Building Fluency in English
CEFR A2 • Elementary • Past tense, family, daily life
What is CEFR A2?
A2 (Elementary) is the second level of the Common European Framework of Reference. At A2, you can understand sentences and frequently-used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance — basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment. You can describe in simple terms aspects of your background, immediate environment, and matters in areas of immediate need.
By the end of A2 you should be able to: talk about the past, describe your family and daily routine, make simple purchases, tell the time, and hold short conversations on familiar topics.
Lesson 1: The Past Simple Tense
The past simple is used for actions that started and finished in the past. It's the most important tense at A2 level.
Regular Verbs
Add -ed to the base form:
| Base Form | Past Simple | Example |
|---|---|---|
| work | worked | I worked yesterday. |
| play | played | She played tennis. |
| study | studied | We studied English. |
| stop | stopped | The bus stopped. |
| live | lived | They lived in Paris. |
Irregular Verbs (Most Common)
Irregular verbs don't follow the -ed pattern. You must memorize them:
| Base | Past | Base | Past |
|---|---|---|---|
| be | was / were | go | went |
| have | had | do | did |
| see | saw | come | came |
| eat | ate | drink | drank |
| buy | bought | get | got |
| make | made | take | took |
| say | said | tell | told |
| give | gave | find | found |
Questions and Negatives
Positive: I worked yesterday.
Negative: I did not (didn't) work yesterday.
Question: Did you work yesterday?
Answer: Yes, I did. / No, I didn't.
Notice: after "did" and "didn't", the verb goes back to its base form (work, not worked).
Lesson 2: Family Vocabulary
Talk about your family with these essential words:
| Relationship | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Parent | father / dad | mother / mom |
| Child | son | daughter |
| Sibling | brother | sister |
| Grandparent | grandfather / grandpa | grandmother / grandma |
| Aunt/Uncle | uncle | aunt |
| Cousin | cousin (male) | cousin (female) |
| Spouse | husband | wife |
| Niece/Nephew | nephew | niece |
Example sentences:
- "I have two brothers and one sister."
- "My father is a doctor, and my mother is a teacher."
- "My grandparents live in the countryside."
- "This is my cousin Sarah. She is my uncle's daughter."
Lesson 3: Shopping & Prices
Useful Phrases
| Situation | Phrase |
|---|---|
| Asking for help | "Excuse me, can you help me?" |
| Asking the price | "How much is this?" / "How much does it cost?" |
| Looking around | "I'm just looking, thanks." |
| Trying on clothes | "Can I try this on?" |
| Asking for a size | "Do you have this in medium?" |
| Paying | "I'll take it." / "I'll pay by card." |
| Getting a receipt | "Can I have the receipt, please?" |
Reading Prices
$5.99 → "five dollars and ninety-nine cents" OR "five ninety-nine"
£12.50 → "twelve pounds fifty"
€100 → "one hundred euros" OR "a hundred euros"
$1,250 → "one thousand two hundred and fifty dollars" OR "twelve hundred fifty dollars"
Lesson 4: Daily Routines & Time
Telling the Time
| Clock | How to Say It |
|---|---|
| 7:00 | "seven o'clock" / "seven" |
| 7:15 | "quarter past seven" / "seven fifteen" |
| 7:30 | "half past seven" / "seven thirty" |
| 7:45 | "quarter to eight" / "seven forty-five" |
| 12:00 | "noon" (midday) / "midnight" (night) |
Common Daily Activities
Morning: wake up, get up, take a shower, brush my teeth, get dressed, have breakfast, go to work/school
Afternoon: have lunch, work, study, take a break, go shopping
Evening: have dinner, watch TV, read a book, relax, go to bed, sleep
Example: "I wake up at 6:30. I usually have coffee and toast for breakfast, then I go to work at 8:00."
Lesson 5: Time Expressions (Past)
Use these with the past simple tense:
- yesterday — "I saw her yesterday."
- last night / last week / last month / last year — "We went to Paris last summer."
- two days ago / a week ago / three years ago — "I moved here six months ago."
- in 2019 / in March / on Monday — "I was born in 1995."
- when I was young / when I was a child — "When I was a child, I loved cartoons."