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 | |
---|---|
Because we were at the cinema, dear... | Parce qu'on était au cinéma chéri... |
I guess you didn't mention that on the ad. | On dirait que vous ne l'avez pas mentionné sur la pub. |
Did something happen to Pogo? | Quelque chose est arrivé à Pogo? |
You wanted to come here, I just helped you get the table! | Tu voulais qu'on vienne ici, je t'ai aidée à avoir une table ! |
Hello, what happened? | Bonjour, que s'est-il passé ? |
The price is just about the same, but it was in much better condition. | Le prix était à peu près le même et elle était dans un bien meilleur état. |
You didn't tell me what kind of muffin you wanted. | Tu ne m''a pas dit quel type de muffin tu voulais. |
I hadn't realised you could remember things so fast before! | Je ne me rappelais pas que tu te souvenais de temps de choses ! |
Unfortunately, I already did. | Malheureusement, oui je l'ai posée. |
How did we switch from Mayfair to the suburbs that fast? | Comment avons nous basculé de Mayfair aux banlieues si rapidement ? |
No, I didn't even know her name, until today. | Non, je ne connaissais même pas son nom. |
Yes, I got some missed call notifications after I turned my phone on! | Oui, j'ai eu quelques notifications d'appels manqués quand j'ai allumé mon téléphone! |
Of course I didn't, they had already started playing it before I got there! | Bien sûr que non, ils avaient déjà commencé à y jouer avant que je ne vienne ! |
Dear, I think you were absolutely right! | Chéri, je pense que tu as tout à fait raison! |
I just woke up half an hour ago. | Je me suis réveillé il y a une demi-heure. |
Except Pinocchio knew he wasn't a real boy from the beginning. | Sauf que Pinocchio savait qu'il n'était pas un vrai garçon depuis le début. |
Really, when did you wake up? | Vraiment, quand est-ce que tu t'es réveillée? |
Didn't you hear what she said? | Tu n'as pas entendu ce qu'elle a dit? |
Yes, I managed to see the last one... But I didn't like it! | Ouais, j'ai réussi à visiter la dernière...Mais elle ne m'a pas plu! |
It was like quarter past seven or half past. | Je crois qu'il était 7 heure et quart ou et demi. |