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 | |
---|---|
When I first came to England, I thought it was a holiday only for banks. | La prima volta che sono venuto in Inghilterra, pensavo fosse una festa riservata alle banche. |
Pinocchio didn't know he wasn't a real boy in the beginning, either. | Pinocchio non sapeva neppure lui di essere un bambino vero all’inizio. |
Unfortunately, I already did. | Sfortunatamente, l’ho già fatto. |
I didn't want to wake you up, so I went to the kitchen. | Non volevo svegliarti, quindi sono andata in cucina. |
Wow! Did you just agree to get a new house? | Wow! Hai appena accettato di prendere una casa nuova? |
I took a picture and printed it out at school! | Ho fatto una foto e l’ho stampata a scuola! |
Did you sleep well last night? | Hai dormito bene ieri notte? |
5 minutes before I arrived, I called her, but she didn't answer. | 5 minuti prima di arrivare, l’ho chiamata, ma non ha risposto. |
Oh, by the way, one of my best friends from Australia called me... | Oh, a proposito, mi ha chiamato uno dei miei migliori amici dall’Australia… |
You know we talked about bringing Pogo here one day. | Sai che abbiamo parlato di portare qui Pogo uno di questi giorni. |
That was so easy, I can't believe it worked! | È stato facile, non riesco a credere che ha funzionato! |
I have to say, your checking the heaters lie wasn't very clever. | Devo dirlo, la tua balla sul controllare i termosifoni non era molto intelligente. |
Did anything happen to you? | Ti è successo qualcosa? |
I used the same logic as you... | Ho usato la tua stessa logica… |
Nope, those are the days when I slept alone... | No, quelli sono i giorni in cui ho dormito da solo… |
I think we should move the desk back where it was before. | Penso che dovremo spostare la scrivania dov’era prima. |
Didn't you hear what she said? | Non hai sentito cosa ha detto? |
Didn't I just say the same thing? | Non ho appena detto la stessa cosa? |
How come? We just called this morning! | Com’è possibile? Abbiamo parlato stamattina! |
It happened later in the movie, I mean the story. | È successo più tardi nel film, voglio dire la storia. |