Episode 09 — 과거시제: 끝난 일을 깔끔하게 말하는 법

MisoEnglish Grammar Series

Episode 09 — 과거시제

끝난 일을 깔끔하게 말하는 법

"문법을 외우지 말고, 느껴라" Don't memorize grammar. Feel it.

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🧭 들어가며 | Introduction

과거시제는 영어 시제 중 가장 단순하다. 딱 하나의 메시지를 전달한다:

Past tense is the most straightforward of all English tenses. It delivers exactly one message:

"그 일은 끝났다. 지금과는 분리되어 있다." "It's over. It's separate from now."

현재완료(have + p.p.)가 "과거와 현재를 연결"한다면, 단순과거는 "과거를 과거에 가두는" 시제다.

If the present perfect (have + p.p.) connects past to present, the simple past seals the past in the past.

이 차이를 느끼는 것이 이번 편의 핵심이다.

Feeling this difference is the core of this episode.

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1. 과거시제의 두 가지 쓰임 | Two Uses of the Past Tense

① 과거의 완료된 행동 | Completed Actions in the Past

특정 시점에 일어나서 완전히 끝난 행동을 표현한다.

Expresses actions that happened at a specific time in the past and are completely finished.

She called me last night. 그녀가 어젯밤 나에게 전화했다.
I watched a movie yesterday. 나는 어제 영화를 봤다.
He broke the window. 그는 창문을 깼다.
They left without saying goodbye. 그들은 작별 인사도 없이 떠났다.

② 과거의 상태 | States in the Past

과거에 존재했지만 지금은 더 이상 아닌 상태를 표현한다.

Expresses states that existed in the past but are no longer true now.

She was a teacher. 그녀는 선생님이었다. (지금은 아님)
I knew him well. 나는 그를 잘 알았다. (지금은 모름)
We lived in Busan. 우리는 부산에 살았다. (지금은 아님)
He had a dog. 그는 개를 키웠다. (지금은 없음)

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2. 과거형 만들기 | Forming the Past Tense

규칙 동사 (Regular Verbs) → -ed

work → worked walk → walked finish → finished study → studied stop → stopped

철자 규칙은 Episode 06에서 다뤘다. 핵심은 주어가 누구든 형태가 같다는 것이다.

Spelling rules were covered in Episode 06. The key point: the form is the same for every subject.

I worked / You worked / She worked / They worked

불규칙 동사 (Irregular Verbs) → 외워야 한다

불규칙 동사는 패턴을 느끼면서 익히는 게 가장 효과적이다.

Irregular verbs are best learned by feeling the patterns.

모음이 바뀌는 패턴 | Vowel-Change Pattern

원형 과거 원형 과거

ride	rode	drive	drove
write	wrote	rise	rose
sing	sang	ring	rang
swim	swam	drink	drank
run	ran	come	came

원형과 과거형이 같은 패턴 | Same Form Pattern

원형 과거

cut	cut
put	put
hit	hit
let	let
set	set
hurt	hurt
read	read (발음은 [red])

완전히 다른 형태 | Completely Different

원형 과거

go	went
be	was / were
have	had
do	did
say	said
make	made
buy	bought
think	thought

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3. 과거시제와 자주 쓰이는 시간 표현 | Time Expressions with Past Tense

과거시제는 언제 일어났는지를 명시하는 표현과 자주 함께 쓰인다. 이것이 현재완료와의 결정적 차이다.

Past tense often pairs with expressions that specify when something happened. This is the defining difference from the present perfect.

표현 예문

yesterday	I saw her yesterday.
last night / week / year	He called me last night.
ago	She moved here two years ago.
in 2020	They got married in 2020.
when I was young	I loved soccer when I was young.
this morning	I had coffee this morning.
just now	He left just now.

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4. 과거시제 vs 현재완료 | Past Tense vs Present Perfect

이것이 한국어 화자에게 가장 어려운 부분이다. 한국어에는 이 둘의 구분이 없기 때문이다.

This is the hardest part for Korean speakers. Korean doesn't make this distinction at all.

단순과거 — 과거와 현재가 단절되어 있다

Simple Past — past and present are disconnected

I lost my keys. 나는 열쇠를 잃어버렸다.
→ 그냥 과거의 사실. 지금 어떤지는 모른다.
→ Just a past fact. No connection to now.

