Употребление Past Indefinite

 

The Past Indefinite Tense употребляется для выражения:

а) повторяющегося действия или постоянного признака предмета в прошлом:

He always gave me books to read.	Он всегда давал мне почитать книги.
He was a good pupil.	Он был хорошим учеником.

б) цепи последовательных действий в прошлом:

I took a book, opened it and began to read.

Я взял книгу, открыл ее и начал читать.

в) однократного действия в прошлом:

She took a book from the library yesterday.

Вчера она взяла книгу в библиотеке.

 

В предложениях с глаголом в часто употребляются следующие обстоятельства времени:

 

yesterday	вчера
the day before yesterday	позавчера
last week	на прошлой неделе
last month	в прошлом месяце
last year	в прошлом году
last night	вчера вечером
last time	в прошлый раз
last	в последний раз
two days (months, years) ago	два дня (месяца, года) тому назад
in 1995	в 1995 году

 

EXERCISES

 

I. Put the following verbs in the form of Past Indefinite and divide them into three columns according to the type of the pronunciation of the ending “ed”

to open, to close, to thank, to look, to live, to work, to study, to translate, to walk, to return, to stay, to last, to receive, to finish, to stop, to discuss, to ask, to revise, to repeat, to copy out.

 

II. Put the sentences into negative and interrogative forms

Model:

I studied English at school. Did I study English at school? I didn’t study English at school.

1. He opened the window before classes.

2. She translated a lot of foreign letters at the office last week.

3. I finished work at five o’clock the day before yesterday.

4. He lived in Minsk four years ago.

5. They returned home in the evening.

6. They discussed many articles from these magazines yesterday.

7. I studied French at school.

8. He was in time for the lecture yesterday.

9. She was at home yesterday evening.

10. They were at the office yesterday morning.

III. Translate the sentences into Russian

1. My friend studied at the Medical Institute three years ago.

2. This article was too difficult to translate it for two hours.

3. I had no time to copy out the text.

4. Sorry, I forgot to post your letter.

5. I didn’t know how to tell him about it.

6. Oh, dear, I didn’t water the flowers.

7. Oh, I forgot to buy the tickets.

8. He lived in Minsk then.

9. His father was a doctor.

10. She finished school in 1998 and entered the institute in 1999.

11. The famous scientist Albert Einstein left Germany in 1933 and moved to the United States. He died in 1955.

12. – Did you see the film on TV last night? – Yes, I did. – Did you like it? – Not very much.

13. – What did you do at the week-end? – I went to the cinema, then I discussed the film with my friends.

14. – What did you do last night? – I went to see my friend and we watched the TV-program.

15. – Did you take notes of the lecture yesterday? – Yes, I did. – Can I copy it? – Certainly.

 

IV. Translate the sentences from closing one of the columns

1. Они были здесь час назад.	They were here an hour ago.
2. Она была там в среду.	She was there on Wednesday.
3. Она дежурила вчера в поликлинике.	She was on duty at the polyclinic yesterday.
4. Он был врачом в 1985 году.	He was a doctor in 1985.
5. Я был в кино позавчера.	I was at the cinema the day before yesterday.
6. Мы были детьми тогда.	We were children then.
7. - Он вовремя пришел на лекцию вчера? – Да.	- Was he in time for the lecture yesterday? – Yes.
8. - Вы были дома в понедельник утром? - Нет, я был в Институте.	- Were you at home on Monday morning? - No, I was at the Institute.
9. - Вы были в Минске в прошлом месяце? – Нет. - Когда вы были там в последний раз? - В последний раз я был там год назад.	- Were you in Minsk last month? - No, I wasn’t. - When were you there last?   - I last was there a year ago.
10. Его не было дома в пятницу, он был в театре.	He wasn’t at home on Friday evening, he was at the theatre.
11. - Какая погода была вчера? - Вчера было холодно. - Было ветрено? - Да.	- What was the weather like yesterday? - It was cold yesterday. - Was it windy? - Yes, it was.