Shadowing Practice: Past Simple Tense for Beginners | Talk About Yesterday in English | English Podcast - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Hi friends, welcome back to Daily English Talk.
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Hey everyone, I'm Tom and this is Lily and we are your English learning friends.
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If you are new here, welcome to the family.
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We are so happy you found us.
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Every single day we help you speak English with more confidence.
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We upload every single day.
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So if you want to improve your English fast, subscribe right now and come back tomorrow.
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We will be here waiting for you.
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We are always here.
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Always.
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Lily, do you ever leave?
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Tom, I literally live in this microphone.
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That explains everything!
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Okay, today's topic is one of the most important grammar topics in English.
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We are talking about the past simple tense.
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Yes, past simple is how you talk about yesterday, last week, last year, anything that already happened and is finished.
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And by the end of today's episode, you will be able to talk about your day in English.
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Things you did, things you ate, places you went, all of it.
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question for you.
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Okay, so before we start, I have to tell you something.
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Tom did something really embarrassing yesterday morning.
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Really, truly embarrassing.
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Oh no, here we go.
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And the question is this: What do you think Tom did?
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Did he: A.
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Fall asleep on the bus, B.
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Forget to turn his camera off after the meeting ended, or C.
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Wave at someone who was not waving at him?
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Why are all three options embarrassing things I have actually done before?
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Because I know you, Tom.
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I know you very well.
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Ah, fair enough.
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Keep listening.
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We will tell you the answer at the end of the episode.
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And trust me, it is a good one.
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Okay, Tom, so let's talk about yesterday.
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What did you do?
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Whew.
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Yesterday was a lot.
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I woke up late because my alarm did not go off.
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Oh no!
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What time did you wake up?
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I woke up at 9 :15, and I had a meeting at 9 :30.
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Tom, what did you do?
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I jumped out of bed, I grabbed my laptop, I didn't eat breakfast, I ran to my desk, and I joined the meeting exactly at 9 :31.
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A minute late!
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That's actually impressive!
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Thank you, but here is the embarrassing part.
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I forgot to turn my camera off after the meeting ended, and I sat there for 20 minutes talking to myself,
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eating crackers, making weird faces.
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Were other people still on the call?
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Three people, three people watched me eat crackers and talk to my cat for 20 minutes.
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That is the greatest thing I have ever heard.
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One of them typed in the chat, "Tom, we can still see you," and I just...
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I closed the laptop.
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Immediately.
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Oh, Tom.
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Oh, beautiful, wonderful Tom.
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It was a great day.
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A fantastic day.
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Alright, let's talk grammar.
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Tom's story used a lot of past simple.
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Did you notice?
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Let me give you some examples from my story.
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I woke up late.
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My alarm did not go off.
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I grabbed my laptop.
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I ran to my desk all past simple
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so what is past simple it is the tense we use
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when something happened in the past
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and it is finished done over complete we usually use it
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with time words words like yesterday last night last week last year two days ago in 2020 Now,
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let's look at how to make past simple sentences.
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There are two types of verbs: regular verbs and irregular verbs.
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Regular verbs are easy.
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You just add -ed to the base form.
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Watch.
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Walk becomes walked.
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Talk becomes talked.
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Cook becomes cooked.
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Clean becomes cleaned.
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For example: I walked to the store, she cooked dinner, they talked for an hour.
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Simple, right?
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Now, irregular verbs are different.
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They don't follow the "ed" rule.
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They have their own special past simple form.
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You need to learn these.
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Don't worry, we will practice them today.
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Here are some very common irregular verbs: Go becomes went.
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I went to the supermarket.
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Eat becomes ate.
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She ate breakfast.
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"See" becomes "saw." "We saw a great movie." Have becomes had.
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He had a terrible meeting, just like Tom.
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Exactly like Tom and "buy" becomes "bought", "wake" becomes "woke", take becomes took,
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run becomes ran, come becomes came.
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And now for negative sentences.
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You use "did not" or "didn't" plus the base form of the verb, not the past simple form, the base form.
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So, you say "I didn't go" not "I didn't went" That is a very common mistake.
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She didn't eat lunch.
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They didn't come to the party.
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My alarm didn't go off.
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See?
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Base form after didn't.
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And for questions, you use did + subject + base form.
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Did you sleep well?
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Did she call you?
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Did they finish the homework?
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And you answer with "Yes, I did" or "No, I didn't." short and clean.
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Let's repeat together.
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Repeat after us: I woke up late.
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Repeat.
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you I woke up late.
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She cooked dinner.
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Repeat.
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She cooked dinner.
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They didn't come.
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Repeat.
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They didn't come.
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Did you sleep well?
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Repeat. Did you sleep well?
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Amazing!
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You're doing it!
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You are speaking past simple English right now.
