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General English · Speaking · A1

Talking about yesterday and simple past experiences

Tell someone what happened yesterday in a few connected sentences.

Lesson 12 · About 15 minutes

Learn: your objectives

  • Place a short account in the past.
  • Say what happened next and how you felt.

Warm-up

Think about these questions. Say a short answer aloud.

  • Where were you yesterday evening?
  • Who did you talk to yesterday?

Useful language

A small past account

Yesterday, I …

Make the past time clear at the start.

Yesterday, I visited my aunt.

After that, we …

Link the next event.

After that, we had tea.

It was …

Finish with a simple reaction.

It was a nice afternoon.

Notice: model speaking

Read aloud. Notice how the speakers use the phrases and respond to each other.

Aziza: What did you do yesterday?

Leo: I went to the market with my brother. We bought some fruit.

Aziza: What did you do after that?

Leo: We had lunch at home. It was a quiet day.

Speaking strategy

Choose two events, not every minute of the day. Start with ‘Yesterday’, link the events with ‘After that’, and end with a feeling or reaction.

Pronunciation & fluency focus

Read in short groups: ‘Yesterday / I visited my aunt. / After that / we had tea.’ Pause at the idea boundaries, not between ‘my’ and ‘aunt’.

Teaching guidance, not an analysis of your voice.

Use: controlled practice

Choose a useful response for each situation. Check when all questions are answered. These are phrase exercises, not a speaking assessment.

1. Which opening clearly places the story in the past?
2. You visited a friend and then had dinner. Choose a clear link.
3. Finish a short account with a reaction.
4. ‘I visited my cousin yesterday.’ Ask what happened next.
5. Choose the easiest mini-story to follow.

Build your answer

Write a few keywords. Then look away and speak. Notes stay on this page only.

Speak: your challenge

Tell a 45-second account of yesterday, real or imagined. Include two events and a reaction. Then ask and answer one question about your account.

Useful past forms: went, had, visited, watched. Focus on a clear message rather than a long story.

Speak aloud. This page does not record, listen to or assess your speech. There is no automatic speaking score.

Self-check

Open to everyone. Answers, notes and checklists are not saved to an account. These original lessons use level labels to organize learning; completion is not official CEFR certification or proof of a level.