현재완료 — 과거가 현재와 연결되어 있다

Present Perfect — past is connected to present

I have lost my keys. 나는 열쇠를 잃어버렸다 (그래서 지금 없다).
→ 지금도 그 영향이 남아있다 (지금도 열쇠가 없는 상태).
→ The effect is still present now (I still don't have them).

더 많은 비교 | More Comparisons:

Did you eat? 밥 먹었어? (단순한 과거 질문)
Have you eaten? 밥 먹었어? (지금 배고프지 않은지 확인)

She was sick. 그녀는 아팠다. (지금은 나음)
She has been sick. 그녀는 아파왔다. (지금도 아프거나 막 나은 상태)

현재완료는 Episode 12에서 깊이 다룬다. 지금은 "과거시제 = 과거와 현재의 단절" 이라는 감각만 잡아두자.

Present perfect is covered in depth in Episode 12. For now, just hold onto this feeling: simple past = disconnected from now.

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5. 과거 부정문과 의문문 복습 | Past Negatives and Questions (Review)

Episode 07에서 다뤘지만, 과거시제와 함께 다시 짚어보자.

We covered this in Episode 07, but let's revisit it in the context of past tense.

부정문 | Negative

didn't + 동사원형 — 과거형(-ed, went 등) 절대 쓰지 않는다.

She didn't go to school. ✅
~~She didn't went to school.~~ ❌

I didn't know that. ✅
~~I didn't knew that.~~ ❌

의문문 | Question

Did + 주어 + 동사원형

Did you call her? 그녀한테 전화했어?
Did he finish the work? 그가 일을 끝냈어?
Where did she go? 그녀 어디 갔어?
Why did he leave? 왜 그가 떠났어?

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6. 이야기할 때의 과거시제 | Past Tense in Storytelling

과거시제는 이야기를 풀어나갈 때의 기본 시제다. 소설, 일기, 경험담 등에서 사건을 순서대로 서술할 때 쓴다.

Past tense is the default tense for storytelling. Novels, diaries, personal experiences — events narrated in sequence.

I woke up late.
I ran to the bus stop, but the bus already had left.
I called a taxi and arrived just in time.

나는 늦게 일어났다.
버스 정류장으로 달려갔지만 버스는 이미 떠난 후였다.
택시를 불러서 가까스로 제때 도착했다.

이야기 속에서 사건들이 순서대로 펼쳐지는 느낌 — 이것이 단순과거의 리듬이다.

Events unfolding in sequence — this is the rhythm of the simple past in storytelling.

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📌 이번 편 요약 | Episode Summary

1. 과거시제 = 끝난 일, 지금과 단절 — 완료된 행동 + 과거의 상태 Past tense = finished, disconnected from now — completed actions and past states.
2. 규칙동사는 -ed, 불규칙동사는 패턴으로 — 모음 변화 / 동일 형태 / 완전 변형 Regular = -ed; irregular = learn by pattern — vowel change / same form / completely different.
3. 과거 시간 표현과 함께 — yesterday, last night, ago, in 2020 Pairs with time expressions — yesterday, last night, ago, in 2020.
4. 단순과거 vs 현재완료 — 단절 vs 연결, Episode 12에서 깊이 다룸 Simple past vs present perfect — disconnected vs connected, deep dive in Episode 12.
5. didn't + 동사원형 — 과거형 쓰면 틀린다 didn't + base form — never the past form after didn't.

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🔜 다음 편 예고 | Coming Up Next

Episode 10 — 미래시제 : will과 be going to는 왜 다른가 Future Tense: Why "will" and "be going to" Are Not the Same

영어에는 미래를 표현하는 방법이 여러 가지다.
will, be going to, 현재진행형, 현재시제
— 같은 미래인데 왜 이렇게 많은 방법이 있을까?
그 차이를 느끼는 순간, 영어가 달라 보인다.

English has multiple ways to talk about the future.
will, be going to, present progressive, simple present
— Why so many ways to say the same thing?
The moment you feel the difference, English starts to look different.

