Past Simple Tense
The past simple is used to describe completed actions, events, and situations at a specific time in the past. It is one of the most used tenses in English storytelling and everyday conversation.
When to use the past simple
- Completed actions at a specific past time: She called me yesterday. He left at 6 a.m.
- A series of completed past actions: She walked in, sat down, and opened her laptop.
- Past habits or routines (no longer true): He played football every weekend when he was young.
- Past states: They lived in Rome for five years. She was very shy as a child.
How to form the past simple
I worked. She went. They finished.
I didn't work. She didn't go.
Did you work? Did she go?
Regular verbs: add -ed
| Base form | Past simple | Spelling note |
|---|---|---|
| walk | walked | Add -ed |
| live | lived | Ends in -e: add -d |
| study | studied | Consonant + y: change to -ied |
| stop | stopped | CVC: double final consonant + -ed |
Irregular verbs: must be memorised
| Base form | Past simple | Base form | Past simple |
|---|---|---|---|
| go | went | see | saw |
| come | came | take | took |
| have | had | make | made |
| do | did | get | got |
| say | said | know | knew |
| think | thought | find | found |
| tell | told | leave | left |
| give | gave | write | wrote |
Past simple of "be"
The verb be is irregular and has two past simple forms: was (I/he/she/it) and were (you/we/they).
| Subject | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| I / He / She / It | was | wasn't | Was it...? |
| You / We / They | were | weren't | Were they...? |
Signal words
yesterday, last night, last week, last year, last Monday
ago: two days ago, a year ago, five minutes ago
in 2010, in the 1990s, in January
when I was young / a child / a student
Base verb after did/didn't: When forming negatives and questions with did, the main verb always stays in the base form: Did she go? ✓ (not: Did she went? ✗). She didn't work ✓ (not: She didn't worked ✗).
Tip: The past simple is used with specific finished time references: yesterday, last week, in 2015, two hours ago. If there is no specific time reference and the connection to the present matters, you may need the present perfect instead.