







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 | |
|---|---|
| Basically everything, it was like a haunted hippie house. | 그냥 다 이상했어, 무슨 히피족들이 사는 폐가 같았어. |
| There was nothing wrong with you at the shop. | 상점에서는 아무 문제 없었는데. |
| How did we switch from Mayfair to the suburbs that fast? | 메이페어에서 교외라니 어쩌다 이렇게 빨리 바뀌었담? |
| I checked the train schedule on the internet. | 인터넷에서 기차 시간표를 확인했는데. |
| Did anything happen to you? | 너는 괜찮아? |
| It happened later in the movie, I mean the story. | 그건 영화 나중에, 아니 이야기 나중에 나오는 거잖아. |
| This was the only one left on the shelf. | 선반에 이거 밖에 안 남아있더라구요. |
| It totally slipped my mind! | 완전히 까먹었어! |
| It was a total disaster! | 완전 대재앙이었어요! |
| Yes sure, you promised to take me to Brighton Pier. | 물론이지, 네가 브라이튼 부두 보여주기로 약속했잖아. |
| Yeah, so I decided to go home and charge my phone. | 그렇지, 그래서 집에 돌아가서 폰을 다시 충전하려고 했어. |
| No, I didn't even know her name, until today. | 아니, 저 사람 이름도 오늘 전까지는 몰랐다구. |
| I saw a coffee shop just outside the station. | 역 바로 바깥에 카페를 봤어. |
| Yep, I gave it to a spider in the garden. | 엉, 안뜰에 거미가 있길래 줬지. |
| After a couple of minutes, I heard a scream from the kitchen... | 몇 분 뒤에, 부엌에서 비명소리가 들려서... |
| What was wrong with the last house? | 마지막 집은 뭐가 문제였는데? |
| Oh, that's a relief, did you get rid of it? | 아, 다행이다, 그럼 뒷처리는 했어? |
| Have fun, Diego, it was nice to meet you. | 재밌는 시간 보내요, 디에고. 만나서 반가웠어요. |
| Sorry, didn't I tell you that before? | 미안, 말 안해줬나? |
| Did you have much money in your purse? | 지갑에 돈이 많이 있었어요? |