







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 | |
|---|---|
| Because a girl had an argument with Diego? | ¿Porque una chica tuvo una pelea con Diego? |
| Of course, we all grew up together. | Claro, todas crecimos juntas. |
| Is that how long your relationship with Jen was, also? | ¿También fue eso lo que duró tu relación con Jen? |
| Did you put a question mark at the end? | ¿Escribiste un signo de interrogación al final? |
| Apparently you f*cked up, then what happened? | Aparentemente la c*gaste, ¿después qué pasó? |
| You know we talked about bringing Pogo here one day. | Ya sabes que hablamos sobre traer a Pogo aquí un día. |
| Yes they do, they looked after him last time. | Sí lo hacen, cuidaron de él la última vez. |
| That was so easy, I can't believe it worked! | ¡Eso fue muy fácil, no puedo creer que funcionó! |
| That's funny... What did you forget to ask? | Qué chistoso... ¿Qué se te olvidó preguntar? |
| Do you need help, how did you search? | ¿Necesitas ayuda, cómo lo estás buscando? |
| Where did you get that idea from!? | ¿¡De dónde sacaste esa idea!? |
| That's brilliant, did you manage to see any houses today in the end? | Eso es brillante, ¿al final conseguiste ver alguna casa hoy? |
| So I snore everyday... Why didn't you tell me that before? | Así que ronco todos los días... ¿Por qué no me lo habías dicho antes? |
| Anyway, what did you say to the old lady? | En fin, ¿qué le dijiste a la señora? |
| Can you please tell me what I had there? | ¿Podrías por favor decirme lo que ordené allá? |
| I went home and plugged my phone into the charger... | Regresé a mi casa y conecté mi teléfono al cargador... |
| I don't know, it was like 10. | No lo sé, como a las 10. |
| My housemates once had a dog, too. | Mis compañeros de piso tuvieron un perro una vez también. |
| Later on, I realized it was too crowded and noisy for me. | Me di cuenta de que habían demasiadas multitudes y era muy ruidosa para mí. |
| I got you a cappuccino. | Te traje un capuchino. |