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.
Common irregular verbs:
| Base | Past simple | Base | Past simple |
|---|---|---|---|
| be | was / were | have | had |
| do | did | make | made |
| go | went | take | took |
| see | saw | come | came |
| buy | bought | give | gave |
| eat | ate | get | got |
| write | wrote | meet | met |
More in Irregular Verbs.
Time expressions: yesterday, last night, last week, two days ago, in 2019, when I was a child.
The past simple of be
The verb be has two past forms: was (I, he, she, it) and were (you, we, they). It does not use did. For negatives, add not: wasn’t / weren’t. For questions, put was/were first.
- I was tired last night. / They weren’t at home.
- Was the film good? / Were you at the party?
✗ Did you be at the party? → ✓ Were you at the party?
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).
⚠️ Typical error:
We have lived in Girona when we were children.→ When we were children is a finished period, so use the past simple: We lived in Girona when we were children.
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 |
Vowel + -y keeps the y (played, stayed), and verbs ending in -w or -x do not double it (snowed, fixed).
Pronouncing -ed
The ending is said in three ways. Only /ɪd/ adds a syllable.
- /t/ after p, k, f, x, s, sh, ch: worked, stopped, laughed, fixed, washed
- /d/ after most other sounds: played, lived, called
- /ɪd/ after t and d: wanted, needed
Signal words
| Word | Position | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yesterday | end of the sentence (or the start) | I saw her yesterday. |
| last week / last year | end of the sentence (or the start) | We met last week. |
| in 2019 | end of the sentence (or the start) | They married in 2019. |
| ago | right after a time period | He left two hours ago. |
| when | start of a clause | When I arrived, I called my mum. |
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. The -ed rule does not apply to irregular verbs, and many of the most common English verbs are irregular. goed, buyed, thinked → went, bought, 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 yesterday.
4. ___ the thunder last night?
5. I ___ him at the station yesterday.
6. He ___ a new car last month.
7. Last night I ___ for my exam until midnight.
8. We ___ in Girona when we were children.
9. Choose the correct sentence.
10. When the phone rang, I ___ it immediately.
11. Fill in the gap
She ___ her keys on the bus yesterday. (leave)
Type the past simple.
12. Correct the mistake
Did you went to the party?
Type the whole corrected sentence.
13. Correct the mistake
I didn’t saw him.
Type the whole corrected sentence.
✏️ Practice: Fill in the gaps
Type the past simple form. Twenty original sentences — completed actions, sequences, past habits, negatives and questions. Every sentence has a finished-time marker.
✏️ Practice: Put it in order
Tap the words to build each sentence — 20 examples covering completed actions, sequences, past habits, negatives, and questions.
✏️ Practice: Match the past forms
Tap a base verb, then tap its irregular past simple form. These twenty don’t take -ed — they’re the ones learners mix up most.
✏️ Practice: Beat the clock
15 seconds per question. Check the time marker (yesterday, last year, ago) and watch the irregular verbs and the -ed spellings.
20 questions, 15 seconds each. The clock starts when you press Start.
✏️ Practice: Find the mistake
Each sentence has exactly one mistake. Tap the word you think is wrong. Twenty original sentences.
✏️ Level check: How well do you know it?
20 mixed questions — typing, word order, irregular forms, multiple choice, and spot-the-mistake. One pass, then a breakdown of where you’re strong and where to go back and practise.
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. The verb be is the exception: She wasn’t there. Were you there?
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, including the verb be (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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