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 | |
---|---|
I just wanted to talk to you alone. | Volevo parlarti da solo. |
But it seems Julianne complained about Pogo to Nick. | Ma sembra che Julianne si sia lamentata di Pogo con Nick. |
Nope, there was no evidence of fire anywhere... | No, non c’era alcuna prova di fuoco da nessuna parte… |
But then I realized my battery was about to die. | Ma poi mi sono resa conto che la mia batteria stava per morire. |
I think we should move the desk back where it was before. | Penso che dovremo spostare la scrivania dov’era prima. |
What happened? Did you break a bottle? | Cos’è successo? Hai rotto la bottiglia? |
I went home and plugged my phone into the charger... | Sono andata a casa e ho inserito il telefono nel caricatore… |
Because we were at the cinema, dear... | Perché eravamo al cinema, caro… |
It was a total disaster! | È stato un vero disastro! |
It was there when you went to the bar. | Era lì quando sei andato al bar. |
Why didn't you ask while you were on the phone then? | Perché non hai chiesto mentre eri al telefono allora? |
No, don't worry, nothing happened to him. | No, non preoccuparti, non è successo nulla a lui. |
I came here to visit her, then she went back and I stayed here. | Sono venuta qui per farle visita, poi lei è tornata e io sono rimasta qui. |
What!? So you complained to Nick about our cat! | Cosa!? Quindi ti sei lamentata con Nick del nostro gatto! |
No, I didn't even know her name, until today. | No, non sapevo nemmeno il suo nome, fino ad oggi. |
Have fun, Diego, it was nice to meet you. | Divertiti, Diego, è stato un piacere conoscerti. |
Oh, okay, did she say why they needed to cancel it? | Oh, ok, ti ha detto perché dovevano cancellarlo? |
To tell you I came here earlier than we agreed! | Per dirti di venire qui prima del tempo! |
I didn't have any time to eat anything. | Non ho avuto tempo per mangiare nulla. |
So I got one chocolate and one blueberry one. | Quindi ne ho preso uno al cioccolato e uno ai mirtilli. |