Past Simple

Elementary

The past simple tense is used to describe actions, events, or situations that were completed at a specific point in the past. It is commonly used to tell stories, recount past experiences, or talk about past habits or routines.

1.Structures

1.1to be - Forms

These are the past simple forms of the verb to be

	singular	plural
1st person	I was	We were
2nd person	You were	You were
3d person	He/She/It was	They were

Practice Examples

Choose the correct form of the verb (Past Simple).

I (be) _____ very happy with the results.

Choose the correct form of the verb (Past Simple).

You (be) _____ late for the meeting.

Choose the correct form of the verb (Past Simple).

I (be) _____ tired after the long walk.

1.2to be - Structures

S = Subject
QW = question word

	Structure	Examples
+	S + was / were + ...	Last year I was always at home on Sundays.
-	S + was / were + not +...	He was not/wasn’t at work the day before yesterday.
?	(QW)+ was / were + S +...?	Where were you last Monday? Were you at the railway station at 5 p.m.?

Practice Examples

Form a Yes/No question.

She was late for school last Monday.

Form a Yes/No question.

I was at the park yesterday afternoon.

Form a Yes/No question.

They were at the concert last night.

1.3Other Verbs - Regular

S = Subject
didn’t = did not
QW = question word

	Structure	Examples
+	S + Verb(+ed / d) + ...	I liked dancing when I was at school.
-	S + didn’t + Verb +...	We didn’t like fast food back then.
?	(QW) + did/didn't + S + Verb +...?	Where did you buy food last week? Did you often buy food last month?

Practice Examples

Form a special question. Start with What.

You played the piano.

Form a special question. Start with What.

I watched the sunset.

Form a special question. Start with Why.

They arrived late.

1.4Rules for Adding -ed to Regular Verbs

Rule	Examples
verbs ending in -e → add -d only	live → lived, like → liked
verbs ending in a consonant (except e) and a single vowel→ double the final consonant and add -ed.	stop → stopped,plan → planned
verbs ending in a consonant + -y → change the y into i before adding -ed.	carry → carried,try → tried

1.5Other Verbs - Irregular

S = Subject
didn’t = did not
QW = question word
(II) = the past simple form of the main verb → Irregular Verbs List (2nd column)

	Structure	Examples
+	S + Verb (II) + ...	I saw you at the theatre last week.
-	S + didn’t + Verb +...	I didn’t see you at the theatre last week.
?	(QW) + did/didn't + S + Verb +...?	Where did you see me last week? Did you see me at the theatre last week?

Practice Examples

Form a special question. Start with What.

She gave me a gift for my birthday.

Form a special question. Start with What.

She showed me the picture.

Form a special question. Start with What.

We did our homework.

2.Use

2.1Past Habits

The simple past tense is used to talk about habits or routines that were repeated regularly in the past. In most cases, adverbs like always, often, seldom etc are also used to emphasize that the actions were habitual.

Example
When I was a child, I always walked to school with my friends.
Every Christmas, we decorated the house with lights and baked cookies together.
When I lived in Europe, I traveled to different countries almost every summer.