A2 Verb Tenses 19 min read Fácil

Los Cuatro Grandes: Go, Have, Do, Make en Pasado

Dominar 'went', 'had', 'did' y 'made' te abre la puerta a hablar con confianza sobre tus experiencias pasadas.

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Master the four most common English verbs in the past: went, had, did, and made.

  • Use 'went' for past movement: 'I went to the park yesterday.'
  • Use 'had' for past possession or experiences: 'We had a great dinner.'
  • Use 'did' for general actions and 'made' for creating things: 'I did my homework and made a cake.'
Subject + [went/had/did/made] + Object/Place

Overview

¿Alguna vez mandaste un mensaje diciendo I goed to the gym y sentiste el golpe inmediato del subrayado rojo? Todos hemos pasado por eso. Los verbos en inglés suelen ser bastante amigables; solo agregan un -ed y listo.
Pero luego están los rebeldes: los verbos irregulares. Estas son las palabras que decidieron que las reglas eran muy aburridas y se inventaron las suyas. Hoy vamos a ver a los Cuatro Grandes: go, have, do y make.
No solo son comunes; son los VIPs de la conversación en inglés. Si no puedes usarlos en pasado, tus historias van a sonar un poco como un robot descompuesto. Imagínate tratar de explicar tu fin de semana sin decir que went a algún lado, had algo, did algo de trabajo o made planes.
¡Es imposible! Estos verbos son el pegamento que mantiene unidas tus experiencias pasadas.
Piensa en los verbos irregulares como las celebridades del idioma inglés. Como los usamos tan seguido, no han cambiado de la misma forma que otros verbos. Mientras que la mayoría de los verbos siguen a la multitud y usan -ed, estos cuatro han mantenido sus formas antiguas y únicas.
En esta guía, vamos a dominar cómo hablar sobre a dónde viajaste, qué tenías, qué tareas completaste y qué creaste. Ya sea que estés publicando una foto de #TBT (Throwback Thursday) en Instagram o contándole a un amigo sobre una noche loca, vas a necesitar estos verbos para sonar natural. No te preocupes por memorizar miles de reglas; solo enfócate en estos cuatro protagonistas.
De todos modos, ellos hacen como el 80% del trabajo pesado en la vida diaria. Además, una vez que domines estos, vas a dejar de sonar como un libro de texto y empezarás a sonar como un local. ¡Piénsalo como si estuvieras aprendiendo los trucos de tu videojuego favorito!
Cuesta un poco al principio, ¡pero hace que todo sea mucho más fácil después!

How This Grammar Works

En inglés, usamos el Past Simple para hablar de cosas que ya terminaron. Punto. Se acabaron.
Si pasó ayer, el año pasado o hace cinco minutos, y ya no está pasando, necesitas este tiempo verbal. Para la mayoría de los verbos es fácil: walk se convierte en walked. Pero para nuestros Cuatro Grandes, la palabra cambia por completo.
No hay una razón lógica de por qué go se convierte en went en lugar de goed. Es solo una curiosidad histórica. Un minuto estás going a un concierto, y al siguiente (en el pasado), went a un concierto.
Estos verbos son únicos porque no se parecen a sus versiones originales. El secreto es que estas palabras son tan viejas y tan comunes que se resistieron a las reglas estándar. Es como ese amigo que todavía usa un teléfono con tapita porque cree que es cool: simplemente hacen lo que quieren.
Para usarlos correctamente, solo tienes que verlos como pares. No pienses en went como una palabra nueva; piénsalo como la versión pasada de go. ¡Es como una evolución de Pokémon, pero de gramática!

