Day 21: Past Tense Basics
Talking about what happened
Use a small set of common past forms for everyday storytelling.
Objectives
- Use common past forms of high-frequency verbs
- Say what you did yesterday or this morning
- Combine past with time expressions
Vocabulary
Tap play to hear pronunciation (browser speech engine).
jeg var
I was
jeg havde
I had
jeg købte
I bought
jeg gik
I walked / went
jeg tog
I took
jeg spiste
I ate
jeg arbejdede
I worked
jeg trænede
I trained / worked out
i går
yesterday
i morges
this morning
| Target | Meaning | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| jeg var | I was | ||
| jeg havde | I had | ||
| jeg købte | I bought | ||
| jeg gik | I walked / went | ||
| jeg tog | I took | ||
| jeg spiste | I ate | ||
| jeg arbejdede | I worked | ||
| jeg trænede | I trained / worked out | ||
| i går | yesterday | ||
| i morges | this morning |
Patterns
Simple past statements
Completed actions with time markers
- I går arbejdede jeg.
- I morges spiste jeg morgenmad.
- Jeg købte mælk.
- Jeg tog bussen til centrum.
Speaking Practice
Record yourself, listen back, and download anything worth keeping.
Past lines
I går arbejdede jeg.
Jeg købte brød.
Jeg tog bussen.
Jeg trænede om aftenen.
Yesterday summary (record this)
I går arbejdede jeg. Om aftenen trænede jeg. I morges spiste jeg morgenmad og tog bussen.
Writing Practice
- Write 6 sentences about what you did yesterday.
- Rewrite your typical morning in the past tense.
Scenario: Telling someone about your day
A colleague asks what you did.
Them: Hvad lavede du i går?
You: Jeg arbejdede. Om aftenen trænede jeg.
Them: Fedt.
Immersion Tasks
- Narrate what you actually did today using past tense
- Record a 30-second yesterday summary
Self-Check
- Can you say what you did yesterday in 3–4 sentences?
- Can you use i går and i morges correctly?