There are many different verb tenses we can use to talk about the past.
The past simple is used to talk about finished and completed actions in the past, e.g. my friend phoned me last night.
We can also use two past simple verbs if there were two actions that happened right after each other, e.g. the cup fell and broke.
The past perfect is used to express the sequence of events/actions and to emphasize which one happened first, e.g. when I arrived at the party my friend had left. i.e. my friend was not there anymore. She had left before I came and I did not see her.
The past continuous is used to describe an action in progress at a particular time in the past.
Note: A flatmate is someone you share an apartment with. Flat is apartment in British English.
Look at the following sentences of my flatmate and I. Match them with the correct meaning.
Lesson by Danica, EC Cape Town English School
