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 | |
---|---|
It was nice meeting you. | Foi um prazer conhecer vocês. |
We should've checked inside the oven before we turned it on. | Devíamos ter verificado o interior do forno antes de o acender. |
An old lady came out and shouted at me very angrily! | Uma senhora idosa abriu e me gritou muito zangada! |
What happened? Who was that? | O que aconteceu? Quem era? |
I didn't realise there was a problem with the toilet! | Não me apercebi que havia um problema com o vaso sanitário! |
I guess you didn't mention that on the ad. | Julgo que você não mencionou isso no anúncio. |
It was my mistake accepting the job to work with them. | A culpa foi minha de aceitar trabalhar para eles. |
I found out we didn't have many things in the fridge. | Descobri que não tínhamos muitas coisas na geladeira. |
Umm, she started staying with me recently. | Hum, ela começou a viver comigo recentemente. |
Oh my god, I'm sorry dear, I got what you meant just now... | Ó meu deus, lamento querido, só agora percebi o que você queria dizer... |
But I really wanted to go there tonight. | Mas eu queria mesmo ir lá hoje à noite. |
I can see why the f*cking toilet got clogged now! | Agora percebo por que a m*rda do vaso sanitário estava entupido! |
I just woke up half an hour ago. | Acordei há meia hora. |
Basically everything, it was like a haunted hippie house. | Basicamente, tudo, era tipo casa hippie assombrada. |
I thought you turned it on when you went home. | Eu pensei que você o tinha ligado quando chegou em casa. |
At one point, I thought you were interested in the house. | A certa altura, eu pensei que você estava interessada na casa. |
Actually, I was going to ask you something at the pub, but Diego interrupted me. | Na verdade, eu ia perguntar uma coisa a você no bar, mas Diego me interrompeu. |
And... Your cat? I didn't know you had a cat! | E... Seu gato? Eu não sabia que você tinha um gato! |
Apparently you f*cked up, then what happened? | Aparentemente você f*deu tudo, depois o que aconteceu? |
We've been coming here since Pogo was a kitten. | Nós vimos cá desde que Pogo era um gatinho bebê. |