Formation Pattern

1
Aprender esto es pura memorización, pero hay un sistema para usarlos en oraciones. Así es como se transforman:
2
The Transformation Table
3
Forma | Ejemplo | Traducción
4
Go -> Went | I went to the mall. | Yo fui al centro comercial.
5
Have -> Had | We had a pizza. | Nosotros comimos/tuvimos una pizza.
6
Do -> Did | You did a great job. | Hiciste un gran trabajo.
7
Make -> Made | She made a TikTok. | Ella hizo un TikTok.
8
The Negative Twist
9
Cuando quieres decir que algo *no* pasó, ocurre algo mágico. ¡El verbo irregular vuelve a su forma normal! Usamos did not (o didn't) y luego el verbo original.
10
✗ I didn't went.
11
✓ I didn't go.
12
✗ She didn't made a cake.
13
✓ She didn't make a cake.
14
Asking Questions
15
Igual que en el negativo, usamos did para empezar la pregunta y mantenemos el verbo en su forma básica.
16
Did you go to the party?
17
Did they have fun?
18
Memory Trick: Piensa en did como un
imán de tiempo pasado
. Atrae la pasadez fuera del verbo principal. Una vez que did está ahí, el verbo principal es libre de ser su yo normal y básico otra vez. ¡Es como si did fuera el padre que se encarga del trabajo pesado para que los niños (go, have, do, make) puedan relajarse y jugar!

When To Use It

Vas a usar estos verbos todos los días. Aquí hay algunos escenarios modernos donde son esenciales:
  • Travel & Logistics: Si usaste una app como Uber o tomaste el metro, went a algún lado.
    I went to the airport at 5 AM.
    (¡Uf, qué temprano! Espero que had café).
  • Possession & Experiences: Cuando hables de tu teléfono viejo o de una comida que tuviste, usa had.
    I had an iPhone 6 in high school
    o
    We had sushi for dinner
    .
  • Completing Tasks: Desde la tarea hasta sesiones de gym.
    I did 50 pushups this morning
    (¡Presúmelo!) o
    I did the laundry finally
    .
  • Creating Content: Esto es clave para las redes sociales.
    I made a new playlist on Spotify
    o
    He made a viral video about his cat
    .
  • The Zoom Life: Contarle a la gente sobre tu día en línea.
    I had three meetings on Zoom today, and I did absolutely nothing in all of them
    .

Common Mistakes

La trampa más grande es tratar de forzar estos verbos para que sean regulares. Por favor, por el amor a la gramática, no digas goed, haved, doed o maked. Tu profesor de inglés podría llorar y el autocorrector de tu teléfono va a sufrir de tanto trabajo.
Otro error clásico es el Doble Pasado. Esto pasa cuando la gente usa did Y la forma pasada juntas.
  • ✗ Did you went?
  • Did you go?
Es como usar dos pares de anteojos de sol: es redundante y hace que sea difícil ver qué está pasando.
También ten cuidado con la confusión entre do vs make. Generalmente, usa do para acciones y make para cosas físicas que creas. Tú do tu tarea (es una actividad), pero make un sándwich (creaste algo delicioso). Si do un sándwich, la gente podría pensar que estás haciendo un ritual raro con el pan.

Contrast With Similar Patterns

La gente suele confundir el Past Simple (I went) con el Present Perfect (I have gone). En el nivel A2, solo recuerda esto: si dices *cuándo* pasó (ayer, anoche, en 2022), TIENES que usar el Past Simple.

I went to London last year.
(Tiempo específico = Past Simple)
I have been to London.
(Experiencia general = Present Perfect)

Además, compáralos con los verbos regulares. Los verbos regulares son como un uniforme: todos usan lo mismo (-ed). Los verbos irregulares son como íconos de la moda: cada uno tiene su propio estilo único. Played, walked y watched son la multitud; went, had, did y made son las estrellas del show. ¡No trates a una estrella como a un extra!

Quick FAQ

Q

¿Siempre es went sin importar quién esté hablando?

¡Sí! A diferencia del presente (donde usamos go vs goes), el pasado es igual para todos. I went, you went, they went. ¡Es una fiesta donde todos están invitados!

Q

¿Cuál es la diferencia entre had y did para las comidas?

Normalmente had el desayuno (te lo comiste). Si dices que did el desayuno, suena a que fuiste el chef o que completaste una tarea llamada desayuno. Quédate con had para comer.

