







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 | |
|---|---|
| Of course I didn't, they had already started playing it before I got there! | Por supuesto que no, ¡ellos ya habían empezado a jugar antes de que yo llegara! |
| Umm, since we met I can count the days I didn't hear you snoring. | Umm, desde que nos conocemos puedo contar los días en que no te he escuchado roncar. |
| I knew it was too good to be true! | ¡Sabía que era demasiado bueno para ser verdad! |
| What the f*ck! I didn't know that! | ¡Qué demonios! ¡No lo sabía! |
| Well, as I finished most things while you weren't here. | Bueno, como terminé la mayoría de los pendientes mientras no estabas aquí. |
| I came here to visit her, then she went back and I stayed here. | Vine aquí a visitarla, después ella volvió y yo me quedé aquí. |
| Erm, okay guys, let me explain what happened... | Erm, de acuerdo chicos, déjenme explicar lo que pasó... |
| I didn't have any time to go and check houses. | No tenía nada de tiempo para ir a ver casas. |
| To tell you I came here earlier than we agreed! | ¡Para decirte que llegué antes de lo que acordamos! |
| Because a girl had an argument with Diego? | ¿Porque una chica tuvo una pelea con Diego? |
| You, too, I hope you found the house easily. | Mucho gusto, espero que hayan encontrado la casa fácilmente. |
| Actually, I was going to ask you something at the pub, but Diego interrupted me. | En realidad, yo iba a preguntarle algo en el pub, pero Diego me interrumpió. |
| Wow! Did you just agree to get a new house? | ¡Wow! ¿Acabas de aceptar que consigamos una nueva casa? |
| They are an old couple, he thought I was his son. | Era una pareja anciana, él pensó que yo era su hijo. |
| No, it seems I'd forgotten to charge it before I left. | No, parece que olvidé cargarlo antes de salir. |
| Plus you drank half of my bottle of wine! | ¡Además te bebiste la mitad de mi botella de vino! |
| It wasn't long ago. | No hace mucho. |
| I didn't realise there was a problem with the toilet! | ¡No me había dado cuenta de que había un problema con el inodoro! |
| Any idea why they decided to sell the house suddenly? | ¿Tienes idea de por qué decidieron vender la casa tan precipitadamente? |
| Then suddenly, a vicious dog just came and... | Entonces, de repente, un perro malo acaba de llegar y... |