Past Simple (pasado simple): verbos regulares e irregulares
Contar lo que pasó: "trabajé", "jugué", "fui", "hice".
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🧭 Cómo abordar esta lección
El Past Simple es el tiempo más usado en narrativas y exámenes de lectura.
- Divide en dos: verbos regulares (añaden -ED) vs irregulares (totalmente diferentes).
- Aprende los irregulares más comunes (be, do, go, have, make, see, say, know, think, come, etc.).
- Memoriza formas negativas: "didn't work" (no trabajé), "didn't see" (no vi).
- Usa DID para preguntas: "Did you work?" (¿Trabajaste?), "Did he go?" (¿Fue él?)
- Practica MUCHO con textos de examen: el 40% de las preguntas de reading están en Past Simple.
Past Simple (Pasado Simple)
El se usa para acciones completadas en el PASADO. Es el tiempo de la narrativa.
Usos principales:
- Acciones acabadas en un tiempo específico: I worked yesterday. (Trabajé ayer)
- Acciones consecutivas en una historia: He went to school, had lunch, and came home. (Fue al colegio, comió y volvió a casa)
- Situaciones en el pasado que no continúan: I lived in Barcelona for 5 years. (Viví en Barcelona 5 años) [pero ya no vivo]
Verbos REGULARES en Past Simple
Los verbos regulares añaden -ED o -D al infinitivo:
| Infinitivo | Past Simple | Traducción |
|---|---|---|
| play | played | jugué |
| work | worked | trabajé |
| live | lived | viví |
| study | studied | estudié |
| stop | stopped | paré |
Reglas de ortografía para -ED:
| Regla | Ejemplo |
|---|---|
| Verbos acabados en consonante simple: añade -ED | play → played, work → worked |
| Verbos acabados en -E: añade solo -D | live → lived, love → loved |
| Verbos de una sílaba con consonante+vocal+consonante: dobla la consonante + ED | stop → stopped, plan → planned |
| Verbos acabados en -Y precedida de consonante: cambia Y por IED | study → studied, worry → worried |
Forma AFIRMATIVA:
| Pronombre | Forma | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| I / you / he / she / it / we / they | infinitivo + ED | I worked. He played. They lived. |
💡 IMPORTANTE: El Past Simple es igual para todos los pronombres. No hay variaciones como en (works/work).
Forma NEGATIVA (con DIDN'T + infinitivo):
| Ejemplo | Pronunciación |
|---|---|
| I didn't work. | áI dídnəut uórk |
| She didn't play. | shí dídnəut pléI |
| They didn't see. | déI dídnəut sí |
⚠️ ATENCIÓN: Después de DIDN'T, el verbo va en INFINITIVO (sin -ED). Decimos "didn't worked" NO: Es "didn't work".
Forma INTERROGATIVA (con DID + pronombre + infinitivo):
| Pregunta | Respuesta afirmativa | Respuesta negativa |
|---|---|---|
| Did you work? | Yes, I did. | No, I didn't. |
| Did she play? | Yes, she did. | No, she didn't. |
| Did they see? | Yes, they did. | No, they didn't. |
Verbos IRREGULARES en Past Simple
Los verbos irregulares NO siguen la regla -ED. Debes memorizarlos. Los 20 más comunes del examen:
| Infinitivo | Past Simple | Past Participle | Traducción |
|---|---|---|---|
| be | was / were | been | ser/estar |
| have | had | had | tener |
| do | did | done | hacer |
| go | went | gone | ir |
| get | got | got | conseguir/obtener |
| make | made | made | hacer/fabricar |
| say | said | said | decir |
| see | saw | seen | ver |
| know | knew | known | saber/conocer |
| think | thought | thought | pensar |
| come | came | come | venir |
| take | took | taken | coger/llevar |
| find | found | found | encontrar |
| give | gave | given | dar |
| tell | told | told | contar/decir |
| work | worked | worked | trabajar |
| call | called | called | llamar |
| ask | asked | asked | preguntar |
| try | tried | tried | intentar |
| need | needed | needed | necesitar |
📋 Tabla completa de 100 verbos irregulares: Consulta la herramienta "Verbos irregulares" en el menú de herramientas.
Forma AFIRMATIVA con irregulares:
| Pronombre | Ejemplo |
|---|---|
| I / you / he / she / it / we / they | I went. She saw. They had. |
Forma NEGATIVA:
| Ejemplo |
|---|
| I didn't go. |
| She didn't see. |
| They didn't have. |
Forma INTERROGATIVA:
| Pregunta | Respuesta |
|---|---|
| Did you go? | Yes, I did. / No, I didn't. |
| Did she see? | Yes, she did. / No, she didn't. |
Palabras clave del Past Simple
Aparecen mucho en exámenes de lectura:
- yesterday (ayer)
- last week / month / year (la semana / mes / año pasado)
- ago (hace): five years ago (hace 5 años)
- when (cuando): When did you arrive? (¿Cuándo llegaste?)
- at that time (en ese momento)
Errores típicos del examen
❌ Incorrecto → ✅ Correcto
- I go to Paris yesterday. → I went to Paris yesterday.
- He didn't worked. → He didn't work.
- She was playing when he arrived. (esto es Past Continuous, no Simple)
- They was tired. → They were tired. (past de TO BE)
- Did you understood? → Did you understand?
Past Simple de TO BE
Especial: tiene dos formas en pasado.
| Pronombre | Forma |
|---|---|
| I / he / she / it | was |
| you / we / they | were |
Ejemplos:
- I was happy. (Yo era/estaba feliz)
- They were late. (Ellos llegaban tarde / Iban retrasados)
- Where were you? (¿Dónde estabas?)
- Was he there? (¿Estaba él allí?)
Diferencia: Past Simple vs
CRÍTICA PARA EL EXAMEN:
| PAST SIMPLE | PRESENT PERFECT |
|---|---|
| Acción acabada en un tiempo definido | Acción en el pasado que afecta al presente |
| I worked yesterday. (trabajé ayer — ya pasó) | I have worked for 3 years. (he trabajado 3 años — sigo en el trabajo) |
| I went to Paris in 2020. | I have been to Paris. (He estado en París — y he vuelto) |
💡 Regla práctica: Si dices CUÁNDO pasó algo → Past Simple. Si NO dices cuándo → Present Perfect.