Past Simple
The Simple Past Tense in English
Introduction
The Simple Past tense describes actions or events that happened at a specific time in the past. It is used to talk about completed actions, past habits, or stories.
Usage of the Simple Past
1. Completed actions in the past:
– I visited my grandma yesterday.
– She watched a movie last night.
2. Past habits or routines:
– When I was a child, I played outside every day.
– He always traveled during the summer when he was young.
3. Stories or sequences of events in the past:
– He entered the room, looked around, and left quickly.
4. States or situations in the past (especially with certain verbs):
– I knew him when we were colleagues.
Forming the Simple Past Tense
Regular Verbs
Most regular verbs form the past tense by adding -ed to the base form:
| Base Form | Past Tense | Example |
|—————|—————-|———————————|
| walk | walked | I walked home yesterday. |
| play | played | They played football last week. |
| talk | talked | She talked to her friend. |
Spelling Rules for Regular Verbs
– If the verb ends in -e, just add -d:
– love → loved
– dance → danced
– If the verb ends in a consonant + -y, change -y to -i and add -ed:
– shy → shied → shyed (incorrect)
– try → tried
– For one-syllable verbs ending in a single vowel + consonant, double the final consonant before -ed:
– stop → stopped
– plan → planned
- Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs do not follow a fixed pattern. Their past tense forms must be memorized.| Base Form | Past Tense | Example |
|————|————|———————————|
| go | went | I went to the park yesterday. |
| eat | ate | She ate lunch early. |
| see | saw | We saw a movie last night. |
| have | had | He had a bike last year. |
| do | did | They did their homework. |
Negative Sentences
Use did not (or didn’t) + base verb:
– I did not watch the film.
– She didn’t go to school.
Note: The main verb remains in its base form after did not/didn’t.
—
Questions in Simple Past
Form questions with Did + subject + base verb:
– Did you visit the museum?
– Did she enjoy the party?
Answers:
– Yes, I did. / No, I didn’t.
– Yes, she did. / No, she didn’t.
Time Expressions Commonly Used with Simple Past
– yesterday
– last week/month/year
– A few days ago
– in 2010
– when I was a child
– ago
—
Examples of Simple Past Sentences
– I finished my homework yesterday.
– They travelled to Spain last summer.
– She didn’t watch TV last night.
– Did you see the new movie?
– We played football after school.
Summary
– The simple past tense is used for completed actions in the past.
– Regular verbs add -ed; irregular verbs change form.
– Negative sentences use did not/didn’t + base verb.
– Questions are formed with Did + subject + base verb.
– Key time expressions include yesterday, last, ago, in.