







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 | |
|---|---|
| Yes, I moved from Brighton about a month ago. | Sí, me mudé de Brighton hace aproximadamente un mes. |
| But unfortunately, they didn't! | Pero desafortunadamente, ¡no lo hicieron! |
| That was so easy, I can't believe it worked! | ¡Eso fue muy fácil, no puedo creer que funcionó! |
| Anyway, did you have any problems with that girl before? | En fin, ¿has tenido antes algún problema con esa chica? |
| I only managed to get 3 appointments for today. | Sólo pude conseguir 3 citas para hoy. |
| You drank too many beers last night! | ¡Bebiste demasiadas cervezas anoche! |
| 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! |
| I thought your laptop was worth a cigarette! | ¡Pensé que tu portátil valdría un cigarrillo! |
| What happened to this one? | ¿Qué pasó con esta? |
| I wasn't complaining, I just wanted to let you know about it. | No me estaba quejando, solo te lo estaba haciendo saber. |
| Actually, I didn't even know you had a cat! | ¡La verdad es que ni siquiera sabía que tenías un gato! |
| It seems you checked the production date. | Parece que ha mirado la fecha de producción. |
| Sorry dear, I didn't mean to annoy you at all. | Lo siento querido, no es mi intención enojarte. |
| To where? You just came, you didn't even finish your beer. | ¿A dónde? Acabáis de llegar, ni siquiera te has terminado la cerveza. |
| And I don't know why but suddenly she went mental! | Y no sé por qué, ¡pero de pronto se volvió loca! |
| To tell you I came here earlier than we agreed! | ¡Para decirte que llegué antes de lo que acordamos! |
| Any idea why they decided to sell the house suddenly? | ¿Tienes idea de por qué decidieron vender la casa tan precipitadamente? |
| Yes, I thought about moving upstairs. | Sí, he pensado en mudarme arriba. |
| Were you drunk or sober? | ¿Estabas ebrio o sobrio? |
| You didn't tell me what? | ¿No me habías dicho qué? |