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. | Sadece seninle yalnız konuşmak istedim. |
Yeah, so I decided to go home and charge my phone. | Evet, bu yüzden eve gidip telefonumu şarj etmeye karar verdim. |
How did you know he was a male cat? | Erkek kedi olduğunu nereden anladın? |
They're fine, we played a game called *catch the wasp*! | İyiler, onlarla *yaban arısını yakala* diye bir oyun oynadık! |
Did you just meet him tonight? | Onunla bu gece mi tanıştın? |
I called you at least ten times! | Seni en az on kere aradım! |
I saw a coffee shop just outside the station. | İstasyonun hemen dışında bir kafe gördüm. |
I went there, too, but they didn't have it, either. | Oraya da gittim orda da yoktu. |
You nearly gave me a heart attack! | Az kalsın kalp krizi geçirtecektin bana! |
There was nothing wrong with you at the shop. | Markette hiçbir şeyin yoktu. |
It was a total disaster! | Tam bir faciaydı! |
After hearing that, she decided to leave suddenly. | Bunu duyduktan sonra aniden gitmeye karar verdi. |
He had an X-ray... | Röntgeni çekildi. |
I hope I didn't make you wait long. | Umarım sizi çok uzun bekletmemişimdir. |
Hm, you didn't tell me that before! | Hm, bana bunu önceden söylemedin! |
Bye Toby, it was nice talking to you! | Hoşçakal Toby, seninle konuşmak güzeldi! |
I was going to today, it just happened last night! | Bugün söyleyecektim, daha dün gece oldu! |
Yes, I just started my period an hour ago! | Evet, bir saat önce reglim başladı! |
I remember watching it when I was a little kid. | Küçük bir çocukken izlediğimi hatırlıyorum. |
Did you call this one near the station? | İstasyonun yakınındaki şu evi aradın mı? |