To complete the text with the correct verb forms, we need to consider the context and the sequence of events described. Here's the completed text with explanations for each choice:
Last summer I was abroad for three weeks. (Past simple tense is used here to describe a completed action in the past.)
My father went to France on business and took me with him. (Both verbs are in the past simple tense, indicating completed actions.)
In Paris, we stayed in a hotel. (Past simple tense for a completed action.)
We usually had breakfast early in the morning. (Past simple tense is used for habitual actions in the past.)
Then my dad drove to work and I rode to the swimming bath. (Both verbs are in the past simple tense, describing routine actions.)
I swam there. (Past simple tense for a completed action.)
When I came to Paris, I knew only two or three French words. (Both verbs are in the past simple tense, describing the state or knowledge at that point in time.)
Soon I began to understand French. (Past simple tense for a change in ability.)
Dad's friends taught me. (Past simple tense for a completed action.)
I think I can speak French a little now. (Present simple tense to describe a current ability.)
In this text, the past simple tense is predominantly used because the narrator is recounting a series of completed actions and experiences from last summer. The present simple is used at the end to discuss the current state or ability that resulted from those past experiences.
