My Last Holiday Experience | A2 English Reading & Writing

A2 English | Reading & Writing | Past Simple

✈️ My Last Holiday Experience
(Talking about past events)

Learn how to describe your last holiday using the Past Simple tense.

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Step 1: Look and predict!

What do people usually do on holiday? Think of examples.

✔️ Visit new cities or countries 🌍
✔️ Go to the beach or mountains 🏖️🏔️
✔️ Try new food 🍜
✔️ Meet new people 👋
✔️ Take photos and make memories 📸

📚

Step 2: Key vocabulary – Holiday words

✈️ destination The place you are going to on holiday

🏨 accommodation A place to stay, like a hotel or apartment

🧳 luggage Bags and suitcases you take on a trip

🌄 sightseeing Visiting famous places and attractions

🍽️ local food Traditional dishes from that region

😊 memorable Something you remember for a long time

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Step 3: Read the holiday experience

My Last Holiday – by Ana

Last summer, I went to Barcelona, Spain. It was my first time in Spain. I travelled with my best friend, Maria. We stayed in a small hotel near the beach.

On the first day, we visited the famous Sagrada Familia church. It was amazing! We took many photos. After that, we walked through the old city. We saw beautiful buildings and small shops.

We also tried delicious local food. I ate paella and drank sangria. Maria loved the tapas. One day, we went to the beach. We swam in the sea and relaxed under the sun.

The best part of the trip was when we watched the sunset from a hill. The view was incredible. I felt very happy.

I really enjoyed my holiday in Barcelona. I would love to go back one day. It was a memorable experience.

📌 Notice: The story uses Past Simple verbs to talk about finished actions. Highlighted words show past tense verbs.

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Step 4: Do you understand the story?

1. Where did Ana go on holiday?

2. Who did Ana travel with?

3. What famous place did they visit on the first day?

4. What food did Ana eat?

5. What was the best part of the trip?

📖

Step 5: Grammar – Past Simple (Regular and Irregular Verbs)

🔍 Look at these verbs from the story:

Regular verbs (add -ed)
travel → travelled
stay → stayed
walk → walked
relax → relaxed
enjoy → enjoyed

Irregular verbs (change form)
go → went
take → took
see → saw
eat → ate
drink → drank
swim → swam
feel → felt
be → was/were

📌 Rule: Use Past Simple to talk about finished actions in the past. Time words like "last summer", "yesterday", "on the first day" help show when.

✅ I visited Paris last year.
✅ We ate at a nice restaurant.
✅ She bought souvenirs for her family.
✅ They swam in the ocean every day.

✏️

Step 6: Complete the sentences (Past Simple)

1. Last year, I _______ (go) to Italy.

2. We _______ (stay) in a nice hotel.

3. I _______ (eat) pizza for dinner.

4. She _______ (take) many beautiful photos.

5. They _______ (be) very happy on holiday.

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Step 7: Useful phrases for holiday descriptions

📌 Starting your story:
"Last summer, I went to..."
"I travelled to..."
"My last holiday was in..."

📌 Describing activities:
"On the first day, I visited..."
"We also tried..."
"One day, we went to..."

📌 Giving your opinion:
"The best part was..."
"I really enjoyed..."
"It was amazing/incredible/memorable."

📌 Ending your story:
"I would love to go back."
"It was a wonderful experience."
"I will never forget this trip."

✍️

Step 8: Write about your last holiday experience

Answer these questions to write your holiday story:

• Where did you go? 🗺️
• When did you go? 📅
• Who did you go with? 👥
• What did you do? 🏖️
• What food did you eat? 🍜
• What was the best part? ⭐
• Did you enjoy it? 😊

🎤

Step 9: Speaking Practice – Describe your last holiday

Task: Press the microphone button and tell the class about your last holiday. Use Past Simple verbs.

💡 Example:
"Last summer, I went to the beach. I swam in the sea and ate fresh fish. I took many photos. It was a great holiday!"

Your recorded speech: (Not yet recorded)

⏰

Time expressions for past holidays

last summer last year two years ago in 2023 on the first day after that then finally at the end

✅

Holiday Story Checklist

☐ Did you say where you went?

☐ Did you say when you went?

☐ Did you say who you went with?

☐ Did you describe what you did (activities)?

☐ Did you use Past Simple verbs correctly?

☐ Did you say what you liked (the best part)?

☐ Did you give your opinion (It was great / amazing)?

☐ Did you check your spelling and punctuation?

#MyLastHoliday #PastSimple #HolidayStory #A2English #LearnEnglish

A2 English | Writing and Speaking about My Last Holiday Experience | Past Simple for finished actions