A1+ REGULAR CLASSESPAST SIMPLE · 70 MIN
A1+ · EVERYDAY ENGLISH

Yesterday:
what did
you do?

Talk about how you felt, where you were, and the things you did.

At the end, you can say:“Yesterday, I was tired. I stayed home, watched a movie and cooked dinner.”
WAS / WEREPAST VERBSDID / DIDN'T

8 short stages · 70 minutes · verb bank and hidden answers

Timeline from last week through yesterday to today, with examples of finished past actions
Yesterday is finished time, so use the Past Simple.
STAGE 1 · 5 MIN

Today or yesterday?

Start with what is true now. Then move the same idea into a finished past time.

TODAY · NOW

I am tired.

I am at home.

I work today.

I watch TV today.

→
YESTERDAY · FINISHED

I was tired yesterday.

I was at home yesterday.

I worked yesterday.

I watched TV yesterday.

Past-time wordsyesterday · yesterday morning · last night · last weekend · last week · two days ago
Timeline showing last week, yesterday, and now; yesterday actions are finished

Teacher prompt: How do we say “ayer”, “anoche”, and “el fin de semana pasado”?

RememberA finished past time: choose a past form. Today: am / is / are and the base verb. Yesterday: was / were and the past verb.
STAGE 2 · 10 MIN

Was / were: how and where?

Use the past form of be for a state, feeling, description, or place.

Grammar guide comparing was and were for states and places with past action verbs and did questions
AFFIRMATIVE · STATE / PLACE
subject + WAS / WERE + complement

I / he / she / it + was   |   you / we / they + were

I was tired. · They were at home.
NEGATIVE
subject + WASN'T / WEREN'T + complement
I wasn't tired. · They weren't at home.
YES / NO QUESTION
WAS / WERE + subject + complement?
Were you tired? — Yes, I was. / No, I wasn't.
WASI was happy. · She was busy. · The movie was good.
WEREYou were late. · We were at work. · They were happy.

Try it: complete with was or were

  1. I ___ at home yesterday.
  2. She ___ tired last night.
  3. We ___ happy.
  4. They ___ at work.
  5. You ___ busy yesterday.
  6. The movie ___ interesting.
Check the answers

1. was · 2. was · 3. were · 4. were · 5. were · 6. was

Six scenes for describing where people were and how they felt yesterday
Look at a scene. Say where the people were and how they felt: “He was at home. He was relaxed.”
STAGE 3 · 10 MIN

Regular verbs: add the past form

Now move from how you were to what you did.

STATE / FEELING · BE

I was tired.

→
ACTION · DO

I watched TV.

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
subject + past verb + complement

I worked. · She cooked dinner. · They played football.

The past form stays the same with every subject: I worked / she worked / they worked.
Three useful spelling patternsmost verbs: work → workedverb ends in e: live → livedconsonant + y: study → studiedvowel + y: play → played
Picture cards for past simple actions, with the base and past forms of twelve verbs
Use each picture to say the base verb, past verb, and one sentence about yesterday.

Write the past verb

  1. I ___ a movie last night. (watch)
  2. She ___ dinner yesterday. (cook)
  3. We ___ our friends last weekend. (visit)
  4. He ___ English yesterday. (study)
  5. They ___ football. (play)
  6. I ___ my room. (clean)
Check the answers

1. watched · 2. cooked · 3. visited · 4. studied · 5. played · 6. cleaned

STAGE 4 · 10 MIN

Irregular verbs: learn them in pairs

These past forms do not use -ed. Read the verb, cover the past form, and try to remember it.

Regular and irregular verb bank showing base forms, past forms, and Spanish meanings
Your verb bank: regular verbs on the left, irregular verbs on the right.
Cover the past-form column to quiz yourself.

REGULAR VERBS

BASEPASTESPAÑOL
workworkedtrabajar
watchwatchedver / mirar
cleancleanedlimpiar
cookcookedcocinar
playplayedjugar
visitvisitedvisitar
callcalledllamar
listenlistenedescuchar
staystayedquedarse
studystudiedestudiar

IRREGULAR VERBS

BASEPASTESPAÑOL
gowentir
eatatecomer
drinkdrankbeber
havehadtener / tomar
buyboughtcomprar
seesawver
get upgot uplevantarse
sleepsleptdormir

Useful phrases: had breakfast · had lunch · listened to music · stayed home

Use each verb once

went · ate · drank · had · bought · got up

  1. I ___ at 7:00 yesterday.
  2. I ___ breakfast at 7:30.
  3. I ___ to the supermarket.
  4. I ___ some bread.
  5. I ___ chicken for lunch.
  6. I ___ water with my lunch.
Check the answers

1. got up · 2. had · 3. went · 4. bought · 5. ate · 6. drank

STAGE 5 · 10 MIN

Action questions and negatives

For an action, use did / didn't. After them, the main verb returns to its base form.

