MyLeoNes™

Asking about the past — Foreign languages, 7–10

You can already say what happened. Now you can ask someone else about yesterday, last weekend or a finished event using did.

The helper did

To ask about a finished action, English often puts did at the front: Did you play? Did Mia visit? The main verb then stays in its plain form, so you say Did you go?, not Did you went? Did points to the past; the other verb tells what happened.

Why use did?

A past question needs a clear signal that the time is finished. English uses did to carry that signal to the front, where you can hear it immediately. This leaves the action word unchanged, which makes the question easier to build: did + person + plain verb.

A question about Saturday

Start with the idea: you want to ask about a film on Saturday. First choose did because Saturday is finished. Next add the person: you. Then add the plain verb watch. The result is Did you watch the film on Saturday? A short answer is Yes, I did or No, I didn’t.

The double past

A common mistake is Did you played? It feels sensible because both did and played seem to say “past”. But English normally lets only one part carry the past here. Since did has that job, use the plain verb: Did you play? The same happens with went: Did you go?

Finding out what happened

Use these questions after a game, trip or school day: Did you win? Did Leo come? Did the bus arrive on time? They help you learn someone’s experience instead of only talking about your own. Add a time phrase such as yesterday or last night when the moment matters.

Keep exploring

Other languages

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