Q

¿Puede did ser un verbo principal y un auxiliar en la misma oración?

¡Absolutamente! Suena gracioso, pero es correcto.

I did (auxiliary) not do (main verb) my homework.

Q

¿Se usa made para hacer amigos?

¡Sí!

I made a lot of friends on my trip.
Es una de esas cosas abstractas que uno crea.

Q

¿Por qué el inglés tiene tantos verbos irregulares?

Porque el inglés son en realidad tres idiomas usando una gabardina. Estos cuatro son de la parte más antigua del idioma y se niegan a cambiar. Son tercos, como un gato que no se quiere bajar de tu laptop.

2. Negative Contractions

Full Form Contraction
Did not go
Didn't go
Did not have
Didn't have
Did not do
Didn't do
Did not make
Didn't make

The Big Four: Past Simple Forms

Infinitive Past Affirmative Past Negative Past Question
Go
Went
Didn't go
Did ... go?
Have
Had
Didn't have
Did ... have?
Do
Did
Didn't do
Did ... do?
Make
Made
Didn't make
Did ... make?

Meanings

These four verbs are the most used in English. In the past tense, they do not follow the standard '-ed' rule; they have unique irregular forms that must be memorized to describe yesterday's activities.

1

Movement (Go -> Went)

To move from one place to another in the past.

“I went to London last year.”

“They went home early.”

2

Possession/Experience (Have -> Had)

To own something or experience an event in the past.

“I had a red car.”

“We had a party on Saturday.”

3

General Action (Do -> Did)

To perform a task, activity, or duty in the past.

“I did the laundry.”

“She did her best.”

4

Creation/Production (Make -> Made)

To create, build, or produce something that didn't exist before.

“He made a sandwich.”

“They made a mistake.”

Reference Table

Reference table for Los Cuatro Grandes: Go, Have, Do, Make en Pasado
Verbo Presente Simple Pasado Simple Ejemplo
Go
go
went
I **went** to the gym yesterday.
Have
have
had
She **had** a great time at the party.
Do
do
did
We **did** our homework last night.
Make
make
made
He **made** a delicious dinner.
Go (negativo)
do not go
did not go
They **didn't go** to the concert.
Have (pregunta)
do you have
did you have
**Did you have** lunch yet?

Espectro de formalidad

Formal
I proceeded to the office.

I proceeded to the office. (Workplace)

Neutral
I went to the office.

I went to the office. (Workplace)

Informal
I headed to the office.

I headed to the office. (Workplace)

Jerga
I bounced to the office.

I bounced to the office. (Workplace)

Los Cuatro Grandes en Pasado

Verbos en Pasado Simple

Verbos Irregulares

  • Go went
  • Have had
  • Do did
  • Make made

Usos Clave

  • Acciones Completadas Finished events
  • Hábitos Pasados Regular actions in past
  • Historias Sequence of events

Error Común

  • Añadir -ed e.g., *goed*, *haved*
  • Después de 'did' e.g., *Did you went?*

Verbos en Pasado: Regulares vs. Irregulares

Verbos Regulares (-ed)
walk walked
play played
start started
Verbos Irregulares (Cambian de Forma)
go went
have had
do did
make made

Eligiendo la Forma en Pasado Simple

1

¿Es el verbo 'go', 'have', 'do' o 'make'?

YES
Usa su forma especial en pasado (went, had, did, made).
NO
Ve al siguiente paso.
2

¿Es un verbo regular?

YES
Añade '-ed' a la forma base.
NO
¡Es otro verbo irregular! (Aprende su forma única más tarde).

Verbos en Acción: Pasado Simple

🚶

Went (Movimiento)

  • went to the park
  • went on vacation
  • went home early

Had (Posesión/Experiencia)

  • had a great time
  • had breakfast
  • had a meeting
📝

Did (Acción/Tarea)

  • did my homework
  • did the laundry
  • did a good job
🍰

Made (Crear/Producir)

  • made a cake
  • made a decision
  • made a mistake

Ejemplos por nivel

1

I went to the park.

Fui al parque.

