Simple Past

Simple Past

Sometimes called Past Simple, Past Indefinite or Preterite, the Simple Past is one of the verb forms associated with the Past Tense in English.

Quick Example

• You studied English yesterday.
• You did not study English yesterday.
• Did you study English yesterday?

Form

I – you – he – she – it – we – you – they
Regular verbs: Infinitive + ed* Irregular verbs: Simple Past (List of Irregular Verbs – 2nd column)**

*Pronouncing “ed” at the end of words
**List of Irregular Verbs

Common Signal Words

• Last …
• Last night
• … ago
• A long time ago
• Some time ago
• A week ago
• A year ago
• Ten years ago
• In 1994
• In 2001
• Yesterday
• When

Use

The Simple Past is a verb tense used to express:

1. Actions that Happened in the Past (Completed Actions).
2. Habits in the Past.
3. A Series of Completed Actions in the Past.
4. Duration in the Past
5. Past Facts and Generalizations

1. Actions that Happened in Past (Completed Actions)

Use Simple Past to express an action that started and finished in the past.

• I worked yesterday.
• We spoke English last week.
• She studied English last night.
• Did you play soccer when you were young?
• She forgot her keys on top of the piano.
• I watched the news with her yesterday.
• They didn’t listen to the radio.
• The sun rose from behind the mountains this morning.
• They were friends.
• Did your boss call you this weekend?
• He wasn’t happy.
• She bought us some pizza.
• I saw her yesterday.
• I was honest with her.
• When were you there?

2. Habits in the Past

You can also use Simple Past to describe a habit that stopped in the past.

• My cousin lived in Florida when he was a child.
• I studied English when I was young.
• He didn’t play the piano for many years.
• They didn’t go to school for many months.
• When I was young, I liked to play video games.

3. A Series of Completed Actions in the Past

• I washed my hands, cooked lunch, ate real quick, and took a little nap.
• She opened the drawer, got the scissors and cut the packet for me.
• He took the bus and got off on Main Street.

4. Duration in the Past

• My sister lived in London for 10 years.
• She talked on the phone for 2 hours.
• His father was in the hospital for 2 weeks.
• She studied for 3 months to take exam.

5. Past Facts and Generalizations

• Did you have a dog when you were a kid?
• Movie theaters were very expensive two decades ago.
• Did you live in Florida when you were young?

Examples

Simple Present using Work (Regular Verb)

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I worked.	I didn’t work.	Did I work?
You worked.	You didn’t work.	Did you work?
He worked.	He didn’t work.	Did he work?
She worked.	She didn’t work.	Did she work?
It worked.	It didn’t work.	Did it work?
You worked.	You didn’t work.	Did you work?
We worked.	We didn’t work.	Did we work?
They worked.	They didn’t work.	Did they work?

Simple Present using Go (Irregular Verb)

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I went.	I didn’t go.	Did I go?
You went.	You didn’t go.	Did you go?
He went.	He didn’t go.	Did he go?
She went.	She didn’t go.	Did she go?
It went.	It didn’t go.	Did it go?
You went.	You didn’t go.	Did you go?
We went.	We didn’t go.	Did we go?
They went.	They didn’t go.	Did they go?

Simple Present using Study (Regular Verb)

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I studied.	I didn’t study.	Did I study?
You studied.	You didn’t study.	Did you study?
He studied.	He didn’t study.	Did he study?
She studied.	She didn’t study.	Did she study?
It studied.	It didn’t study.	Did it study?
You studied.	You didn’t study.	Did you study?
We studied.	We didn’t study.	Did we study?
They studied.	They didn’t study.	Did they study?

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