LE PRETERIT SIMPLE ( ou "simple past" )

LE PRETERIT SIMPLE ( ou "simple past" )
REGULAR VERBS
(to play)
I played
(to work)
she worked
(to want)
they wanted
IRREGULAR VERBS
(to see)
I saw
(to hear)
you heard
(to buy)
she bought
(to lose)
he lost
(to put)
we put
Did you play...? Did she work...? Did they want… ?
Did you see...? Did I hear...? Did she buy...?
Did he lose...? Did we put...?
Yes, I did. Yes, you did. Yes, she did. Yes, he did. Yes, it did.
Yes, we did. Yes, you did. Yes, they did.
No, I didn't. No, you didn't. No, she didn't. No, he didn't. No, it didn't.
No, we didn't. No, you didn't. No, they didn't.
I didn't play... She didn't work... They didn't want...
I didn't see... You didn't hear...She didn't buy...
He didn't lose...We didn't put...
I was
he / she was
it was
there was
Was I...?
TO BE
we were
you were
they were
there were
Were we...?
Were you...?
Was he...?
Was she...?
Were they...?
Was it...?
Was there...? Were there...?
Yes, I was.
Yes, we were.
No, you weren't.
Yes, it was.
No, he wasn't.
No, they weren't.
Yes, there were. No, there wasn't.
I wasn't....
We weren't…
You weren't …
She wasn't.... They weren't...
There wasn't... There weren't...
1. FORMATION :
 Le preterit simple se forme en ajoutant -ed à la base verbale, ou -d si la terminaison de la base verbale est -e
talk talked
love  loved
wantwanted
 Si la base verbale se termine en consonne + Y on transforme le y en i avant d'ajouter -ed
crycried
try tried
 Pour les verbes d'une syllabe, on double la dernière consonne si celle-ci est précédée d'une seule voyelle :
dropdropped
mais bookbooked
 Aux formes interrogative et négative, l'auxiliaire did marque le prétérit et on utilise la base verbale (sans -ed).
I ordered a coffee, I didn’t order a tea.
Did you ask him ? Yes, I asked him yesterday.
2. PRONONCIATION :
  dans la plupart des cas : loved, opened, ordered, closed, played
  après les sons : dropped, marked, sniffed, pushed, watched, missed
  après les sons  et wanted, mended, tested, loaded
3. VERBES IRREGULIERS : Apprenez-les bien car ils décrivent les actions de tous les jours (eat, drink, go,
come, sleep...) et vous en aurez constamment besoin. Mais remarquez qu'on n'utilise la forme irrégulière que
dans les phrases affirmatives (voir le tableau ci-dessus).
4. EMPLOI :
 Le preterit est le temps principal du passé en anglais. Il correspond à plusieurs temps du passé en français. Il
ne faut donc pas partir du français, mais du sens de la phrase : si c’est passé, coupé du présent, on utilise le
preterit simple.
- I finished that book last night.
J’ai fini ce livre hier soir. (PASSÉ COMPOSÉ)
- When I was a child, I went to the beach every day.
Quand j’étais enfant, j’allais à la plage tous les jours.
(IMPARFAIT)
- He visited Italy in June 1990.
Il visita l’Italie en juin 1880. (PASSÉ SIMPLE)
 Parce que le preterit est LE temps du passé en anglais, il est souvent accompagné de marqueurs de temps qui
situent les choses dans le passé avec précision.
- Yesterday, I had a very bad day.
- My sister got married in 1999.
- I watched television last night.
- We came to live here two years ago.
- When you were a baby, your hair was black.
- She met him last Christmas.