The Simple Past Tense

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.
Examples:

• I saw a movie yesterday.
• I didn't see a play yesterday.
• Last year, I traveled to Japan.
• Last year, I didn't travel to Korea.
• Did you have dinner last night?
• She washed her new car.
• He didn't wash his old car.

We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.
Examples:

• I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.
• He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00.
• Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?

The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.
Examples:

• I lived in Seattle for eight years.
• Jane studied Spanish for five years.
• They sat at the beach all day.
• They did not stay at the party.
• We talked on the phone for one hour.
• A: How long did you wait for them?
B: We waited for ten minutes.

The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as "used to." To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.
Examples:

• I studied French when I was in high school.
• He played the piano.
• He didn't play the piano.
• Did you play a musical instrument when you were a child?
• She worked in a restaurant after school.
• They never went to school, they always skipped class.

The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true. This use of the Simple Past is quite similar to the expression "used to."
Examples:

• She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.
• He didn't like tomatoes but now he does.
• Did you live in Madrid when you were a younger?
• People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past.

To Be
I was here. You were here. They were here. He was here. We were here yesterday.
Were you here yesterday? Was he here? Was I here? Wee they here yesterday?

Regular Verbs
It rained yesterday. It did not rain yesterday. It didn’t rain yesterday.
I drove to work yesterday. I didn’t drive to work.
I understood the problem. I didn’t understand it.
Did you go to work yesterday? Yes, I went to work. No, I didn’t go.
I was five years old when I started school. How old were you when you started?
Robert ate lunch with his family. Robert didn’t eat lunch. Did Robert eat with his family?
I paid attention in class when the teacher talked about King Henry VIII.
Did you learn anything? Yes, I learned a lot.
I walked to school every day when I was a boy.
He told me his name when I met him.
I sat down in a chair. Did you sit down?
(Some verbs don’t change)
He hit the ball. What did he hit?
Mary cut the cloth. What did Mary cut?
(some verbs change a lot)
He caught the ball. What did he catch?
Ann brought her dog. What did Ann bring?
I taught one class yesterday. What did I teach?

Food and Drink

La comida y las bebidas (Food and drink)

La carne roja (Red meat)
bacon el tocino
beef la carne de vaca
chop la chuleta
ham el jamón
hamburger la hamburguesa
hot dog el perrito caliente
kidney (kidneys) el riñón (los riñones)
lamb el cordero
lamb chop la chuleta de cordero
liver el hígado
meat la carne
meatballs las albóndigas
mutton la carne de cordero
pate el paté
pork la carne de cerdo, el cerdo
pork chop la chuleta de cerdo
rabbit el conejo
salami el salami
sausage la salchicha
sirloin el solomillo
steak el i lete
stew el guiso, el estofado
veal la (carne de) ternera _

La carne de ave (Poultry)
capon el capón
chicken el pollo
duck el pato
egg el huevo
goose el ganso
pheasant el faisán
quail la codorniz
turkey el pavo

Los mariscos (Seafood)
anchovy la anchoa
clam la almeja
cod el bacalao
crab el cangrejo
eel la anguila
fish (prepared) el pescado
herring el arenque
lobster la langosta
mussel el mejillón
octopus el pulpo
oyster la ostra
salmon el salmón
sardine la sardina
scallop la venera
shelli sh el crustáceo, los mariscos
shrimp el camarón
snail el caracol
squid el calamar
swordfish el pez espada
trout la trucha
tuna el atún

Las verduras (Vegetables)
artichoke la alcachofa
asparagus el espárrago
beans las judías, las habas
beet la remolacha
broccoli el brócoli, el brécol
Brussels sprout(s) la col de Bruselas
cabbage la col, el repollo
carrot la zanahoria
caulil ower la colil or
celery el apio
corn el maíz
cucumber el pepino
eggplant, aubergine la berenjena
French fries, chips las papas fritas
garlic el ajo
leek el puerro
lentil la lenteja
lettuce la lechuga
mushroom el champiñón, el hongo
onion la cebolla
parsley el perejil
pea el guisante
pepper (red, green) el pimiento (rojo, verde)
potato la patata, la papa
pumpkin la calabaza
radish el rábano
spinach la espinaca
tomato el tomate
turnip el nabo
watercress el berro
zucchini el calabacín

Los granos (Grains)
amaranth el amaranto
barley la cebada
bran el salvado
bread el pan
buckwheat el trigo negro
oat(s) la avena
rice el arroz
wheat el trigo

