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 went there, too, but they didn't have it, either. | Туда я тоже зашла, но у них его тоже не было. |
I don't know, it was like 10. | Не знаю, было около 10. |
Because we were at the cinema, dear... | Потому что мы были в кино, дорогой... |
Because you didn't remind me! | Потому что ты мне не напомнила! |
Yeah, everything is fine, I just came here to... | Да, все в порядке, я просто пришел сюда, чтобы... |
Basically everything, it was like a haunted hippie house. | Да практически все, он был похож на дом каких-то хиппи. |
5 minutes before I arrived, I called her, but she didn't answer. | За 5 минут до выхода я ей позвонила, но она не ответила. |
You know we talked about bringing Pogo here one day. | Помнишь, мы обсуждали идею привести сюда Пого как-нибудь. |
Of course I didn't, they had already started playing it before I got there! | Конечно, не заставлял, они начали играть еще до того, как я пришел туда! |
You didn't tell me anything about that... | Ты ничего не сказал мне об этом... |
Well, as I finished most things while you weren't here. | Ну, я закончила почти все, пока тебя здесь не было. |
Did you just meet him tonight? | Ты его встретила сегодня вечером? |
Hm, you didn't tell me that before! | Хм, ты не сказала мне об этом раньше! |
Yes they do, they looked after him last time. | Могут, конечно, они за ним присматривали в прошлый раз. |
Oh god... It was a nightmare for me today! | О, господи... Сегодня был настоящий кошмар! |
Of course not, how did you come up with that idea? | Конечно же, нет, как тебе пришла такая идея? |
You got it right, cleaning in general! | Ты права, вообще наводить порядок! |
But didn't we already buy the cheese grated? | Но разве мы не купили сыр уже тертый? |
What was wrong with the last house? | А что было не так с последним домом? |
After I had waited a while, I decided to knock on her door... | Подождав немного, я решила постучать в дверь... |