My first trip · my first day at school · my first concert.
Basic English Course 2 · Unit 5
Looking Back
Talk about first experiences, vacation memories, and feelings. The key language is was / were: use it to say where you were, how you felt, and what life was like before now.
01 · RememberSet a past time and place.
02 · DescribeUse was or were for states.
03 · ExplainSay what happened and how you felt.
04 · ConnectTell one short memory in order.
01First experiences and memoriesIntroduce a moment that happened before now.
What we will learn: how to name a personal memory before we explain the details.
The first time I saw the ocean was unforgettable.
When I was little, I was very shy.
A memory needs a point in the past. It can be a first experience, a vacation, a childhood moment, or a funny situation.
02Put the memory in the pastShow the listener that the moment is finished.
What we will learn: use time expressions that place a memory clearly before now.
NOW←last summer←two years ago←when I was little
I was in Cartagena last summer.
We were on vacation two years ago.
I was shy when I was little.
03The past of be: was and wereCompare who you are now with how you were before.
What we will learn: am, is, and are describe a state now. was and were describe a state in the past. This is the central grammar point of Unit 5.
I am calm today.
I was nervous on my first flight.
My friends were happy at the beach.
Present: now
I→am
he / she / it→is
you / we / they→are
Past: before now
I / he / she / it→
you / we / they→
Subject + was / were + place, feeling, or description.
Use was with I, he, she, it. Use were with you, we, they. Tap the exact past form you need to hear; each button plays its own ElevenLabs model.
Speed
Tap a highlighted form to hear its individual model.
04Affirmative sentences with was / wereSay where someone was or how someone felt.
What we will learn: build a complete past description with the correct subject and form of be.
I / he / she / it + was · you / we / they + were
Each sentence has a separate professional model. Listen again only to the sentence you want to compare.
05Negative sentences: wasn’t and weren’tExplain what a past state was not.
What we will learn: add not after was or were. The common short forms are wasn’t and weren’t.
Singular or I
I / he / she / it→
Plural or you
you / we / they→
Use weren’t with they.
✓ Correct: We weren’t tired.
✕ Incorrect: We wasn’t tired.
06Questions and short answersAsk about a past place, state, or feeling.
What we will learn: move was or were to the beginning of a yes/no question. Do not use did with the verb be.
Was / Were + subject + complement?
Yes, it was. / No, it wasn’t.
Yes, I was. / No, I wasn’t.
I was at my grandmother’s house.
It was amazing, but the hotel was expensive.
✓ Correct: Were they tired?
✕ Do not add did: Did were they tired?
07Past states versus past actionsChoose was / were for a state and a past verb for an action.
What we will learn: distinguish how someone was from what someone did. Both belong to the past, but they answer different questions.
I was nervous.
I went on my first flight.
I felt proud after the trip.
Last summer, I was in Cartagena with my family. We went to the beach every morning. I felt excited because it was my first time near the ocean.
08Feelings and reactionsExplain how a memory made you feel.
What we will learn: use was / were and felt with feeling adjectives in a meaningful past story.
A past state or feeling.
A personal reaction to what happened.
Describe the situation, not the person.
Use because to give a simple reason: I felt nervous because I got lost.
09Vacation memory verbsHear useful irregular past forms one by one.
What we will learn: recognize the past forms that help turn a vacation memory into a story. These forms extend Unit 4; they are not a new tense.
Tap each form separately. Do not listen to a long list: compare the one verb you are reading with its own model.
A completed trip.
A completed vacation action.
A first experience.
10Useful expressions with go and getUse complete expressions in a memory, not isolated words.
What we will learn: use common past expressions with go and get in a natural context.
volver a un lugar
llegar a casa
perderse
Important: learn the complete expression. Got lost is one idea; it does not mean “received lost.”
11Funny and embarrassing storiesTell a safe, respectful anecdote.
What we will learn: describe a small unexpected moment without making fun of another person or exposing private information.
Where were you? Who was with you?
What happened?
How did you feel, and why?
Model: Last year, I was at a museum with my cousin. We got lost near the exit, but a guard helped us. At first, I felt embarrassed. Then we laughed and went back to the tour.
12Build a clear memory storyMove from notes to a short, connected narrative.
What we will learn: organize a memory with a past time, a state, one or two actions, a feeling, and a closing idea.
1. When / where→2. was / were→3. action→4. feeling
Last summer, I was … First, I … Then, I … I felt … because …
This explanation prepares students for a future blog entry or magazine-style memory; it is not a Practice Lab activity yet.
13Phrasal verbs and idioms for memoriesRecognize the difference before using an expression.
What we will learn: a phrasal verb has a verb plus a particle; an idiom is a fixed expression with a complete meaning.
Spanish approximation: volver. “I went back to the beach.”
Spanish approximation: superar. “I got over my fear of flying.”
Spanish approximation: algo que trae recuerdos del pasado.
Spanish approximation: recordar momentos del pasado con nostalgia.
Spanish approximation: pasar un momento inolvidable.
These expressions are also available in the general Idioms and Phrasal Verbs library with their individual audio models.
14Unit 5 success checklistConfirm the language you can use before Practice Lab is planned.
What we will learn: check the complete communication goal, not only one grammar rule.
- I can describe a first experience or vacation memory.
- I can choose was or were.
- I can make a negative with wasn’t or weren’t.
- I can ask and answer a question with was or were.
- I can tell the difference between a past state and a past action.
- I can explain how I felt and give a reason with because.
- I can use a past expression with go or get.
- I can tell a short memory in sequence.