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? | Que s'est-il passé ? As-tu cassé la bouteille ? |
Did you see any fire or smoke around? | Tu as vu de la fumée ou du feu ? |
You didn't tell me what? | Dit quoi? |
I just got here mate, about 5 minutes ago. | Je viens à peine d'arriver mec, il y a environ 5 minutes. |
And I don't know why but suddenly she went mental! | Et je ne sais pas mais, d'un coup, elle est devenue folle! |
I didn't say that, I was just reminding you of what you said before. | Je n'ai pas dit ça, je te rappelais juste ce que tu disais avant. |
Did the chips remind you of her? | Est-ce les chips qui te l'ont rappelée ? |
You nearly gave me a heart attack! | J'ai failli avoir une attaque du coeur ! |
What did you cook for breakfast? | Qu'est-ce que t'as préparé pour le petit déjeuner? |
Yeah, normally... But I'm too sick to go to work so I took the day off. | Ouais, normalement... Mais je suis trop malade pour aller au travail alors j'ai pris un jour de congé. |
So I snore everyday... Why didn't you tell me that before? | Donc j'ai ronflé tous les jours... Pourquoi ne m'as-tu pas dit ça avant ? |
Did you check the expiry date? | As-tu vérifié la date de péremption? |
You didn't tell me what kind of muffin you wanted. | Tu ne m''a pas dit quel type de muffin tu voulais. |
At one point, I thought you were interested in the house. | A un moment, j'ai cru que tu étais intéressée par la maison. |
We also tried to find a house for you a couple of weeks ago. | J'ai aussi essayé de trouver une maison pour toi quelques jours auparavant. |
I can't believe you, where did you get it from? | Je ne peux pas te croire, d'où est-ce que tu la sors ? |
I hope you didn't have any *private* pictures on your phone. | J'espère que vous n'aviez pas de photos "privées" sur votre téléphone. |
Did you have much money in your purse? | Aviez-vous beaucoup d'argent dans votre portefeuille ? |
No, don't worry, nothing happened to him. | No, ne t'inquiète pas, rien ne lui est arrivé. |
Bye Toby, it was nice talking to you! | Salut Toby, ça m'a plu de te parler! |