أوّل يوم في المدرسة · Programme: Expressing a completed action in the past · Grammar: Simple past; irregular verbs; past participles
By the end of this lesson, I can:
- I can understand a diary about a first day at school
- I can use the simple past (affirmative, negative, questions)
- I can use common irregular verbs and their past participles
- I can put the stress on the right syllable in nouns and adjectives
- I can write about my own first day
🖼️ Picture dictionary قاموس مصوّر
tap 🔊 to listen📚 كلمات الدرس
12 كلمة من هذا الدرس في القاموس المدرسي: المعنى بالعربية والفرنسية، والنطق، ومثال.
📖 Read: Malek’s diary: my first day at prep school أقرأ
Monday 15 September
Dear Diary,
Today was my first day at preparatory school. Last night I couldn’t sleep, and this morning I pretended to have a stomach ache. Mum knew I was just nervous. She smiled and said, “You’ll be fine.”
Dad drove me to school at 7:30. The building was huge! I got lost twice and found my classroom just when the bell rang. Our English teacher, Mrs Ben Salah, shook hands with every pupil. Then she gave us our timetable — eleven subjects, three more than last year!
At break time, I met a boy called Daniel. His family moved here from Canada last summer, and he speaks French, English and a little Arabic. We ate our sandwiches together and played football. It was real fun.
In the afternoon we had a science lesson in the lab. I forgot my lab coat at home, but Daniel lent me his spare one.
When I came home, I told Mum everything. I didn’t think about my stomach once! I think I’m going to like this school.
Do you understand? أفهم
Answer in your copybook first, then check.
- Why did Malek pretend to have a stomach ache?
Answer
Because he was nervous about his first day.
- How did he go to school?
Answer
His dad drove him.
- What did Mrs Ben Salah do?
Answer
She shook hands with every pupil and gave them their timetable.
- Who is Daniel?
Answer
A boy from Canada; Malek met him at break time.
- What did Malek forget?
Answer
His lab coat.
🧩 Grammar القواعد
We use the simple past for an action that is finished at a known time in the past (yesterday, last week, in 2023, two years ago).
- Regular verbs: base + -ed » play » played, move » moved, stop » stopped, study » studied.
- Irregular verbs have their own form: go » went, meet » met, forget » forgot. Learn them by heart!
- Negative: subject + didn’t + base verb » I didn’t think.
- Question: Did + subject + base verb? » Did you get lost? — Yes, I did. / No, I didn’t.
Each verb has three forms: base – past – past participle (go – went – gone). The past participle is used later in the present perfect (I have forgotten) and the passive.
الماضي البسيط يعبّر عن حدث انتهى في الماضي. الأفعال المنتظمة تأخذ ed‑، والأفعال الشاذة لها أشكال خاصّة تُحفَظ. في النفي والسؤال نستعمل did ثم الفعل في صيغته الأصلية.
On the timeline
Irregular verbs from the diary
| Base | Past simple | Past participle | Arabic |
|---|---|---|---|
| go | went | gone | ذهب |
| drive | drove | driven | قاد |
| get | got | got | حصل / صار |
| find | found | found | وجد |
| ring | rang | rung | رنّ |
| shake | shook | shaken | هزّ / صافح |
| give | gave | given | أعطى |
| meet | met | met | التقى |
| eat | ate | eaten | أكل |
| forget | forgot | forgotten | نسي |
| lend | lent | lent | أعار |
| tell | told | told | أخبر |
Spelling of -ed
➕ most verbs: walk » walked
➕ ends in -e: smile » smiled
➕ consonant + y: study » studied (but play » played)
➕ short verb, 1 vowel + 1 consonant: stop » stopped, plan » planned
❓ Did you meet new friends? (not met)
➖ I didn’t forget my bag. (not forgot)
💬 Useful expressions عبارات مفيدة
Telling a past story
Asking about the past
🔊 Pronunciation النطق
Worked examples أمثلة محلولة
Try first, then read the solution.
Put the verbs in the simple past: Yesterday I (meet) my new teacher and (talk) to her.
Step-by-step solution
- meet is irregular » met.
- talk is regular » talked.
✓ Yesterday I met my new teacher and talked to her.
Ahmed forgot his copybook.
Step-by-step solution
- Negative = didn’t + base verb.
- forgot » forget.
✓ Ahmed didn’t forget his copybook.
Ask about the underlined word: She met Daniel at break time.
Step-by-step solution
- We ask about a person » Who.
- Who + did + subject + base verb?
✓ Who did she meet at break time?
⚠️ Common mistakes أخطاء شائعة
⭐ Remember أحفظ
- Simple past = finished action at a known past time.
- Regular: base + -ed (played, moved, studied, stopped).
- Irregular verbs must be learnt: meet–met–met, forget–forgot–forgotten, shake–shook–shaken.
- Negative: didn’t + base verb. Question: Did + subject + base verb?
- Two-syllable nouns and adjectives are usually stressed on the first syllable: TEAcher, HAPpy.
Quick quiz اختبار سريع
4 questions · instant feedback1. Past simple of “shake”:
2. Choose the correct question.
3. Where is the stress in “nervous”?
4. In the diary, why did Malek get lost?
✍️ Write: Project step 2: my first day at prep school أكتب
Add a page to your class Memory Book. Write a paragraph (80–120 words) about your first day at preparatory school: how you felt, what happened and who you met.
Steps
- Start with when and where: “On my first day at prep school, in September 20…”.
- Say how you felt before school (nervous, excited…).
- Tell 3–4 events in order with First, Then, After that.
- Use at least five irregular verbs in the simple past.
- End with your feelings at the end of the day.
A model text to compare with (after writing mine)
I remember my first day at prep school very well. It was a sunny morning in September, and I was excited but also nervous. My mother came with me to the gate, and then I went in alone. First, I looked for my name on the list and found my class: 7B. Then our maths teacher came in, said hello and gave us our timetable. At break time, I met a quiet girl called Emma. Her family moved from Italy two years ago. We shared my biscuits and talked about our favourite books. I didn’t want to go home at the end of the day!
One good example among many: compare, don’t copy.
😊 The lighter side استراحة
Well begun is half done.
What can you catch but not throw?
Answer
A cold.
Mum: “What did you learn at school today?” — Son: “Not enough. They want me to come back tomorrow!”
✅ Exercises تمارين
All exercises →6 exercises on three levels, with new questions every time.
- Choose the right answerTo do
- ClassifyTo do
- Situation 1To do
- Situation 2To do
Practise: First Day at School
True or false, complete, choose, classify and situations: instant correction with explanations.
Got the lesson? Try it yourself
6 exercises · instant correction · new questions every time
Start the exercisesPictures: Twemoji (CC-BY 4.0). Texts, explanations and exercises: Scolaire.tn.