Past Tense System


                                  75% (UK) - 85% (US) Past Simple

                      default tense          (klasika / standardní nastavení)


“Yesterday Bob ate 4 chocolate-covered cockroaches. Yum.”


Use Past Simple unless you have a special situation.


3       special situations:


1.     5% Past continuous for the background (zákulisí) to an event in the Past simple.


“While Bob was throwing up, his mum called.”


2.     5% Past Perfect together with Past simple to explain why a past event happened (due to
something earlier in the past). Can also be předminulý průběhový.


[DEL: “Bob felt sick because he ate 4 chocolate-covered cockroaches.” :DEL] = současně L


“Bob felt sick because he had eaten 4 chocolate-covered cockroaches.” = nejdřív snědl, a pak mu
bylo špatně J


3.     5-15% Present Perfect (US/UK) for timeframes which started in the past, and we are still in
them (e.g. the event happened in the day/week/month that we are still in.) Can also be předpřítomný
průběhový.


“So far this month I have eaten 18 chocolate-covered cockroaches.”

[DEL:   :DEL]

[DEL: I live in Brno for 4 years :DEL] L

I have lived in Brno for 4 years.

I have been living in B for 4 years.