Past Simple

Here’s a quick, exam-ready guide to the Past Simple tense.

When to use it

• For finished actions at a specific time in the past (yesterday, last week, in 2005, ago).

Form

1. Affirmative

• Subject + verb in the past simple form.
• Regular verbs: add -ed (walked, talked, watched).
• Irregular verbs: different forms (went, ate, saw).

Examples:

• I visited my grandmother yesterday.
• She watched a movie last night.
• They went to the park.

2. Negative

• Subject + did not (didn’t) + base form of the verb.
• Note: after did not, use the base form (walk, go, have, see).

Examples:

• I did not (didn’t) see him yesterday.
• He didn’t go to work last Monday.

3. Question

• Did + subject + base form of the verb?
• Short answers: Yes, I did. / No, I didn’t.

Examples:

• Did you finish your homework?
• Yes, I did. / No, I didn’t.

Spelling notes for regular verbs

• If the verb ends in -e, just add -d (like like → liked; move → moved).
• If the verb ends with a consonant + vowel + consonant, double the final consonant before -ed (stop → stopped, plan → planned).
• If the verb ends in -y preceded by a consonant, change -y to -i and add -ed (try → tried, carry → carried).
• Some verbs ending in -ay, -ey, -oy, -woon keep the -y as -yed (play → played, enjoy → enjoyed).

Common irregular verbs (a sample)

• be → was/were
• go → went
• buy → bought
• come → came
• do → did
• have → had
• see → saw
• take → took
• get → got
• make → made
• say → said
• eat → ate
• sleep → slept
• run → ran
• fly → flew
• write → wrote

Time expressions often used with Past Simple

• yesterday, last night, last week, last month, last year
• ago
• in 2000, in 1999, in 1990s
• when I was a child, etc.

Common mistakes

• Using have/has with past time references: incorrect -> Use did + base verb (I did not see him yesterday).
• Using the present perfect with a finished time: incorrect -> I saw him yesterday (not I have seen him yesterday).
• Forgetting the irregular past form: I goed to the store (correct: went).

Quick practice (answer key after)

1. I (walk) to school yesterday.
2. They (not/finish) their project last night.
3. Did you (see) that movie?
4. She (be) very tired after the trip.
5. We (buy) a new car last month.

Answers:

1. walked
2. did not finish (didn’t finish)
3. see
4. was
5. bought

If you want, I can tailor a short set of exercises to your level (beginner, intermediate) or convert these into a quick quiz with answer feedback.