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© MisoEnglish Grammar Series | Level 2 — Episode 09 "문법을 외우지 말고, 느껴라" | "Don't memorize grammar. Feel it."

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Past Tense: How to Talk About Things That Are Done and Gone

Clean, Decisive, and Disconnected from Now

MisoEnglish Grammar Series — Episode 09

"Don't memorize grammar. Feel it."

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Introduction

Of all the English tenses, the simple past is the most decisive. It carries one clear message:

"This happened. It's finished. It has nothing to do with right now."

That sense of clean separation — past sealed in the past — is what distinguishes simple past from the present perfect, which we'll explore in Episode 12. For now, let's build the foundation: what the past tense does, how to form it, and where Korean speakers most commonly go wrong.

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1. Two Uses of the Past Tense

Completed Actions

For actions that happened at a specific moment in the past and are fully finished:

She called me last night.
I watched a movie yesterday.
He broke the window.
They left without saying goodbye.

Past States

For states that existed in the past but are no longer true:

She was a teacher. (she isn't anymore)
I knew him well. (I don't anymore)
We lived in Busan. (we don't anymore)
He had a dog. (he doesn't anymore)

The past state carries an implicit "but not now." That's the feeling to hold onto.

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2. Forming the Past Tense

Regular verbs → add -ed

work → worked / walk → walked / finish → finished

The form is identical for every subject — I worked, you worked, she worked, they worked.

Irregular verbs → learn by pattern

Vowel-change pattern:

Base Past Base Past

ride	rode	drive	drove
sing	sang	ring	rang
swim	swam	drink	drank
run	ran	come	came

Same form (base = past): cut, put, hit, let, set, hurt, read (pronounced "red")

Completely different:

Base Past

go	went
be	was / were
have	had
do	did
say	said
buy	bought
think	thought

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3. Time Expressions That Signal Past Tense

Past tense almost always appears with expressions that specify when. This is its defining feature — and what separates it from the present perfect.

Expression Example

yesterday	I saw her yesterday.
last night / week / year	He called me last night.
ago	She moved here two years ago.
in 2020	They got married in 2020.
when I was young	I loved soccer when I was young.

If a sentence says when something happened, simple past is almost always the right choice.

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4. Simple Past vs. Present Perfect

This is the distinction that Korean speakers find hardest — because Korean doesn't make it at all.

Simple past — no connection to now:

I lost my keys. → A past fact.
No statement about the present.

Present perfect — still connected to now:

I have lost my keys.
→ Past event with a present consequence:
I still don't have them.

More comparisons:

Did you eat? → Simple question about the past.
Have you eaten? → Asking about current state (are you still hungry?).

She was sick. → She was, but she's better now.
She has been sick. → She's been sick and the situation is still relevant.

We'll go deep on present perfect in Episode 12. For now, hold onto one feeling: simple past = sealed off from the present.

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5. Negatives and Questions (Review)

Negative: didn't + base form

She didn't go to school. ✅
~~She didn't went to school.~~ ❌

"Didn't" already carries the past. The verb goes back to zero — always the base form.

Question: Did + subject + base form

Did you call her?
Where did she go?
Why did he leave?

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6. Past Tense in Storytelling

Simple past is the natural tense for telling stories — novels, diaries, personal anecdotes. Events unfold in sequence, each one finished before the next begins.

I woke up late.
I ran to the bus stop, but the bus already had left.
I called a taxi and arrived just in time.

Each verb is a completed moment. The sequence moves forward. This is the rhythm of the simple past — clean, sequential, done.

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Episode Summary

1. Past tense = finished and disconnected — completed actions and past states.
2. Regular verbs = -ed; irregular = learn by pattern.
3. Pairs with time expressions — yesterday, last night, ago, in 2020.
4. Simple past vs present perfect — disconnected vs connected to now.
5. didn't + base form — never the past form after didn't.

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Coming Up Next

Episode 10 — Future Tense: Why "will" and "be going to" Are Not the Same

English has multiple ways to express the future — will, be going to, present progressive, even simple present. Each one carries a different feeling. The moment you sense the difference, your English takes a leap forward.

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© MisoEnglish Grammar Series | Level 2 — Episode 09 "Don't memorize grammar. Feel it."

 

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