Use “did not” to make a negative past tense sentence in English. “Did not” goes with every subject.
Use the following pattern.
Subject + did not + verb….
Compare some present tense and past tense sentences.
| Present Tense | Past Tense |
|---|---|
| I do not like it. | I did not like it when I was young. |
| You do not look happy today. | You did not look happy yesterday. |
| He does not need it. | He did not need it last week. |
| She does not want to go. | She did not want to go. |
| It does not work now. | It did not work before. |
| They do not know. | They did not know. |
| We do not talk these days. | We did not talk last month. |
You can also use the contraction “didn’t”.
- I didn’t eat breakfast.
- She didn’t call me yesterday.
- You didn’t finish your work.
- They didn’t like the movie.
Remember that contractions are very common in spoken English. However, it is more common to use the long form when you are writing something formal or professional. So, it is okay to use contractions if you are writing a message to a friend or a comment on a blog.
This grammar point is very important. Practice it a lot because you will need to use it often when you speak English.
Example Sentences
- I did not eat breakfast this morning.
- I did not go to the gym yesterday.
- I didn’t sleep well last night.
- I didn’t play poker with my friends last week.
- You did not call me back.
- You did not ruin it.
- You didn’t do a good job.
- You didn’t eat a lot.
- We did not go on the trip.
- We did not find a solution to the problem.
- We didn’t see her at the party.
- We didn’t turn off the TV all night.
- He did not get a good score on the test.
- He did not win the competition.
- He didn’t finish in 1st place.
- Chris didn’t like the hotel.
- She did not sing with everybody else.
- She did not like the event.
- She didn’t go to the meeting.
- Jane didn’t attend the seminar last month.
- It did not finish on time.
- The machine did not work well.
- It didn’t snow a lot last winter.
- The coffee machine didn’t break yesterday.
- They did not like the performance.
- The managers did not make a good decision.
- They didn’t prepare enough.
- The trees didn’t get enough water.
English Conversation 1
(On the phone)
A) Did you see the snowstorm last night?
B) No, I didn’t. I was asleep.
A) Oh man! It was crazy. It snowed for over 6 hours.
B) There is so much snow in my yard. I don’t think I can go to work.
A) My work is already canceled. Call your work and find out.
English Conversation 2
A) Did you hurt your finger?
B) Yes, I hurt my finger. I played basketball with my friends yesterday and I hurt it.
A) Did you go to the hospital?
B) No, I didn’t. It wasn’t that bad. I just put some tape on it. It will be okay.
Learn to speak better English by simply doing this basic practice exercise. First, complete the sentences with your own answers, and then practice making your own sentences. Finally, try using this grammar when you have an English conversation in real life.
Tip: Say the sentences aloud. This will help you practice speaking English and improve your English fluency.
I didn’t _______________ yesterday.
My family didn’t _______________ when I was young.
My friends and I did not _______________ last time we went out.
She didn’t _______________.
They did not _______________ last year.
My coworkers didn’t _______________ last week.
My boss did not _______________, so _______________.
She didn’t _______________ because _______________.
We did not _______________ because _______________.
I did not _______________ after _______________.
She didn’t _______________ before _______________.
