Present Past
What day is it today? What day was it yesterday?
What month is it now? What month was it last month?
Where are you now? Where were you yesterday?
Are you in England? Were you in England in 2004?
Can you swim? Could you swim?
Can your mother speak three languages? Could she speak German when she was a child?
Where were you…?
- at eight this morning?
- at half past six yesterday evening?
- at this time yesterday?
- last Saturday evening?
Where were you born?
When were you born?
How old were you when you could walk / swim / use a computer?
Complete the conversation using was, were, wasn’t, weren’t or couldn’t.
E __________ you at Charlotte’s party last Saturday?
M Yes, I ___________.
E _________ it good?
M Well, it __________ OK.
E __________ there many people?
M Yes, there _________.
E _________ Pascal there?
M No, he __________. And where _______ you? Why _________ you there?
E Oh… I ____________ go because I _________ at John’s party! It ________ brilliant!
Write sentences. Use could and was.
Budhia Singh / run marathons / three
Bughia Singh could run marathons when he was three.
Maria Sharapova / play tennis / four
Vanessa Mae / play the violin and piano / five
Michael Schumacher / drive / four
Sergey Karjakin / play chess / four
Fryderyk Chopin / write music / seven
Write sentences with couldn’t and the phrases in the box.
he wasn’t home; I was ill; I wasn’t tired; we weren’t hungry; it was dark; it was wet; the water was very cold; they weren’t 18 years old
I / go to school because…
I couldn’t go to school because I was ill.
I / read my book because…
She / swim because…
We / eat our dinner…
I / speak to Kevin…
They / play tennis…
I / sleep…
They / buy alcohol…
Write questions
Read / four – Could you read when you were four?
Write your name / two
Walk / one
Count to 10 / three
Speak English / twelve
Ride a bike / ten
Swim / four
Look at the calendar and write sentences about Helen and Joe. Use be, past simple (affirmative or negative).
Day Joe Helen
Mon London Manchester
Tues Berlin Paris
Wed Warsaw Warsaw
Thurs Moscow Athens
Fri Stockholm Budapest
Sat Liverpool Liverpool
1. Helen / Manchester / Monday
Helen was in Manchester on Monday.
2. Joe and Helen / Warsaw / Wednesday
3. Joe / Paris / Tuesday
4. Helen / Liverpool / Saturday
5. Joe / Moscow / Thursday
6. Joe and Helen / Liverpool / Friday
7. Helen / Budapest / Monday
Where were Joe and Helen last week? Complete the questions, then write answers. Use be, past simple.
1. Was Joe in London on Monday? Yes, he was.
2. Where ________ Helen on Tuesday?
3. ________ Helen in Budapest on Wednesday?
4. ________ Joe in Stockholm on Saturday?
5. ________ Joe and Helen in Warsaw on Thursday?
6. Where _______ Helen and Joe on Wednesday?
7. Where _______ Joe on Thursday?
8. _______ Joe and Helen in Liverpool on Saturday?
Complete the sentences. Use couldn’t and the verbs in the box.
find
finish
go
hear
listen
play
sleep
understand
1. My dad _______________ to work because he was ill.
2. John _____________ his pen. It wasn’t in his schoolbag.
3. Pam wasn’t hungry – she ___________ her lunch.
4. I ____________ Jan because I don’t speak German.
5. We _____________ the teacher because the students were very noisy.
6. Ian _____________ to music because his CD player was broken.
7. I was very tired but I ______________.
8. We _____________ tennis because the weather was bad.
midiannever