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 | |
---|---|
Dude, I heard you shagging till late last night. | Abi, dün gece geç saatlere kadar işi pişirdiğini duydum. |
That's funny... What did you forget to ask? | Komikmiş... Neyi sormayı unuttun? |
You know we talked about bringing Pogo here one day. | Hani Pogo'yu bir gün buraya getirmekten bahsetmiştik ya. |
After hearing that, she decided to leave suddenly. | Bunu duyduktan sonra aniden gitmeye karar verdi. |
Is that how long your relationship with Jen was, also? | Jen ile ilişkin de bu kadar mı sürdü? |
If you are allergic to cats, why didn't you talk to me directly? | Eğer kedilere alerjin varsa direkt olarak benimle neden konuşmadın? |
Anyway, what did you say to the old lady? | Neyse, yaşlı kadına ne dedin? |
Very funny, I think you just killed some time there. | Çok komik, bence orada biraz vakit öldürdün. |
Unfortunately, it is... Weren't there any pictures of the house? | Maalesef doğru... Evin hiç resmi yok muydu? |
An old lady came out and shouted at me very angrily! | Yaşlı bir kadın çıktı ve bana öfkeyle bağırdı! |
That's brilliant, did you manage to see any houses today in the end? | Muhteşemmiş, sonuç olarak bugün evlerden herhangi birini görmeyi başardın mı? |
I came here to visit her, then she went back and I stayed here. | Onu ziyaret etmeye gelmiştim, sonra o geri döndü, ben burada kaldım. |
You got it right, cleaning in general! | Doğru bildin, genel olarak temizlik! |
It was a total disaster! | Tam bir faciaydı! |
Did something happen to Pogo? | Pogo'ya bir şey mi oldu? |
Anyway, I called the girl again, and of course, she didn't answer. | Herneyse, kızı tekrar aradım, ve tabii ki cevap vermedi. |
Oh sorry, I didn't know that. | Ah pardon, bilmiyordum bunu. |
That's the point... It wasn't the right door! | Olay da bu... Doğru kapı değildi! |
I know, I also didn't expect it to be your favourite movie. | Biliyorum, ayrıca senin en sevdiğin film olmasını beklemiyordum. |
5 minutes before I arrived, I called her, but she didn't answer. | Varmadan 5 dakika önce kızı aradım, ama cevap vermedi. |