2

I had a sandwich.

Me comí un sándwich.

3

I did my homework.

Hice mi tarea.

4

I made a card.

Hice una tarjeta.

1

We went to Italy last summer.

Fuimos a Italia el verano pasado.

2

She didn't have any money.

Ella no tenía nada de dinero.

3

Did you do the laundry?

¿Hiciste la colada?

4

They made a lot of noise.

Hicieron mucho ruido.

1

I went to the doctor because I felt ill.

Fui al médico porque me sentía mal.

2

We had a long discussion about the project.

Tuvimos una larga discusión sobre el proyecto.

3

He did a great job on the presentation.

Hizo un gran trabajo en la presentación.

4

She made a mistake in the calculations.

Cometió un error en los cálculos.

1

The company went bankrupt after the crisis.

La empresa quebró tras la crisis.

2

I had no choice but to accept the offer.

No tuve más remedio que aceptar la oferta.

3

The government did everything possible.

El gobierno hizo todo lo posible.

4

The news made a huge impact on society.

La noticia causó un gran impacto en la sociedad.

1

The plan went awry from the very beginning.

El plan salió mal desde el principio.

2

He had the audacity to ask for more.

Tuvo la audacia de pedir más.

3

The researchers did an exhaustive study.

Los investigadores realizaron un estudio exhaustivo.

4

The architect made provision for future expansion.

El arquitecto previó una futura ampliación.

1

His reputation went before him.

Su reputación le precedía.

2

She had a premonition that something was wrong.

Tuvo la premonición de que algo iba mal.

3

The witness did more harm than good.

El testigo hizo más daño que bien.

4

The artist made a name for himself in Paris.

El artista se hizo un nombre en París.

Fácil de confundir

The Big Four: Go, Have, Do, Make in the Past vs Went vs. Gone

Learners confuse the past simple 'went' with the past participle 'gone'.

The Big Four: Go, Have, Do, Make in the Past vs Made vs. Did

Many languages use one word for both actions.

The Big Four: Go, Have, Do, Make in the Past vs Had vs. Was

Learners use 'was' for hunger or age because of L1 interference.

Errores comunes

I goed to the park.

I went to the park.

Go is irregular; it becomes 'went'.

I haved a coffee.

I had a coffee.

Have is irregular; it becomes 'had'.

I doed my work.

I did my work.

Do becomes 'did'.

I maked a cake.

I made a cake.

Make becomes 'made'.

I didn't went.

I didn't go.

After 'didn't', use the base form.

Did you had lunch?

Did you have lunch?

In questions, 'did' takes the past tense, so 'have' stays base.

I did a cake.

I made a cake.

Use 'made' for creating things.

I have went there yesterday.

I went there yesterday.

Don't use Present Perfect with specific past times like 'yesterday'.

I made my homework.

I did my homework.

Homework is a task, so use 'did'.

She had a shower two hours before.

She had a shower two hours ago.

Use 'ago' for time from now.

I did a mistake.

I made a mistake.

Collocation error: we always 'make' mistakes.

Patrones de oraciones

I went to ___ with ___.

We had ___ for ___.

She did the ___ and then made ___.

Did you ___ when you went to ___?

Real World Usage

Texting a friend constant

I went to that new bar, had a blast!

Job Interview very common

I did a lot of research and made a plan for the first month.

Travel / Customs common

I went to Japan for two weeks and had a business visa.

Food Delivery App occasional

The restaurant made a mistake with my order.

Social Media Post very common

We went hiking and had the best views!

Doctor's Visit common

I had a fever yesterday and did a COVID test.

💡

Practica con tu resumen diario

Al final del día, intenta decirte a ti mismo (¡o a un amigo!) tres cosas que hiciste, un lugar al que fuiste, algo que tuviste y algo que hiciste. Esto ayuda a recordar.
At the end of each day, try to tell yourself three things you did.
⚠️

¡Ni se te ocurra añadir '-ed'!

