last week

Meaning

This phrase refers to the seven-day period before the current week. It is used with past tense verbs to indicate when an event occurred. It is a fundamental time marker in daily English conversation for storytelling and scheduling.

Examples

• I bought a new car last week.

  I bought a new car last week.

• We went to a great Italian restaurant last week.

  We went to a great Italian restaurant last week.

• Did you see the email I sent last week?

  Did you see the email I sent last week.

• Last week was incredibly busy at the office.

  Last week was incredibly busy at the office.

• They arrived in London last week.

  They arrived in London last week.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I met him in the last week.

  ✓ I met him last week.

  Do not use the preposition 'in' or the article 'the' before 'last week' when specifying when something happened.

• ✗ Last week I have visited my grandparents.

  ✓ Last week I visited my grandparents.

  Since 'last week' refers to a finished past time, you must use the simple past tense, not the present perfect.

Related Expressions

Practice

• I started my new job ___ and I really like it.

  💡 the week before this one

  Show answer

  last week

• Where did you go on vacation ___?

  💡 seven days ago

  Show answer

  last week