Past Tenses Overview

This page provides a detailed explanation of four major past tenses in English and their specific uses. The Past Simple tense is fundamental for expressing completed past actions, while Past Continuous describes ongoing situations. Past Perfect relates earlier past events to later ones, and Past Perfect Continuous combines duration with completed actions.

Definition: Past Simple is used for completed actions and habitual activities in the past.

Example: "I visited Paris last summer" (completed action)

Highlight: Past Continuous is particularly useful for making polite requests using phrases like "I was wondering..."

Vocabulary: "Transitional situations" refer to temporary states or conditions in the past.

Quote: "It was the first time..." expressions typically require Past Perfect tense.