In English we use the past simple tense to talk about finished actions in the past.
We use 'did' as an auxiliary verb in negatives and questions and we often use the past simple with past time phrases such as 5 minutes ago, yesterday, last week, in the 1980s, and when I was a child.
Notes for use of past simple :
In English, to change verbs to the past tense, we add '-ed' to regular verbs. For example;
work --> worked
live --> lived
walk --> walked
If the verb ends in 'e', we drop the 'e' before adding '-ed'. For example;
dance --> danced
smile --> smiled
phone --> phoned
If the verb ends in a vowel + consonant, we double the last consonant. For example;
stop --> stopped
tag --> tagged
plan --> planned
If the verb has more than one syllable, we double the consonant at the end only if the last syllable is stressed. For example;
prefer --> preferred
permit --> permitted
regret --> regretted
If the last syllable of the verb is not stressed, we do not double the last consonant. For example;
visit --> visited
happen --> happened
develop --> developed
In British English, verbs ending in 'l' double the 'l' before '-ed' whether the last syllable is stressed or not. For example;
travel --> travelled
cancel --> cancelled
If the verb ends in a 'y' or a 'w', we do not double it when we add '-ed'. For example;
stay --> stayed
play --> played
sew --> sewed
In English we do not double the consonant if the verb has two vowels before the last consonant. For example;
boil --> boiled
explain --> explained
In English we also do not double the consonant if the verb ends in two consonants. For example;
help --> helped
start --> started
However, irregular verbs change to completely different words in the past tense. For example;
go --> went
take --> took
know --> knew
The table below shows the different forms of past simple :
Example Verb : live | I / You / We / They / He / She / It |
Positive | ... lived. |
Negative | ... didn't live. |
Questions | Did ... live? |
Short answers | Yes, ... did. / No, ... didn't. |
For the verb 'to be' we use 'was' and 'were'' in the past simple. No auxiliary verbs are used in negative sentences and questions.
Verb : Be | I / He / She / It | You / We / They |
Positive | ... was ... | ... were ... |
Negative | ... wasn't ... | ... weren't ... |
Questions | Was ... ... ? | Were ... ...? |
Short answers | Yes, ... was. / No, ... wasn't. | Yes, ... were. / No, ... weren't. |
Past Simple Example Sentences :
Positive Examples of Past Simple :
Negative Examples of Past Simple :
Question Examples of Past Simple :
Past simple example sentences | |
---|---|
What happened? Did you break a bottle? | Was ist passiert? Hast du die Flasche fallen lassen? |
Yes, that's me, hello, I think we talked on the phone before... | Ja, das bin ich. Hallo, ich denke wir haben zusammen telefoniert... |
Exactly, I think they understood it at first sight! | Genau. Ich denke sie haben es auf den ersten Blick verstanden! |
And we just bumped into each other tonight. | Und wir sind uns heute Abend zufällig über den Weg gelaufen. |
What happened to this one? | Was ist diesmal passiert? |
To tell you I came here earlier than we agreed! | Um dir zu sagen, dass ich früher hier bin als ausgemacht! |
Hmm, why weren't we here at the time?... | Hmm, warum waren wir zu dieser Zeit nicht hier?... |
Or a demon possessed her! | Oder sie war besessen von einem Dämon! |
Where did you get that idea from!? | Wie kommst du denn darauf!? |
I don't know, did you check the expiry date? | Ich weiß nicht. Hast du das Ablaufdatum überprüft? |
We did it together only for one day, dear! | Wir haben das nur einen Tag lang zusammen gemacht, Schatz! |
Yes, I thought about moving upstairs. | Ja, ich habe mir schon überlegt nach oben zu ziehen. |
What the f*ck! I didn't know that! | Was zum Teufel! Ich wusste das nicht! |
Have fun, Diego, it was nice to meet you. | Viel Spaß, Diego, hat mich gefreut dich kennenzulernen. |
Today Rebecca called me about... | Heute hat mich Rebecca angerufen, es ging um... |
Umm, she started staying with me recently. | Ähm, sie wohnt seit kurzem bei mir. |
I just got here mate, about 5 minutes ago. | Ich bin gerade erst angekommen, Kumpel, vor ungefähr 5 Minuten. |
Anyway, did you have any problems with that girl before? | Wie auch immer, hattest du schon mal Probleme mit diesem Mädchen? |
Did you put a question mark at the end? | Hast du am Ende ein Fragezeichen verwendet? |
Yes, I did, did you? | Ja, habe ich. Und du? |