Grammar › Verb Tenses › Past Simple
Past Simple
The past simple describes finished actions at a finished time. Use it for:
- Completed actions in the past — I visited Rome last year.
- A sequence of past events — She woke up, made coffee and left.
- Past habits and states — We lived in Girona for ten years.
Regular verbs add -ed (worked); irregular verbs change form (go → went). For an experience with no specific time, use the present perfect instead.
How to form the past simple
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | subject + past form (verb + -ed, or irregular) | She finished the report. / We went home. |
| Negative | subject + didn’t + base verb | They didn’t arrive on time. |
| Question | Did + subject + base verb? | Did you see it? |
Regular verbs add -ed (work → worked). Many common verbs are irregular and change form (go → went, see → saw, buy → bought). In negatives and questions, did/didn’t carries the past, so the main verb goes back to its base form.
When to use the past simple
1. Completed actions at a finished time
The action started and ended in the past.
- I bought a new phone yesterday.
- They moved to Madrid in 2019.
⚠️ Typical error:
I have bought a phone yesterday.→ With a finished-time expression like yesterday, use the past simple: I bought a phone yesterday.
2. A sequence of past events
For actions that happened one after another (telling a story).
- She opened the door, saw the mess and sighed.
⚠️ Typical error:
She was opening the door, saw the mess…→ For completed actions in sequence, use the past simple, not the past continuous.
3. Past habits and states
Things that were true for a period but are finished now.
- We played football every weekend as kids.
- He worked there for five years (but not now).
Spelling of regular past forms
| Rule | Verb ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| add -ed | most verbs | worked, played |
| add -d | verbs ending in -e | liked, lived |
| -y → -ied | consonant + -y | studied, tried |
| double the consonant | short verb, consonant–vowel–consonant | stopped, planned |
Signal words
| Word | Position | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yesterday | end | I saw her yesterday. |
| last week / last year | end | We met last week. |
| in 2019 | end | They married in 2019. |
| ago | after a time period | He left two hours ago. |
| when | start of a clause | When I arrived, everyone had gone. |
Common mistakes
1. Keeping the past form after did/didn’t. The most frequent past-simple error. After did or didn’t, the main verb goes back to its base form, because did already shows the past. Did you went? → Did you go? and I didn’t saw it → I didn’t see it.
2. Inventing regular forms for irregular verbs. English has around 200 common irregular verbs, and the -ed rule does not apply to them. goed, buyed, thinked → went, bought, thought. Pro tip: learn irregulars in sound groups (bring/brought, buy/bought, think/thought).
3. Using the past simple instead of the present perfect (and vice versa). If you say when (a finished time), use the past simple. For an experience with no time, or a result that matters now, use the present perfect. I have called him yesterday → I called him yesterday.
✏️ Practice: Past Simple
1. We ___ a great film last night.
2. She ___ to Paris in 2019.
3. They ___ the message.
4. ___ you ___ the news this morning?
5. I ___ him at the station yesterday.
6. He ___ a new car last month.
7. The past simple of 'study' is ___.
8. We ___ in Girona when we were children.
9. Rewrite with the same meaning: 'It's ten years since I last saw her.'
10. When the phone rang, I ___ it immediately.
Frequently asked questions
When do I use the past simple and when the present perfect?
Use the past simple when you say or imply a finished time: I saw him yesterday. Use the present perfect for experiences with no specific time, or results that matter now: I've seen that film.
How do I make past simple negatives and questions?
Use did/didn't + the base verb: She didn't go. Did you go? The word 'did' carries the past, so the main verb stays in its base form.
How do I know if a verb is regular or irregular?
Regular verbs add -ed (worked, played). Irregular verbs change form and must be memorised (go → went, see → saw, buy → bought). Many of the most common English verbs are irregular.
What is the difference between the past simple and 'used to'?
Both describe finished past habits. 'Used to' stresses that something is no longer true (I used to smoke). The past simple just states the fact (I smoked for years).
👩🏫 For teachers
CEFR objectives for “Past Simple”:
- Can form affirmative, negative and interrogative past simple sentences with regular and irregular verbs (CEFR A2).
- Can spell regular past forms correctly (-ed, -ied, consonant doubling).
- Can distinguish the past simple from the present perfect using time markers.
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