Tag: Past Tense

Teacher’s Diary – This / Next / Last

Posted on by Jeff

 

THIS weekend.

Do you know which weekend I’m talking about?

Am I talking about LAST weekend or NEXT weekend?

 

The answer for this is easy.  Just look at the tense of the question. 

What DID you do this weekend?  ← past tense.  The person is asking about past events.

What WILL you do this weekend?  ← future tense.  The person is asking about future plans.

So far, so good. 

 

THIS, NEXT and LAST.

Here is where it gets a little tricky. 

To understand how to use these words, we have to think about how far away in time the weekend is.

 

Using THIS and NEXT:

Imagine that today is the 15th (Thursday) or 16th (Friday).

If I ask you:  What will you do THIS weekend?  I’m talking about the 17th-18th.

If I ask you:  What will you do NEXT weekend?  I’m probably talking about the 24th-25th.

The 15th (Thursday) and 16th (Friday) are close to the weekend (17th-18th).  So, instead of using NEXT, we may change it to THIS.

 

Now Imagine that today is the 12th (Monday) or 13 (Tuesday).

If I ask you:  What will you do THIS weekend?  I’m talking about the 17th-18th.

If I ask you:  What will you do NEXT weekend?  I’m also talking about the 17th-18th.

The 12th (Monday) and 13th (Tuesday) seem far from the weekend (17th-18th).  So, using THIS and NEXT are both OK.

 

Using THIS and LAST:

Imagine that today is the 12th (Monday) or 13th (Tuesday).

If I ask you:  What did you do THIS weekend?  I’m talking about the 10th-11th.

If I ask you:  What did you do LAST weekend?  I’m probably talking about the 3rd-4th.

 

Now Imagine, that today is the 15th (Thursday) or 16th (Friday).

If I ask you:  What did you do LAST weekend?  I’m talking about the 10th-11th.

I won’t ask you:  What did you do THIS weekend?  It may sound unnatural because Thursday and Friday seem far from the previous weekend.

 

 

What about the days in the middle of the week (Wednesday, sometimes Tuesday)?

That’s a good question.  It is not so clear.  So if you have any doubt, you should clarify.

Common clarifying phrases for these situations are:

  • Do you mean THIS weekend or NEXT weekend?
  • Do you mean THIS weekend or LAST weekend?

 

Here is an example conversation:

Situation:  Today is the 14th (Wednesday).

A:  What will you do next weekend?

B:  Do you mean this weekend or next weekend?

A:  This weekend.

B:  I see.  I’m going to a baseball game this weekend.

 

Situation:  Today is the 13th (Tuesday).

A:  Hey, what did you do last weekend.

B:  Do you mean this weekend or last weekend?

A:  This weekend.

B:  Oh.  I went skiing in Nagano.

 

As you can see, speaking naturally in this situation is complicated.  With practice you will get the feel for it.  In the mean time, make sure you are listening to the tense of the question and don’t forget to use the clarifying phrases. 

So, what will you do next weekend?

 

Natural English used in this post:

so far, so good = the situation is good from the beginning to now

tricky = difficult

get the feel for = learn / get used to

in the mean time = the time before an event

 

Teacher’s Diary – Ago / Before

Posted on by Jeff

Last time, we talked about how we can use IN to talk about FUTURE events. 

If you want to review the article, please click here.

 

Today, we are going to practice talking about PAST events. 

A common mistake is using “BEFORE” to describe one event in the past. 

Here are some examples:

 

I went to Canada two weeks before.

I arrived at the station 20 minutes before.  

 

With these phrases, the listener will be confused.  The listener thinks you are talking about the time between two events.  They will be waiting for you to explain the second event. 

So, In these phrases, we should use “AGO” instead of “BEFORE”. 

For example:

 

I went to Canada two weeks AGO. 

I arrived at the station 20 minutes AGO. 

 

The easiest way to talk about when an event happened in the past is to use “AGO”.

Here are some more examples:

 

The store closed 10 minutes ago.

I started learning English 5 years ago.

The rain stopped an hour ago.

 

So, how can we use “BEFORE”?

Just like using “AFTER”, we can use “BEFORE” when talking about two events.

Here are some examples:

 

I made dinner 20 minutes BEFORE you came home.

BEFORE going to Canada, I studied English conversation.

Let’s grab a coffee BEFORE watching the movie.

The store closed 10 minutes BEFORE I arrived.

 

So the structure can be:

(Event # 1)  BEFORE  (Event # 2).

 

For example:

Event # 1 –> Buy a ticket

Event # 2 –> get on the train

Buy a ticket BEFORE getting on the train. 

 

We can add time with this structure:

(Event # 1)  (time) BEFORE  (Event # 2).

 

For Example:

Event # 1 –> Arrived at the restaurant

Time –> 10 minutes

Event # 2 –> Last call.

I arrived at the restaurant 10 minutes BEFORE last call. 

 

 

So, when was your last day off?

When did you arrive at work?

When did you eat dinner?

Try answering this questions about PAST EVENTS using “AGO” or “BEFORE”.

 

Natural English in this article:

Grab a coffee = Buy / get a cup of coffee.  From a cafe, vending machine, etc. Can be used with other drinks and food too.

Last call  = Similar to “last order”.   Your last chance to order food / drinks because the bar / restaurant will close soon.