Las nueces (Nuts)
Brazil nut la nuez de Brasil
cashew el anacardo
chestnut la castaña
hazelnut, i lbert la avellana
Las frutas (Fruit)
apple la manzana
apricot el albaricoque
avocado el aguacate
banana el plátano
berry la baya
blackberry la mora, la zarzamora
cranberry el arándano
date el dátil
Fig el higo
grape la uva
grapefruit la toronja, el pomelo
kiwi el kiwi
lemon el limón
lime la lima
melon el melón
olive la aceituna, el olivo
orange la naranja
peach el melocotón
pear la pera
pineapple la piña
plum la ciruela
pomegranate la granada
prune la ciruela seca
raisin la pasa
raspberry la frambuesa
rhubarb el ruibarbo
strawberry la fresa
tangerine la mandarina

Las bebidas alcohólicas (Alcoholic drinks)
beer la cerveza
brandy el brandy, el coñac
champagne la champaña
cocktail el cóctel
gin la ginebra
rum el ron
scotch el escocés
sherry el (vino de) jerez
vodka la vodka
whiskey el whisky
wine el vino

Las bebidas sin alcohol (Nonalcoholic drinks)
cider la cidra
coffee el café
cola la cola
juice el jugo, el zumo
lemonade la limonada
milk la leche
milkshake el batido, la malteada
mineral water el agua mineral
orange juice el jugo de naranja,
el zumo de naranja
soda la soda
tea el té
tonic el tónico
water el agua

To Borrow, To Lend

Borrow
Borrow means to take something from someone, with permission and with the intention of giving it back. The past participle is borrowed.
Borrow: To take and use something that belongs to someone else. I'd like to borrow your umbrella.
Can I borrow the car?
You can borrow a pen from him.
I need to borrow some money.
What happened to the books I borrowed from the library?

Lend
Lend is just the opposite - it means to give something to something, with the expectation that s/he will return it. The past participle is lent.
Lend: To give something to someone that belongs to you. I can lend you my umbrella.
Yes, I'll lend you the car.
He'll be happy to lend you a pen.
I can't afford to lend you any money.
The library lent me those books three weeks ago.
Lend can also be used figuratively, to mean to contribute, impart, or offer:
The yellow wall will lend a feeling of warmth.
Your story lends itself to numerous interpretations.

Loan
Loan is a synonym for lend, used by Americans, but only for the concrete meaning (the opposite of borrow), not the figurative one. The past participle is loaned.
Yes, I'll loan you the car.
He'll be happy to loan you a pen.
I can't afford to loan you any money.
The library loaned me those books three weeks ago.
Loan is also a noun, which indicates whatever object was loaned.
I'll have to get a loan to buy this house.
The loan of my car was on condition that you fill it with gas.

The Bottom Line *
Borrow means "to take," while lend and loan mean "to give." If you continue to have trouble with this, try substituting "take" for borrow and "give" for lend or loan - the correct word will immediately be clear.
You can only borrow something from someone: Loan (or lend) me a pen is correct, "Borrow me a pen" is not. (Just as "give me a pen" is right, but "take me a pen" isn't.)


Examples:
After I got caught in the rain, Clare lent me some dry clothes.

Could you lend me your calculator, please?
Has someone borrowed my stapler without asking?
Could I borrow your calculator, please?
Mom offered to lend us some money toward a new car.
Mr. Jones always borrows money off people.
Jason asked me if he could borrow my camera but I said no.
You wouldn't lend me a1,000 Euros, would you?
She never gave me back the 100 Euros she borrowed off me.
Don't lend him the money. He should ask the bank, not you.
Can I borrow your mobile phone for a minute, please?
Sometimes Dad lends me his car for the weekend.


My computer isn’t working well. Could I ____________ yours?
If you need some money, I can ____________ you some.
I would like to ________ this chair for a moment. Is that alright? I’ve run out of paper.
Could I ____________ some of yours? I forgot to buy a newspaper today.
Could you ____________ me yours so I can read the headlines?
The bank has agreed to ____________ us the money we need to finance our new house.
We don't have the money so we will have to ____________ it.
Do you have a coffee mug I could____________? All of the mugs are being used right now.
If you don’t mind, I’d like to ____________ your phone for just a minute.
1. Could you lend me some money, please?
2. Some pupils can borrow books from their school.
3. Will you lend me your umbrella till tomorrow?
4. Should I lend him my football?
5. You can borrow my bike, but be careful.
6. Could I borrow your cup?
7. You can loan your book to Steve.
8. Why do students borrow so much money from their parents?
9. Peter won't lend his car to anyone.
10. Will your mother loan you some money?

*The bottom line (definition)
1. The line in a financial statement that shows net income or loss.
2. The final result or statement; upshot: “The bottom line, however, is that he has escaped” (David Wise).
3. The main or essential point: “A lot can happen between now and December, but the bottom line—for now—is that the city is still heading toward default” (New York).