







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'm his friend from London, as he mentioned! | Ich bin, wie schon erwähnt, seine Freundin aus London! |
| Do you need help, how did you search? | Brauchst du Hilfe? Wonach hast du gesucht? |
| I didn't want you to come out for a smoke, actually. | Ich wollte eigentlich nicht, dass du zum rauchen rauskommst. |
| Anyway, I called the girl again, and of course, she didn't answer. | Wie auch immer, ich habe das Mädchen erneut angerufen und natürlich ist sie nicht rangegangen. |
| Basically, we were both in the kitchen last night... | Im Grunde waren wir beide letzte Nacht in der Küche... |
| I left it on this chair! | Ich habe sie auf diesem Stuhl gelassen! |
| Yes, I finally found one! | Jawohl, ich habe eine Packung gefunden! |
| Didn't I just say the same thing? | Hab ich das nicht gerade gesagt? |
| No, I got myself a macchiato. | Nein, ich habe mir einen Latte macchiato geholt. |
| If you are allergic to cats, why didn't you talk to me directly? | Wenn du gegen Katzen allergisch bist, warum hast du mich dann nicht direkt darauf angesprochen? |
| We were just about to talk about leaving the house. | Wir waren dabei darüber zu reden, dass wir das Haus verlassen. |
| Oh, do you know what we forgot? | Oh, weißt du, was wir vergessen haben? |
| I hope it wasn't an expensive wine! | Ich hoffe es war kein teurer Wein! |
| Unfortunately, it is... Weren't there any pictures of the house? | Leider ist es die Richtige... Gab es keine Bilder vom Haus? |
| Of course, we all grew up together. | Natürlich, wir sind alle zusammen aufgewachsen. |
| I can't believe that, you were a very nice couple! | Ich kann es nicht glauben. Ihr wart ein sehr schönes Paar! |
| What kind of coffee did you get me? | Welche Art von Kaffee hast du mir gekauft? |
| And now you've woken me up just when I was about to sleep! | Und jetzt habt ihr mich aufgeweckt als ich kurz davor war einzuschlafen! |
| Wow! Did you just agree to get a new house? | Wow! Hast du gerade zugestimmt, dass wir in ein neues Haus ziehen? |
| It totally slipped my mind! | Ich habe es total vergessen! |