Lesson 1.1 — Storytelling with the past simple (Spoken English A2)

Listen first

A friend describes her Saturday. Listen for the order of events — the little words "then" and "after that" tell you what happened next, even before you catch every verb.

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New vocabulary — tap to hear

Yesterday/ˈjɛstərdeɪ/ · time marker that pushes the whole sentence into the past 🔊

I went/aɪ ˈwɛnt/ · past of "go" — irregular, no "-ed" 🔊

and then/ənd ˈðɛn/ · glues two events in sequence 🔊

It was amazing/ɪt wəz əˈmeɪzɪŋ/ · quick reaction to a good memory 🔊

We met/wiː ˈmɛt/ · past of "meet" — same for I/you/we/they 🔊

after that/ˈæftər ðæt/ · moves the story to the next thing 🔊

Now say it

Tap the phrase to hear it, then press the mic and repeat — we score your pronunciation for real (Chrome/Edge).

« I went to the market, and then I met a friend. » 🔊

Don't pause before "and then" — glide over it fast and low, so the two events sound like one flowing story.

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Pronunciation

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Read the dialogue

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So what did you do yesterday? 🔊Opens the story with a past-simple question

I went to the market in the morning, and then I met Priya for coffee. 🔊Two events joined in sequence

Nice! And after that? 🔊Pushes for the next part of the story

After that we watched a film. It was amazing, honestly. 🔊Adds a reaction to close the memory

Grammar in focus · past simple questions

To ask about the past we use "did" plus the base verb: "What did you do?", "Where did you go?" The trap almost every learner falls into is doubling the past tense — people say "What did you went?" because "went" feels past. But "did" already carries the past, so the main verb goes back to base form: "What did you go?" One past marker per question, never two.

Full lesson: the past simple

Write it yourself

Write three sentences about what you did last weekend. Use "and then" once and "after that" once.

Your answer

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Tip for this task
Check every verb after "and then" is genuinely past — learners often start in past simple and slip into present by the third sentence ("...and then I go home"). Keep it "went" all the way through.

Quick check

An adaptive quiz confirms you've got it and schedules the right words for review.

1. Which question is correct?

2. "I ___ to the market in the morning." Fill the gap (past simple of "go").

3. Which word tells your listener the next event is coming?

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