Past Time Expressions

Hook

“I saw her…” When? Yesterday? Last year? Two minutes ago? Time expressions tell the listener exactly when a past action happened, and the past simple almost always has one nearby.

Notice

  • I called her yesterday.
  • We visited Paris two years ago.
  • She started her new job last month.
  • Last night I went to bed early.
  • They got married in 2019.
  • I met him on Monday.

Where does ago go: before or after the time period?

Rule

ExpressionExamples
yesterdayyesterday · yesterday morning / afternoon / evening
last + time wordlast night · last week · last weekend · last month · last year · last Monday
time period + agofive minutes ago · two days ago · a week ago · ten years ago
in / on / atin 2020 · in May · on Monday · on my birthday · at 6 o’clock
  • Time expressions usually go at the end of the sentence, or at the start with a comma: Last week, I…
  • ago comes after: two days ago (not ago two days). last comes before: last week (not the last week).
  • Say last night but yesterday morning (not yesterday night, not last morning).
  • Question: When did you…? — Last year. / Three weeks ago.

Watch Out

  • ✗ I saw him before two days. → ✓ I saw him two days ago.
  • ✗ the last week → ✓ last week
  • ✗ yesterday night → ✓ last night
  • ✗ in last Monday → ✓ last Monday (no preposition before last)

Practice

  1. Put in order: ago / two / years
  2. Put in order: week / last
  3. Choose: I visited my grandma (last week / week last).
  4. Complete: We moved here three ___ ago.
  5. Correct it: “I saw the film yesterday night.”
  6. Complete: “She was born ___ 2001.”
  7. Ask about time: “___ did you arrive?” — “An hour ago.”
  8. Write a sentence with last weekend.
Show the answers
  1. two years ago
  2. last week
  3. last week
  4. years / months (any time period)
  5. I saw the film last night.
  6. in
  7. When
  8. I visited my family last weekend. (your own answer)

Your Turn

Make a timeline of your life with five events and the time: I was born in… I started school… I moved… two years ago. Write one sentence for each.

Connect

Build past sentences with time words in our Sentence Builder.

Try our Sentence Builder →

Our Grammar Quiz has A1 questions on past time expressions.

Try our Grammar Quiz →

CEFR A1 — Writing: I can use simple time expressions to say when past events happened.

Azizul Hakim
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