Past Simple Tense: Complete Guide
What Is the Past Simple Tense?
The Past Simple tense is used to describe completed actions or events that happened at a specific time in the past. It is one of the most commonly used verb tenses in English.
When Do We Use the Past Simple?
We use the Past Simple tense in the following situations:
- A completed action in the past
Example: She visited Paris last year. - A series of completed actions
Example: He woke up, brushed his teeth, and left the house. - An action that happened at a specific time
Example: I met him in 2010. - A repeated or habitual action in the past
Example: We always went to the beach in summer. - A state or situation in the past
Example: They were happy together.
Structure of the Past Simple Tense
1. Regular Verbs
To form the Past Simple with regular verbs, add -ed to the base verb.
Examples:
- work → worked
- clean → cleaned
- play → played
Spelling Notes:
- If the verb ends in -e, add only -d.
Example: live → lived - If the verb ends in a consonant + -y, change -y to -ied.
Example: study → studied - If the verb is one syllable and ends in a consonant-vowel-consonant, double the final consonant before adding -ed.
Example: stop → stopped
2. Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs do not follow the standard -ed pattern. These must be memorized.
Examples:
- go → went
- have → had
- eat → ate
- see → saw
- buy → bought
Example Sentences:
- She went to the cinema yesterday.
- We had dinner at 7 PM.
Negative Sentences in the Past Simple
To make a negative sentence in the Past Simple, use did not (didn’t) + base form of the verb.
Structure:
Subject + did not (didn’t) + base verb
Examples:
- I did not like the movie.
- They didn’t go to the party.
- He didn’t understand the question.
Important: Never use the past form of the verb after “didn’t”. Always use the base form.
Questions in the Past Simple
To ask questions, use did + subject + base form of the verb.
Structure:
Did + subject + base verb + (rest of sentence)?
Examples:
- Did you play football?
- Did she watch the film?
- Did they enjoy the trip?
Short Answers:
- Yes, I did. / No, I didn’t.
- Yes, she did. / No, she didn’t.
Time Expressions Used with the Past Simple
Time expressions that are often used with the Past Simple include:
- yesterday
- last night / week / year / month
- two days ago / a year ago
- in 2005
- when I was a child
- just now
- then
Examples:
- We visited Rome two years ago.
- She called me last night.
- He finished the book yesterday.
Examples in Context
Short Story:
Last summer, we traveled to Italy. We stayed in a small hotel by the sea. Every morning, we woke up early and went for a swim. In the evenings, we ate pizza and watched the sunset. It was perfect.