¡En serio, resístete a la tentación! 'Goed', 'haved', 'doed', 'maked' no existen. Siempre usa 'went', 'had', 'did', 'made'. Es el error más común.
Always use went, had, did, made.
🎯

Escucha cómo suenan

Los hablantes nativos usan estos verbos con fluidez. Escucha podcasts, películas o YouTube. Intenta imitar la pronunciación; ayuda a tu cerebro.
Listen carefully to podcasts, movies, or YouTube.
🌍

Esencial para charlar

En culturas de habla inglesa, hablar del fin de semana o experiencias recientes es muy común para iniciar una conversación. Dominar estos verbos te dará confianza.
Talking about your past weekend is super common for small talk.

Smart Tips

Stop! Think of the word 'went'. It's like 'sent'.

I goed to the shop. I went to the shop.

The 'didn't' is a past-tense vacuum. It sucks the past out of the next verb.

I didn't had time. I didn't have time.

Always use 'did'. Did the laundry, did the dishes, did the cleaning.

I made the laundry. I did the laundry.

Use 'had' instead of 'ate'. It sounds much more natural in English.

I ate a coffee and a sandwich. I had a coffee and a sandwich.

Pronunciación

/wɛnt/

Went

Rhymes with 'sent' and 'tent'. Short 'e' sound.

/hæd/

Had

Short 'a' sound like 'cat' or 'bad'.

/dɪd/

Did

Short 'i' sound like 'sit' or 'pin'.

/meɪd/

Made

Long 'a' sound like 'cake' or 'lake'. The 'e' is silent.

Question Intonation

Did you go? ↗

Rising intonation at the end of 'did' questions.

Memorízalo

Mnemotecnia

Go-Went, Have-Had, Do-Did, Make-Made. Remember: 'I went to the store and had what I made, then I did the dishes.'

Asociación visual

Imagine a chef who WENT to the kitchen, HAD some flour, MADE a pizza, and then DID the cleaning.

Rhyme

I went to the shop, I had a quick stop, I did what I could, and made something good.

Story

Yesterday was busy. I went to the office at 9 AM. I had a meeting with my boss. We did a lot of planning. Finally, I made a report for the team.

Word Web

WentHadDidMadeYesterdayLast weekAgo

Desafío

Write four sentences about your day yesterday using each of the Big Four verbs in the past tense.

Notas culturales

British speakers often use 'had' for many daily activities like 'had a bath' or 'had a tea' more frequently than American speakers.

Americans often use 'did' in contexts like 'did the dishes' or 'did the laundry' as standard household chores.

Using 'went' for 'visited' is very common in casual conversation across all English-speaking cultures.

These verbs are among the oldest in English, originating from Proto-Germanic roots.

Inicios de conversación

Where did you go last weekend?

What did you have for breakfast today?

What was the last thing you made by hand?

Tell me about a time you did something brave.

Temas para diario

Write about your favorite vacation. Where did you go and what did you have to eat?
Describe a busy day at work or school. What tasks did you do?
Think of a time you made a big mistake. What happened?
Write a story starting with: 'Yesterday, everything went wrong.'

Errores comunes

Incorrect

Correcto


Incorrect

Correcto


Incorrect

Correcto


Incorrect

Correcto

Test Yourself

Elige la forma correcta en pasado para completar la frase.

Last night, I ___ a delicious pizza for dinner.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: made
La forma en pasado simple de 'make' es 'made'. 'Maked' es incorrecto.
Encuentra y corrige el error en la frase. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Did you went to the store yesterday?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Did you go to the store yesterday?
Cuando se usa 'did' en una pregunta, el verbo principal debe estar en su forma base ('go'), no en pasado ('went').
Ordena las palabras para formar una frase correcta. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: They had a great time at the party.
El orden correcto es Sujeto + Verbo en Pasado Simple + Objeto + Frase Preposicional.

Score: /3

Ejercicios de practica

8 exercises
Fill in the past form of 'go'.

