Past Tense in Chinese: Grammar Practice Exercises

Mastering the past tense in Chinese is an essential step for any language learner, enabling you to narrate events, tell stories, and discuss historical facts with ease. Unlike English, Chinese does not use a specific conjugation for verbs to indicate past actions. Instead, it relies on context and specific particles like "了" (le), "过" (guo), and "曾经" (céngjīng) to convey past tense. Understanding how and when to use these particles is crucial for accurate and fluent communication. Our carefully designed grammar exercises will guide you through the complexities of expressing past events in Chinese. These activities are tailored to help you recognize patterns, apply correct particles, and practice sentence construction. By engaging with these exercises, you'll gain confidence in your ability to discuss past actions and events, making your Chinese language skills more robust and versatile. Dive in and start practicing to enhance your proficiency in one of the most spoken languages in the world!

Exercise 1

1. 昨天我们*去了*公园 (verb for going to a place).

2. 他上个星期*买了*一辆新车 (verb for purchasing).

3. 昨晚他们*看了*一部电影 (verb for watching).

4. 她昨天晚上*做了*晚饭 (verb for making food).

5. 我们上个月*搬了*新家 (verb for moving house).

6. 他们去年*结婚了* (verb for getting married).

7. 我上周*学了*很多新单词 (verb for learning).

8. 昨天他*写了*一封信 (verb for writing).

9. 我们上次*去了*海边 (verb for going to a place by the sea).

10. 他昨天*读了*一本书 (verb for reading).

Exercise 2

1. 昨天我*去了*公园 (verb for 'went').

2. 她*吃了*早餐后去上班 (verb for 'ate').

3. 他上星期天*看了*一部电影 (verb for 'watched').

4. 我们上个月*去了*北京 (verb for 'went').

5. 他们*买了*很多水果 (verb for 'bought').

6. 我昨天晚上*做了*作业 (verb for 'did').

7. 他上周末*读了*一本书 (verb for 'read').

8. 我们*喝了*咖啡后聊天 (verb for 'drank').

9. 她*写了*一封信给朋友 (verb for 'wrote').

10. 昨晚我*听了*音乐直到很晚 (verb for 'listened').

Exercise 3

1. 昨天我*去了*公园散步。(Verb for "to go")

2. 她昨晚*看了*一部电影。(Verb for "to watch")

3. 我们上个星期*吃了*很多好吃的。(Verb for "to eat")

4. 他前天*写了*一封信给朋友。(Verb for "to write")

5. 他们去年*去了*北京旅行。(Verb for "to go")

6. 我昨天*见了*我的老师。(Verb for "to see")

7. 上个月她*买了*一本新书。(Verb for "to buy")

8. 我们上周*游了*两个小时泳。(Verb for "to swim")

9. 他上个月*搬了*新家。(Verb for "to move")

10. 我昨天晚上*听了*音乐。(Verb for "to listen")