– Use it to express the idea that an action began and ended at a specific time in the past.
– The speaker may not specify the exact time, although they have a specific time in mind.
Examples:
She watched a film last night.
She didn’t watch a film last night.
Last year, I went to France.
Last year, I didn’t go to France.
You had breakst this morning.
Did you have breakfast this morning?
They woke up.
They didn’t wake up.
– Use it to list a series of completed actions in the past.
– These actions happaned in the order they are mentioned, i.e. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.
Examples:
I finished work, went to the beach, came home, and then made dinner.
He caught the bus at 6am, arrived to work at 10am, finished at 5pm, and then got home at 7pm.
Did you beat the eggs, add the flour, pour the milk into the mix, and then stir it?
– Use it to talk about a duration that starts and stops in the past.
– A duration is a longer action, which is often indicated by expressions like: for two years, for five months, for a few days, all day, all year, etc.
Examples:
I lived in Japan for three years.
She studied at university for a few hours.
They didn’t stay at the party all night.
We talked on the phone for 30 minutes.
How long did you wait outside?
We watched him for a long time.
– Use it to describe a habit, which stopped in the past.
– It can mean the same as “used to”.
– To make it clear that you’re talking about a habit, you can add expressions like: always, often, usually, never, when I was younger, when I was a child, etc.
Examples:
