Question

A friend has just come back from a holiday. You ask him about it. Write your question using the following words:

(how long / stay there?)

• A. How long does he stay there?
  
• B. How long do you stay there?
  
• C. How long will you stay there?
  
• D. How long did you stay there?

Answer 1

Answer: (D)

The simple past (also called past simple, past indefinite) is a verb tense which is used to show that a completed action took place at a specific time in the past. We use the simple past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past, here, the action of staying away on a holiday. The simple past is formed using the verb + ed. In addition, there are many verbs with irregular past forms. Questions are made with 'did' and negative forms are made with 'did not'. Hence, Option D is correct.

The rest of the options do not express this condition. They either mention actions that are happening in the present (Options A and B), or actions that are yet to happen in the near future (Option C).

Hence these options are incorrect.