Past Simple
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.
Before this, learn: Irregular Verbs Part IPresent Simple
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 |
Test yourself
1.2to be - Structures
S = Subject
QW = question word
| Structure | Examples | |
|---|---|---|
| + Affirmative | S + was / were + ... | Last year I was always at home on Sundays. |
| - Negative | S + was / were + not +... | He was not/wasn't at work the day before yesterday. |
| ? Question | (QW)+ was / were + S +...? | Where were you last Monday? Were you at the railway station at 5 p.m.? |
Test yourself
1.3Other Verbs - Regular
S = Subject
didn't = did not
QW = question word
| Structure | Examples | |
|---|---|---|
| + Affirmative | S + Verb(+ed / d) + ... | I liked dancing when I was at school. |
| - Negative | S + didn't + Verb +... | We didn't like fast food back then. |
| ? Question | (QW) + did/didn't + S + Verb +...? | Where did you buy food last week? Did you often buy food last month? |
Test yourself
1.4Rules for Adding -ed to Regular Verbs
| Rule | Examples |
|---|---|
| verbs ending in -e → add -d only | live → lived, like → liked |
| one-syllable verbs ending in a single vowel + a single consonant → double the final consonant and add -ed (but never double w, x or y) | stop → stopped, plan → planned; show → showed, fix → fixed |
| longer verbs ending in a single vowel + a single consonant → double the consonant only if the last syllable is stressed | prefer → preferred, but visit → visited |
| 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| + Affirmative | S + Verb (II) + ... | I saw you at the theatre last week. |
| - Negative | S + didn't + Verb +... | I didn't see you at the theatre last week. |
| ? Question | (QW) + did/didn't + S + Verb +...? | Where did you see me last week? Did you see me at the theatre last week? |
Test yourself
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. |
Test yourself
2.2Actions Completed in the Past at a Definite Time / Finished Periods of Time
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| a past action when the time is given | I met him yesterday. His uncle died in 1895. |
| when the time is asked about | When did you meet him? When was he born? |
| an action whose time is not given but which occupied an already finished period of time | He worked in that bank for four years.(but he does not work there now). She lived in Rome for a long time. (but she is not living there now). |
Test yourself
2.3Chain of Events
Chain of events one following another → the simple past is common in stories and descriptions of past events.
| Example |
|---|
| Last summer, I went to the beach with my family. We packed our bags and drove to the coast. Once we arrived, we set up our towels and umbrellas. |
| I woke up at 7 a.m. and got ready for school. I took the bus and arrived at school just in time for the first class. |
| I opened the door and saw him. |
3.Frequently asked questions
When do you use the past simple tense?
You use the past simple for finished actions at a definite past time, past habits, and a chain of events in a story. For example: "I met him yesterday" (a definite time), "He worked in that bank for four years" (a finished period, he doesn't work there now), "Every Christmas we baked cookies" (a past habit) and "I opened the door and saw him" (a chain of events).
Didn't go or didn't went: which is correct in the past simple?
"Didn't go" is correct: after did or didn't the main verb stays in its base form, because did already shows the past. Say "I didn't go to school yesterday", not "I didn't went to school yesterday", and "Did you see him?", not "Did you saw him?" The past form (went, saw, worked) is used in positive sentences without did: "I went to school yesterday."
Was/were or did: which do you use in past simple questions and negatives?
Use was and were with the verb to be, and did or didn't with all other verbs in past simple questions and negatives. Say "Were you at home?", not "Did you be at home?", and "He wasn't at work", not "He didn't be at work". With other verbs, say "Did you like the film?", not "Were you like the film?" Don't use was with a base verb either: say "I went", not "I was go".
Is it correct to say "goed" or "buyed" in the past simple?
No, go and buy are irregular verbs, so their past simple forms are "went" and "bought", not "goed" and "buyed". Only regular verbs add -ed: "work" becomes "worked". Irregular verbs have their own past form, which you need to learn: "take" becomes "took", "make" becomes "made", "write" becomes "wrote". In questions and negatives, every verb goes back to the base form after did: "I didn't buy it."
How do you spell regular verbs with -ed in the past simple?
Most regular verbs just add -ed ("work" becomes "worked"), but verbs ending in -e add only -d: "live" becomes "lived". When a one-syllable verb ends in one vowel and one consonant, double the consonant: "stop" becomes "stopped", "plan" becomes "planned". This doesn't happen with w, x or y ("show" becomes "showed", "fix" becomes "fixed"), and a longer verb doubles only when its last syllable is stressed: "prefer" becomes "preferred", but "visit" becomes "visited". When a verb ends in a consonant plus y, change y to i: "carry" becomes "carried", "study" becomes "studied". After a vowel plus y, just add -ed: "play" becomes "played".
