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 | |
---|---|
Did the chips remind you of her? | هل تذكرك الرقائق بها؟ |
That's brilliant, did you manage to see any houses today in the end? | هذا رائع، هل تمكنت من رؤية أي منازل اليوم في نهاية الأمر؟ |
Don't lie, I saw you googling it just now. | .لا تكذب لقد رأيتك تبحث عن ذلك فى جوجل الان |
I didn't ask when, I asked why! | !انا لما اسأل متى، لقد سألت لماذا |
I saw a coffee shop just outside the station. | .لقد رأيت مقهى خارج المحطة |
To tell you I came here earlier than we agreed! | !لأخبرك أنني أتيت إلى هنا مبكرًا عن موعد إتفاقنا |
Really, how long did you live here? | فعلاً، ماهى المدة التى عشتها هنا؟ |
That's the point... It wasn't the right door! | !هذه هي النقطة...لم يكن هو الباب الصحيح |
He had an X-ray... | .لقد قام بعمل أشعة سينية |
Oh, okay, did she say why they needed to cancel it? | اوه، حسناً، هل قالت لماذا أضطروا الى إلغاؤه؟ |
Yes, I thought about moving upstairs. | .أجل، لقد فكرت فى الإنتقال الى الأعلى |
Oh, that's a relief, did you get rid of it? | اوه، هذا مريح، هل تخلصت منه؟ |
Can you please tell me what I had there? | هل يمكنكِ من فضلك أن تخبريني ماذا تناولت هناك؟ |
Then my phone rang and I went to the garden to talk. | .بعد ذلك رن هاتفي وذهبت إلى الحديقة لأتكلم |
Did you put a question mark at the end? | هل وضعتي علامة إستفهام في النهاية؟ |
How did you know that? | كيف عرفت ذلك؟ |
You nearly gave me a heart attack! | !لقد كنت على وشك إصابتى بسكتة قلبية |
You drank too many beers last night! | !لقد شربت الكثير من البيرة الليلة الماضية |
Wow! Did you just agree to get a new house? | واو! هل وافقت للتو على الحصول على منزل جديد؟ |
It totally slipped my mind! | !لقد نسيت هذا تماماً |