Past Simple formulas for was and were and for action verbs with did and didn't
NEGATIVE ACTION
subject + DIDN'T + base verb + complement

I didn't work. · She didn't go. · We didn't eat breakfast.

YES / NO QUESTION
DID + subject + base verb + complement?

Did you work? · Did she cook dinner? · Did they go shopping?

Short answers: Yes, I did. / No, I didn't.
INFORMATION QUESTION
WHAT / WHERE / WHEN + DID + subject + base verb?

What did you do? · Where did you go? · What time did you get up?

One helper carries the past.She went. → She didn't go. → Did she go?After DID / DIDN'T, use the BASE verb: go, not went.
BE · STATE / PLACEI was tired.I wasn't tired.Were you tired?
No DID with WAS / WERE.
ACTION · DO SOMETHINGI worked.I didn't work.Did you work?

Transform: make a negative and a question

  1. He worked yesterday.
  2. They ate pizza.
  3. She watched TV.
  4. You bought some bread.
Check model answers

1. He didn't work yesterday. / Did he work yesterday?
2. They didn't eat pizza. / Did they eat pizza?
3. She didn't watch TV. / Did she watch TV?
4. You didn't buy any bread. / Did you buy some bread?

STAGE 6 · 8 MIN

Emma's Sunday

Read the story. Notice the states, regular verbs, irregular verbs, and negative.

Six picture sequence showing Emma waking up, having breakfast, cleaning her room, walking in the park, shopping, and watching a movie
Look first, predict the story, then read.
READ ALOUD · YESTERDAY

Yesterday was Sunday. Emma got up at nine. She had breakfast at home and drank coffee. In the morning, she cleaned her room.

In the afternoon, she went to the park with her sister. They were happy. After that, they bought some food.

In the evening, Emma cooked dinner and watched a movie. She didn't work or study. She was tired, but her day was good.

Helpful wordswith = conafter that = después de esobut = pero

Answer in complete sentences

  1. What time did Emma get up?
  2. What did she drink?
  3. What did she clean?
  4. Where did she go?
  5. Did she work?
  6. Was she tired in the evening?
Check the reading answers

1. She got up at nine. · 2. She drank coffee. · 3. She cleaned her room. · 4. She went to the park. · 5. No, she didn't. · 6. Yes, she was.

STAGE 7 · 12 MIN

My yesterday: ask, answer, tell

Use the visual prompts, then tell a short story about your own day.

Twelve conversation cards with past simple questions about feelings, places, work, food, and activities
Take turns: choose a card, ask the question, and answer with a complete sentence.
1 · ANSWER WITH A DETAIL

Were you tired yesterday?

Yes, I was. I was tired after work.
2 · ASK FOUR QUESTIONS

Ask one with Were you…?, one with Did you…?, one with What did you…? and one with Where did you…?

3 · TELL YOUR DAY

Use these story words:

First · Then · After that · Finally

Plan with key words

MORNINGgot up · had breakfast · went to work

____________________________

AFTERNOONate lunch · studied · visited my family

____________________________

EVENINGcooked · watched TV · stayed home

____________________________

Yesterday, I… · First, I… · Then, I… · After that, I… · Finally, I…

Include: one was/were sentence + three past actions + one didn't sentence.

Open a model story

Yesterday, I was busy. First, I got up at seven and had breakfast. Then, I went to work. After that, I cooked dinner. Finally, I watched TV. I didn't study English. I was tired, but my day was good.

Extra challenge: Two truths and one lie

Say three sentences about yesterday. Two are true and one is false. Your partner guesses: “I think number two is the lie.”

STAGE 8 · 5 MIN

Final check

Correct the sentences. Say why each correction is needed.

Fix the mistakes

  1. I were tired yesterday.
  2. She didn't went to work.
  3. Did you watched TV?
  4. They was at home.
  5. He study English yesterday.
  6. Did she was happy?
Reveal the corrections

1. I was tired yesterday. · 2. She didn't go to work. · 3. Did you watch TV? · 4. They were at home. · 5. He studied English yesterday. · 6. Was she happy?

Remember: questions about a state use was/were. Questions about an action use did + base verb.

STATE / PLACEI was…How were you? Where were you?
ACTIONI worked / went…What did you do?
NEGATIVEI didn't + base verbI didn't work / go / eat.
QUESTIONDid you + base verb?Did you work / go / eat?
Teacher answer key and homework

Homework · My last weekend: Write 6–8 sentences. Include where you were or how you felt with was/were, three actions in the past, one sentence with didn't, and first, then, finally. Add three questions to ask your teacher next class.

Feedback tip: If the student says “didn't went,” ask “After didn't: go or went?” If they say “Did she was…?”, ask “Is this BE or an action verb?” Goal: tell yesterday in 5–6 connected sentences and ask one DID question and one WAS/WERE question.

Nice work!

You can describe yesterday with was/were, past action verbs, and did / didn't.