Summary
In-depth Explanation
How to Form the Past Simple Tense
To form the past simple of regular verbs, we add -ed to the base form of the verb. For example:
play → played
We played soccer.
visit → visited
She visited her friend.
work → worked
They worked all day.
Some verbs do not follow the regular -ed pattern. These are called irregular verbs, and their past forms vary. Here are some common examples:
go → went
I went to the store.
have → had
She had breakfast.
see → saw
We saw a movie.
The past forms of irregular verbs do not follow a specific rule, so you will need to memorize them. Fortunately, all verbs except for “to be” are the same for all subjects (I, you, we, etc.) in the past tense.
“To be” in the past tense is “was” for the subjects “I,” “he,” “she” and “it” and “were” for the subjects “you,” “we” and “they.”
Negatives in the Past Simple
To make negative sentences, use the auxiliary verb “did not“(or “didn’t“) followed by the base form of the main verb:
[Subject] + did not/didn’t + [base form of the verb]
For example:
I didn’t watch TV last night.
They didn’t go to the party.
Questions in the Past Simple
To ask questions in the past simple, we use the auxiliary verb “did” before the subject, followed by the base form of the main verb:
Did + [subject] + [base form of verb]…?
For example:
Did you visit your family last weekend?
Did she finish her homework?
When did you graduate?
When to Use the Past Simple
Here are the main situations when we use the past simple tense.
Completed actions in the past (started and finished in the past):
I visited my grandmother yesterday.
They arrived at 8 o’clock last night.
He woke up, had breakfast and left the house.
Permanent or completed situations in the past (situations or states that were true in the past but are no longer true now):
He lived in New York when he was a child.
I worked as a teacher before changing careers.
I was more active when I was younger.
Habits or repeated actions in the past:
When we were children, we played soccer every day.
I went to a lot of concerts in my twenties.
She visited her grandparents every summer.