Simple past tense
What is the simple past tense and when do we use it?
Simple past tense is the "normal" way of bending verbs in the past tense. We use it when we are talking about something that is routine, happens regularly or something that is general. Or when u simply want to talk about something that happened.
What is the progressive past tense and when do we use it?
We use it when talking about something that was short-lived.
Min mor havde et møde, da min lillebror kom hjem.
My mom was having a meeting, when my little brother came home.
Bend "to jump" in the simple past tense
I jumped
You jumped
He/she/it jumped
We jumped
You jumped
They jumped
De gik til byen for at handle ind.
They went to the town to go grocery shopping.
Jeg legede da jeg pludselig faldt.
I was playing when I suddenly fell.
De aftalte at mødes en gang om ugen.
They agreed to meet once a week.
Bend "to sing" in the progressive past tense
I was singing
You were singing
He/she/it was singing
We were singing
You were singing
They were singing
Vi besøgte teatret sidste søndag og så en forestilling med klassen.
We visited the theater last sunday and watched a performance with the class.
Hun var igang med at betjene en kunde.
She was in the middle of serving a customer.
Han stod og talte da jeg kom hjem med maden.
He stood talking when I came home with the food.
Bend "to go" in the simple past tense
I went
you went
he/she/it went
we went
You went
They went
Vi spiste aftensmad kl 20 inden vi besøgte nogle venner.
We ate dinner at 8 o'clock before we visited some friends.
Vi drak te da telefonen ringede. Vi kiggede alle på hinanden den dag i shock.
We were drinking tea when the telephone rang. We were all looking at each other that day in chock.
Han smilede da jeg spurgte om han vidste hvor min bog var.
He was smiling when I asked him if he knew where my book was.
Bend "to smile" in the progressive past tense
I was smiling
You were smiling
He/she/it was smiling
We were smiling
You were smiling
They were smiling