Being able to use the past tense correctly is very important when you learn a language. It enables you to speak, write and read about past events and to understand when people talk about the past.
If you want to talk or write about past experiences, you need to be able to use the past tense. Once you know the patterns, you can apply them to lots of different situations, such as discussing holidays, what you did over the weekend or what happened at a particular time in the past.
To begin with, look at these words associated with the past:
ddoe – yesterday
neithiwr – last night
y llynedd – last year
penwythnos diwethaf – last weekend
Sometimes, you have to drop the ending of the verb before you add -ais: cerdded > cerddais
Sometimes you add -ais directly onto the verb: darllen > darllenais
Sometimes, you change the verb and add -iais: meddwl > meddyliais
Exercise
Read the following diary entry and then answer the questions that follow.
Nos Sadwrn
Cerddais i i’r parti yn y canolfan hamddenleisure centre heno. Gwelais i Sam a Ceri ynothere. Siaradais i gyda nhw am ychydigfor a little (while) ac ynathen dawnsiais i a bwytais i. Yna, siaradais i gyda mwy omore ffrindiau ... a dawnsiais i eto ... a bwytais i eto. Noson wych - ond dw i wedi blino nawr. Nos da!
