Past simple: negatives and questions
Make negatives and questions in the past simple with did and didn’t — and remember to go back to the base verb.
In this lesson you will
- Make negatives with didn’t + base verb
- Ask questions with Did …? and wh- + did
- Give short answers
Learn
Negative: didn’t (did not) + base verb for every person: I didn’t go. She didn’t call. The past is in did, so the main verb goes back to its base form (not didn’t went).
Yes/no questions: Did + subject + base verb? — Did you see the match? Did it rain? Short answers: Yes, I did. / No, I didn’t.
Wh- questions: question word + did + subject + base verb: Where did you go? What did she say? Why did they leave?
Exception: when who/what is the subject, don’t use did: Who called you? What happened?
| Example | |
|---|---|
| − | We didn’t watch TV. |
| ? | Did you watch TV? |
| Wh-? | What did you watch? |
| short | Yes, we did. / No, we didn’t. |
Examples
- I didn’t sleep well.
- Did you enjoy the concert? — Yes, I did.
- Where did you buy that jacket?
- What happened at the meeting?
Vocabulary
happen
take place
“What happened?”
enjoy
like doing
miss
not catch; feel sad without
“I missed the bus.”
forget
not remember (past: forgot)
lose
not have any more (past: lost)
Practice
Complete the sentence.
Speaking
Interview a partner (or yourself) about last weekend: ask five questions with Did…? and three with What/Where/Who…?
Writing
Write a short dialogue (8 lines) between two friends asking about each other’s holidays.
Lesson quiz
We ___ the bus. We walked.
Review
Key points
- didn’t + base verb.
- Did + subject + base verb?
- Wh- + did + subject + base verb?
- Subject questions: Who called? What happened?
What you learned
- ✓ I can make past negatives.
- ✓ I can ask past questions.
- ✓ I can give short answers.
Grammar reference: Past simple, Question forms