A1 · Beginner · Travel · 138 words · ~2 min read

🧳 Lost and Found at the Airport

Language focus: Past Simple · questions with did

Before you read

This is the first A1 story told entirely in the past. Watch two things: the regular -ed endings, and what happens to the verb in questions and negatives once did arrives. That second point is where nearly every learner slips.

Yesterday, Anna arrived at a busy international airport. She was tired after the long journey, and she lost her small red bag. She felt very worried.

Anna went to the lost and found desk. “I lost my bag an hour ago,” she said. The kind officer asked, “What colour is it, and what is inside?”

Ten minutes later, a man handed in a red bag with a name label. It was Anna’s! She was so lucky. She thanked everyone and walked happily to her gate.

Anna waited at the desk for ten minutes. She filled in a short form and gave the officer her phone number. She did not cry, but she wanted to.

On the plane she checked her bag twice. Everything was there: her passport, her keys and her camera. She slept for the whole flight.

Key vocabulary (8 words)

terminalnoun: A large building at an airport where passengers arrive and leave.
officernoun: A person whose job is to help and keep order.
worriedadjective: Feeling unhappy because you think something bad may happen.
labelnoun: A small piece of paper or card with information on it.
trolleynoun: A metal cart with wheels for carrying bags.
gatenoun: The place at an airport where you board your plane.
suitcasenoun: A large bag with a handle for carrying clothes when you travel.
luckyadjective: Having good things happen to you by chance.

Phrasal verbs in this story

hand in — To hand in means to give something to a person in charge.

The grammar in this story

Regular past verbs add -ed, and never change

Arrived, lost, asked, handed, thanked, walked, waited, filled. The -ed ending is the same for every subject: I walked, she walked, they walked. There is no -s to worry about in the past, which makes it easier than the present simple in one respect.

Irregular verbs must simply be learned

The story also uses was, went, said, felt, slept — none of them take -ed. There are roughly a hundred common irregular verbs in English and no rule predicts them, so the only route is repeated exposure. Reading past-tense stories is the least painful way to get it.

After did, the verb goes back to its base form

“The officer asked…” becomes “Did the officer ask…?” Once did appears, it carries the past tense and the main verb loses its ending. Did you went? is wrong; Did you go? is right. The same applies to negatives: She did not cry, never she did not cried.

Time expressions that force the past simple

Yesterday, an hour ago, ten minutes later. When a finished time is stated like this, the past simple is compulsory. This becomes crucial later when you meet the present perfect, which cannot be used with these expressions at all.

Phrases you can reuse today

I lost my bag an hour ago.: Past simple plus ago for a finished time.
Did you see a red bag?: Did plus base verb — no -ed on see.
I did not have time.: The negative keeps the base form after did not.
Where is the lost and found desk?: A fixed noun phrase worth memorising at an airport.

Comprehension quiz

When did Anna arrive at the airport?
- Last year
- Yesterday
- Tomorrow
Show answer
Yesterday
What did Anna lose?
- Her phone
- Her shoes
- Her red bag
Show answer
Her red bag
Where did she go for help?
- The lost and found desk
- The café
- The gate
Show answer
The lost and found desk
Who handed in the bag?
- A child
- A man
- The pilot
Show answer
A man
“Hand in” means to…
- give to someone in charge
- throw away
- hide
Show answer
give to someone in charge

Now use it yourself

Reading builds recognition; writing your own sentences is what turns it into something you can actually say. Three short tasks:

Write five sentences about what you did yesterday. Mark the irregular verbs.
Turn three of those sentences into questions with did.
Have you ever lost something important? Describe it in the past simple.