Yesterday, I ___ to the cinema.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: went
The past of 'go' is 'went'.
Choose the correct negative sentence. Opción múltiple

Which one is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: I didn't go.
After 'didn't', we use the base form 'go'.
Correct the mistake. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

She maked a delicious cake for my birthday.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: made
The past of 'make' is 'made'.
Change to a question. Sentence Transformation

He had a car. -> ___ he ___ a car?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Did / have
Questions use 'Did' + base form 'have'.
Match the present to the past. Match Pairs

Go, Have, Do, Make

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Went, Had, Did, Made
These are the correct irregular forms.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: What did you do? B: I ___ the dishes.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: did
We use 'did' for chores like dishes.
Is this rule true? True False Rule

We use 'made' for creating things like food or art.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: True
'Make' (made) is for creation.
Which verb is for tasks? Grammar Sorting

Sorting: Homework, Laundry, Dishes

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Do
Tasks use 'do' (did in the past).

Score: /8

Practice Bank

12 exercises
Elige la forma correcta en pasado. Completar huecos

We ___ a fantastic time on our vacation last summer.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: had
¿Qué frase es gramaticalmente correcta? Opción múltiple

Choose the correct sentence:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: I went to the concert.
Empareja los verbos en presente con sus formas en pasado. Match Pairs

Match the verbs:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: matched
Identifica y corrige el error. Error Correction

My brother doed his homework very quickly.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: My brother did his homework very quickly.
Traduce la frase al inglés. Traducción

Translate into English: '¿Hiciste la cena anoche?'

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ["Did you make dinner last night?","Did you make supper last night?"]
Reordena las palabras para formar una frase coherente. Sentence Reorder

Arrange these words into a sentence:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: We made a short movie for class.
Completa la frase con la forma correcta en pasado. Completar huecos

Before the internet, people ___ to the library for research.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: went
Selecciona la frase gramaticalmente correcta. Opción múltiple

Choose the correct sentence:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: She had a meeting with her boss.
Corrige el error en la frase. Error Correction

I didn't made any plans for the weekend.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: I didn't make any plans for the weekend.
Traduce al inglés. Traducción

Translate into English: 'Ella hizo su mejor esfuerzo en la competencia.'

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ["She did her best in the competition.","She did her utmost in the competition."]
Desordena las palabras para formar una frase gramaticalmente correcta. Sentence Reorder

Arrange these words into a sentence:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: He did a lot of research for his thesis.
Empareja el verbo en presente de la pregunta con su forma correcta en pasado para la respuesta. Match Pairs

Match the question verb with the answer verb:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: matched

Score: /12

Preguntas frecuentes (8)

No, that is incorrect. You should say 'I have gone' (Present Perfect) or 'I went' (Past Simple).

Because 'go' is an irregular verb. Historically, 'went' came from a different verb, 'wend', and replaced the old past form of 'go'.

Use `did` for tasks, work, and chores. Use `made` for creating something new, like food or a craft.

No. In English, we use the verb 'to be' for age. 'I was 20', not 'I had 20'.

Never. Always use 'didn't have'. The word 'didn't' already shows the past tense.

Yes! It is very common. 'I had a burger' means you ate it.

It is still 'did'. For example: 'Did you see him?'

Yes, but in very formal writing, you might replace 'went' with 'attended' or 'proceeded'.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

In Other Languages

Spanish moderate

fui, tuve, hice

Spanish speakers must learn to split 'hacer' into 'do' and 'make'.

French moderate

suis allé, eu, fait

French uses 'être' or 'avoir' as helpers, while English past simple is one word (went).

German high

ging, hatte, tat, machte

German often uses the perfect tense ('ich bin gegangen') in speech where English uses the simple past ('I went').

Japanese low

itta, atta, shita, tsukutta

Japanese has no 'do-support' (did/didn't) for questions and negatives.

Arabic low

dhahaba, kana ladayhi, fa'ala, sana'a

Arabic doesn't have a direct equivalent for 'have' as a verb; it uses 'at' or 'with' + a pronoun.

Chinese none

qu le, you le, zuo le

Chinese learners must learn to change the verb itself in English, which is a totally new concept.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

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