn't work last weekend. I cooked a big meal on Saturday and then watched a film in the evening. It was very relaxing." Nasteho (Somali) — "I studied at the library on Friday afternoon. Then I cooked dinner for my family. It was a busy day." Maria (Spanish) — "I visited my cousin last Saturday. We didn't play sport — we just talked and had tea together." Muktar (Somali) — "I rested at home on Saturday. I listened to music and didn't do much. It was a good weekend."
  • NOTE: Use "he" if your partner is male; "she" if your partner is female. Change "I" to "he/she" and check the verb is still in the past tense.