Le Prétérit En Anglais

LE PRETERIT

Le prétérit s’emploie en anglais pour exprimer une action passée et souvent datée. Il est donc généralement associé à des marqueurs de temps bien précis :

Ago (2 days ago= il y a 2 jours) yesterday (yesterday evening= hier soir)

Last ( last Monday = lundi dernier)

In 2003, at 9 o’clock this morning

►PRETERIT DE L’AUXILIAIRE BE

Forme affirmative Forme négative Forme interrogative Réponses courtes

I/he/she/it was I/he/she/it wasn’t Was I/he/she/it? Yes, I/he/she/it was No, I/he/she/it wasn’t

You/we/they were You/we/they weren’t Were we/you/they? Yes, we/you/they were

No, we/you/they weren’t

►PRETERIT DES AUTRES VERBES

Forme affirmative : Verbes réguliers : on rajoute -ED à toutes les personnes

I listened, you opened, he arrived, we played, they worked

Verbes irréguliers: pas de règle précise. Il faut les apprendre.

To come : you came ; to go : he went ; to write: they wrote

Forme négative et interrogative: on emploie l’auxiliaire DID (prétérit de DO) quelque soit le verbe (régulier ou irrégulier). DID étant au prétérit, le verbe se mets alors à l’infinitif sans TO.

Forme négative Forme interrogative Réponses brèves

I/ you/ he/ she/ did not work DID I/ you/ he/ she come? Yes, I/ you/ he/ did

It/ they didn’t go it/ they listen? No, it/ we/ they didn’t

►THERE WAS – THERE WERE

THERE WAS et THERE WERE correspondent à IL Y AVAIT

THERE WAS + singulier THERE WAS a concert yesterday.

THERE WERE + pluriel THERE WERE 5000 people at the concert yesterday.

Forme interrogative: WAS THERE = y avait-il? WAS THERE a concert yesterday ?

WERE THERE

Forme négative: THERE WASN’T = il n’y avait pas

THERE WEREN’T ( + ANY) there weren’t any cinemas.

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