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Now let's go deeper!
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We have five vocabulary words and phrases for today, all connected to talking about your day and your past.
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Let's go!
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Word number one: woke up.
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W -O -K -E -U -P woke up.
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"Woke up" is the past simple of "wake up." It means you stopped sleeping and your eyes opened.
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Your day started.
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example sentences I woke up at 7 o 'clock She woke up early this morning.
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They woke up late and missed the bus.
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Now, Tom, when did you wake up yesterday?
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I woke up at 9 :15 as we discussed.
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As the whole internet now knows.
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And normally, when do you wake up?
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Normally, I wake up at 7.
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I am a very responsible adult.
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sure tom sure okay let's drill it repeat after me i woke up At 7, Repeat.
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I woke up at 7.
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She woke up early.
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Repeat, she woke up early.
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They woke up late.
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Repeat.
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They woke up late.
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Excellent, you are doing great!
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Word number two.
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"Went to.
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W -E -N T -O Went to.
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"Went to" is the past simple of "go to." It means you traveled to a place.
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You moved from one location to another.
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Example sentences: I went to the supermarket.
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She went to school.
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We went to a cafe after work.
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Lily, where did you go yesterday?
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Oh, I had a great day, actually.
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I went to a little bakery near my house in the morning, and I went to the park in the afternoon with my dog.
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What's your dog's name again?
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Biscuit.
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Biscuit, of course it is.
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He is exactly as cute as his name.
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Okay, let's drill it.
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Repeat after me.
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I went to the store.
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Repeat.
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I went to the store.
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She went to school.
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Repeat.
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She went to school.
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We went to a cafe.
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Repeat.
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We went to a cafe.
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Perfect.
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Keep going.
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Word number three had.
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H .A .D. Had.
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Had is the past simple of have.
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It is one of the most useful irregular verbs in English.
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We use it in so many situations.
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Example sentences: I had breakfast at 8.
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She had a long meeting.
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They had a lot of fun at the party.
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Tom, did you have breakfast yesterday?
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No, I did not have breakfast.
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I had zero breakfast.
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I had crackers.
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during the meeting. On camera.
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Crackers count!
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The crackers were from three days ago, Lily.
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They were stale.
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This story gets worse every time.
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It was a great day.
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Let's move on.
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Repeat after me.
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I had breakfast.
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Repeat.
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I had breakfast.
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She had a coffee repeat she had a coffee they had a great time repeat they had a great time Wonderful,
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you are a past simple champion!
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Word number four.
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didn't.
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DIDN' T didn't.
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Didn't is the short form of did not.
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We use it to make negative sentences in the past simple.
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Remember after didn't we always use the base form of the verb.
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Example sentences.
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I didn't sleep well last night.
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She didn't finish her homework.
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He didn't call me back.
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Lily, what didn't you do yesterday that you wanted to do?
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Okay, I didn't clean my apartment.
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I really wanted to, but I spent too much time at the park with Biscuit.
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And then I came home and watched a cooking show instead.
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What cooking show?
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I won't say the name, but it was very dramatic.
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People were crying over bread.
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Overbred?
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It was a baking competition.
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The bread was very important to them.
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Okay.
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Repeat after me, everyone.
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I didn't sleep well.
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Repeat.
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I didn't sleep well.
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She didn't call.
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Repeat.
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She didn't call.
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He didn't finish.
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Repeat.
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He didn't finish.
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Perfect.
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Negative past simple.
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Done.
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Word number five, well, phrase number five, Did you, D -I -D -Y -O -U. Did you?
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Did You is how we start a question in past simple.
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It's simple, it's clean, and it is used in hundreds of everyday questions.
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Example Sentences Did you sleep well?
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Did you eat lunch?
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Did you finish the report?
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Did you have fun?
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Let's practice with a little dialogue.
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I will ask you questions.
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Lily answers.
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Ready?
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Ready.
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Did you wake up early today?
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Yes, I did.
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I woke up at 6 :30.
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Did you have coffee?
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Yes, I did.
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I had two cups, actually.
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Did you bring Biscuit to the studio?
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I wish.
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No, I didn't.
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He stayed home today.
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Aw, poor Biscuit.
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He's fine.
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He has a very comfortable bed and about 40 toys.
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Okay, everyone, your turn.
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Ask someone near you, "Did you sleep well last night?" or "What did you eat for breakfast?" Practice those questions today.
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And if you don't have anyone to practice with, practice with us.
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Write your answers in the comments.
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We read every single one.
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past simple vocabulary.
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Listen first, then we will repeat it slowly.
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Hey Tom, what did you do last weekend?
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I went to my friend's birthday party on Saturday.
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It was so much fun.
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We ate, we danced, we talked for hours.
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Did you stay late?
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Yes, I did.
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I didn't get home until midnight.
