Kenji: I visited the Gold Museum two days ago. It was amazing!
Sofía: A week ago I finished a big project. I celebrated with my family.
Ben: Last Christmas I stayed in a tiny hostel in Cartagena... I missed my family a lot.
Abuela Carmen: On my last birthday I danced all night. And last winter I traveled to the coast!
Common mistake: “I visit my grandma last week.” — Correct: “I visited my grandma last week.”
We use the past simple with -ed verbs to report finished actions at a specific past time — usually with a time expression like last night or two days ago.
-ed pronunciation: /t/ · /d/ · /ɪd/
Sound
When
Examples
/t/
after soft (voiceless) sounds: p, k, s, sh, ch, f
worked, watched, finished, danced
/d/
after vowels and voiced sounds
played, lived, enjoyed, studied
/ɪd/
after t and d — adds an extra syllable
visited, wanted, needed, decided
/t/ worked — /t/ sound: engaged in employment
/t/ watched — /t/ sound: viewed with visual attention
/t/ danced — /t/ sound: moved body to rhythmic music
/t/ talked — /t/ sound: shared words in conversation
/d/ lived — /d/ sound: had permanent residence
/d/ called — /d/ sound: rang someone via phone
/d/ stayed — /d/ sound: lodged temporarily
/d/ enjoyed — /d/ sound: experienced happiness from
/ɪd/ waited — /ɪd/ sound: delayed movement until someone came
/ɪd/ visited — /ɪd/ sound: journeyed to explore sights
/ɪd/ decided — /ɪd/ sound: settled a choice firmly
I watched a movie last night.
Sofía finished a big design project a week ago.
Kenji visited the Gold Museum two days ago.
Abuela Carmen danced all night on her last birthday.
Ben worked as a tour guide in Cartagena last winter.
I didn't work last Sunday. I stayed at home.
Sofía didn't travel last winter. She stayed in Medellín.
They didn't watch the game yesterday.
Kenji didn't study last night; he was very tired.
Did you watch the game last night?
Where did you travel last winter?
How did you celebrate your last birthday?
Did Kenji visit the museum two days ago?
Did you enjoy the party? Yes, I did.
Did Ben travel last Christmas? No, he didn't.
Did they play football yesterday? Yes, they did.
Practice
I ___ a movie last night. (watched, watch, watches)
How do you pronounce the -ed in 'wanted'? (/t/, /d/, /ɪd/)
Kenji visited the museum ___. (two days ago, tomorrow, next week)
The -ed in 'played' sounds /ɪd/, with an extra syllable.
Time expressions like 'last night' and 'a week ago' usually go with the past simple.
Sofía ___ (finish) her project a week ago.
We ___ (dance) all night at the party last Christmas.
They ___ (not / watch) the game yesterday.
Unscramble: I, visited, my, grandma, last, week
Unscramble: did, you, enjoy, the, party, last, night
Find the mistake: I visit my grandma last week.
Find the mistake: Ben didn't stayed at the hotel.
Find the mistake: Did you watched the movie last night?
Sofía finished her project. — Write the negative form.
They played football yesterday. — Write the yes/no question.
Did Kenji visit the museum two days ago? — Answer with a short answer (Yes).
I worked last Sunday. — Write the negative form.
Abuela Carmen didn't travel last winter. — Write the affirmative form.
Did you study English last night? (short answer)
Did your friends visit you last weekend? (short answer)
Listening
Sofía: Kenji, what did you do last weekend?
Kenji: I visited a coffee farm near Medellín. I loved it!
Sofía: Did you try the coffee?
Kenji: Yes, I did! I talked with the farmers and watched the whole process.
Sofía: I stayed at home. I cleaned my apartment and watched a movie.
Kenji: Did you enjoy it?
Sofía: Yes, I did. Sometimes a quiet weekend is perfect.
Reading
Last Christmas, Ben stayed in Cartagena. He rented a small room in the old city and worked as a tour guide for two weeks. Every morning, he talked with tourists from many countries. Two days ago, he called his family in England: 'I missed you last Christmas,' he said, 'but I really enjoyed my time here. The people treated me like family.' Last night, Sofía and Kenji organized a small party for him, and they danced until midnight.
Ben stayed in Cartagena last Christmas.
Ben worked as a taxi driver.
Ben called his family two days ago.
The party finished early in the evening.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you pronounce the -ed ending in regular past simple verbs?
-ed has 3 distinct pronunciations: 1) /ɪd/ after /t/ and /d/ sounds ('started', 'decided'); 2) /t/ after voiceless sounds /p, k, f, s, ʃ, tʃ/ ('worked', 'laughed', 'watched'); 3) /d/ after all voiced vowel and consonant sounds ('played', 'lived', 'cleaned').
What is the rule for spelling regular verbs with -ed?
Most verbs simply add -ed ('walk' -> 'walked'). Verbs ending in -e just add -d ('live' -> 'lived'). Consonant + y changes to -ied ('study' -> 'studied'). Single vowel + single consonant doubles the consonant ('stop' -> 'stopped').