







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 | |
|---|---|
| Oh my god, I'm sorry dear, I got what you meant just now... | Oh dios mío, lo siento mucho querido, acabo de entender lo que querías decir... |
| Then we found the wallet with nothing left in it. | Luego encontramos la cartera sin nada en ella. |
| Look at that, it splashed water all over me! | ¡Mira eso, me ha salpicado de agua! |
| Hmm, I guess it was about 5 or 6 months ago. | Hmm, supongo que hace unos 5 o 6 meses. |
| I can't believe that, you were a very nice couple! | No puedo creerlo, ¡eráis una pareja muy bonita! |
| I used the same logic as you... | Usé la misma lógica que tú... |
| I saw her at the toilet door throwing the frying pan into the toilet bowl. | Y la vi a ella en la puerta del baño tirando la sartén para freír en el inodoro. |
| Did the chips remind you of her? | ¿Las papas fritas te recordaron a ella? |
| Unfortunately, the next one was at 11 and the last one was at 15:30. | Desafortunadamente, la siguiente fue a las 11 y la última a las 15:30. |
| Did you sleep well last night? | ¿Dormiste bien anoche? |
| What made you change your mind? | ¿Qué hizo que cambiaras de parecer? |
| If you are allergic to cats, why didn't you talk to me directly? | Si eres alérgica a los gatos, ¿por qué no lo hablaste conmigo directamente? |
| It doesn't mean I didn't spend any time finding a house. | Eso no significa que no gasté tiempo en encontrar una casa. |
| It was nice meeting you. | Fue agradable conocerlas. |
| Then the wine bottle broke, etcetera... | Después se rompió la botella de vino, etcétera... |
| Today Rebecca called me about... | Hoy Rebecca me llamó sobre... |
| Plus you drank half of my bottle of wine! | ¡Además te bebiste la mitad de mi botella de vino! |
| Did you put a question mark at the end? | ¿Escribiste un signo de interrogación al final? |
| Meanwhile I was feeling very tired and wanted to lie down for a while. | Mientras tanto, me estaba sintiendo cansada y quería acostarme un rato. |
| I checked the train schedule on the internet. | Comprobé el horario de los trenes en internet. |