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 | |
---|---|
Oh god... It was a nightmare for me today! | हे भगवान... आज का दिन मेरे लिए बुरे सपने जैसा था! |
Yes, I did, did you? | हाँ, मैं अच्छे से सोई, और तुम? |
It wasn't long ago. | काफी समय नहीं हुआ। |
Yes, I managed to see the last one... But I didn't like it! | हाँ, मैंने आखिरी वाला घर देखा... लेकिन वो मुझे पसंद नहीं आया! |
Didn't they call you when you didn't show up at 11:00? | जब तुम 11:00 नहीं पहुंची तो क्या उन्होंने तुम्हें कॉल नहीं किया? |
That's funny... What did you forget to ask? | यह बहुत मज़ेदार है... तुम क्या पूछना भूल गए? |
I didn't know your cat was here. | मुझे नहीं पता था कि तुम्हारी बिल्ली यहाँ है। |
I hope it wasn't an expensive wine! | मुझे उम्मीद है कि यह महंगी वाइन नहीं थी! |
Except Pinocchio knew he wasn't a real boy from the beginning. | सिवाय इसके कि पिनोकियो शुरू से जानता था कि वो असली लड़का नहीं है। |
She was yelling at me like how dirty we were... | वो मुझपर चिल्ला रही थी जैसे कि हम कितने गंदे हैं... |
There was nothing wrong with you at the shop. | दुकान में तुम बिलकुल ठीक थी। |
No, I couldn't, I went to Sainsbury's, they didn't have it. | नहीं मुझे नहीं मिला, मैं सैंसबरिज गयी थी, उनके पास यह नहीं था। |
Exactly, I think they understood it at first sight! | बिलकुल, मुझे लगता है उन्हें पहली ही नज़र में समझ आ गया था! |
Because it's in my bag, I didn't hear it. | क्योंकि यह मेरे बैग में था, मैंने इसे सुना नहीं। |
Oh, do you know what we forgot? | ओह, तुम्हें पता है हम कुछ भूल गए? |
I found out we didn't have many things in the fridge. | मुझे पता चला कि हमारे पास फ्रिज में ज्यादा चीजें नहीं थी। |
I remember watching it when I was a little kid. | मुझे याद है मैंने इसे तब देखा था जब मैं छोटा बच्चा था। |
Anyway, what did you say to the old lady? | वैसे, तुमने उस बूढ़ी औरत से क्या कहा? |
Any idea why they decided to sell the house suddenly? | क्या तुम्हें कुछ पता है कि उन्होंने ऐसे अचानक घर बेचने का फैसला क्यों किया? |
But didn't we already buy the cheese grated? | लेकिन क्या हमने पहले से कसा हुआ चीज़ नहीं खरीदा था? |