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Midnight?
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Did you sleep in on Sunday?
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No, I didn't actually.
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I woke up at 7 :30.
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I had a big breakfast and I went for a walk.
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That sounds like a great weekend.
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It really was.
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Okay, now let's go slowly.
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Repeat after each sentence.
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What did you do last weekend?
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Repeat.
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What did you do last weekend?
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I went to my friend's birthday party.
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Repeat.
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I went to my friend's birthday party.
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Did you stay late?
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Repeat.
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Did you stay late?
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Yes, I did.
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I didn't get home until midnight.
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Repeat.
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Yes, I did.
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I didn't get home until midnight.
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I woke up at 7 :30.
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Repeat.
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I woke up at 7 :30.
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I had a big breakfast.
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Repeat.
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I had a big breakfast.
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I went for a walk.
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Repeat.
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I went for a walk.
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Beautiful.
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That is real English.
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That is how people actually talk.
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Okay, let's do a quick summary.
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Today we learned Past Simple, the tense for finished actions in the past.
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Regular verbs add -ed.
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Walk becomes walked.
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Cook becomes cooked.
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Talk becomes talked.
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Irregular verbs have special forms.
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Go becomes went, have becomes had, wake becomes woke, eat becomes eight, C becomes saw.
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For negatives, use didn't plus the base form: I didn't go, she didn't eat, they didn't come.
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For questions, use "did" plus the subject plus the base form.
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Did you sleep well?
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Did she call?
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Did they finish?
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And today's five key phrases: woke up, went to, had, didn't Did you?
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Use them today.
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Talk about yesterday with someone.
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Tell them what you did, what you ate, where you went.
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That is how you practice.
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And now, our favorite part, we want to hear from you.
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Write in the comments three things you did yesterday.
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Use past simple.
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For example, I woke up early.
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I went to work.
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I had pizza for dinner.
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Just three sentences.
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That is your English homework for today.
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We will read your comments and reply.
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We love seeing your progress.
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And if you want extra practice, write a question using "did you" and ask us.
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We might answer in the next video.
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Alright everyone, that is it for today.
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Past simple, done.
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You learned how to talk about yesterday in English, and that is a huge step.
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Every day you come back here, your English gets better, little by little.
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That is how it works.
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If this video helped you, please hit the like button and subscribe.
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We upload every single day, and we are here for every step of your English journey.
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And remember, even on the embarrassing days, even on the stale cracker days, you keep going, in English and in life.
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Words of wisdom from Tom.
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See you tomorrow, family.
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Keep practicing.
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Bye -bye.
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Context & Background
In the YouTube video titled "Past Simple Tense for Beginners," hosts Tom and Lily engage in a friendly and humorous discussion aimed at helping English learners better understand how to talk about past events. They emphasize the importance of the past simple tense for describing what happened yesterday, last week, or even last year. Through relatable anecdotes and a light-hearted tone, they not only teach grammar but also create an inviting environment where learners can feel comfortable practicing their English skills. This combination of humor and useful content makes the video an excellent resource for anyone looking to improve their fluency.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
When discussing past events, it's essential to have key phrases at your disposal. Here are five useful expressions extracted from the conversation in the video:
- I woke up late.
- I jumped out of bed.
- I grabbed my laptop.
- I forgot to turn my camera off.
- I sat there talking to myself.
These phrases not only showcase the use of the past simple tense but are also practical for everyday communication. Practice these sentences to start incorporating them into your daily English conversations.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
Shadowing is a powerful technique for language learners, allowing you to enhance your speaking skills and improve understanding through repetition. Here's a simple guide on how to implement shadowing using this video:
- Watch and Listen: Start by watching the video without any distractions. Pay attention to how Tom and Lily use the past simple tense to narrate their experiences. Focus on their intonation and pronunciation.
- Pause and Repeat: Use a shadowing app to pause the video after each sentence or phrase. Repeat what you hear while trying to mimic their pronunciation and rhythm. This will help you grasp the natural flow of English speech.
- Practice in Context: After shadowing, take the phrases you have learned and create your own sentences about your past experiences. For instance, you could say, "I woke up early yesterday," or "I ate breakfast at home."
- Record Yourself: Use a voice recorder to capture your practice sessions. Listen to your recordings to identify areas for improvement. Comparing your speech to the video is an effective way to refine your skills.
- Daily Practice: Incorporate this shadowing exercise into your daily routine. The more you practice, the more confident you will become in speaking English. Consistency is key to mastery.
By utilizing the shadow speech technique found in this video, you can effectively enhance your language skills and learn English with YouTube in a fun and engaging manner. Happy practicing!
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have actually done · have ever heard |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is finished |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | Keep listening · stopped sleeping · love seeing |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the most important · the greatest · the most useful |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.