PRETERIT en anglais
Le prétérit est utilisé pour parler d'une action terminée à un moment antérieur à l'instant présent. La durée n'a pas
d'importance. Le temps de l'action peut se situer dans un passé récent ou lointain.
John Cabot sailed to America in 1498.
My father died last year. He lived in Fiji in 1976.
We crossed the Channel yesterday.
On utilise toujours le prétérit pour indiquer à quel moment un évènement a eu lieu, il est donc associé à certaines expressions de
temps dans le passé.
Fréquence: often, sometimes, always:
A un moment précis dans le passé: last week, when I was a child, yesterday, six weeks ago
A un moment indéfini dans le passé: the other day, ages ago, a long time ago
Passé simple avec des verbes réguliers
Exemples
They weren't in Rio last summer.
We didn't have any money.
We didn't have time to visit the Eiffel Tower.
We didn't do our exercises this morning.
Were they in Iceland last January?
Did you have a bicycle when you were young?
Did you do much climbing in Switzerland?
Passé simple, verbes irréguliers : Certains verbes sont irréguliers au passé simple. Voici les plus communs.
to go He went to a club last night.
Did he go to the cinema last night?
He didn't go to bed early last night.
to give We gave her a doll for her birthday.
They didn't give John their new address.
Did Barry give you my passport?
to come My parents came to visit me last July.
We didn't come because it was raining.
Did he come to your party last week?
Prononciation du –ED final : /d/ (lived, arrived, enjoyed) - /t/ (worked, watched, stopped) - /id/ (decided, started, wanted)
Passé simple de to be, to have, to do