Past Simple
The Past Simple is used to describe completed actions in the past, often with a time reference like 'yesterday' or 'last week'. Regular verbs end in '-ed', while irregular verbs have unique past forms.
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Past simple with the verb 'be'
It's similar to the present simple because it has different rules for the verb 'be', which becomes 'was' or 'were':
Here's the positive form (positive means a normal sentence, not a negative or a question. This is sometimes called 'affirmative')
| Positive |
|---|
| I was cold |
| you were tired |
| he was in the garden |
| she was late |
| it was sunny |
| we were on holiday |
| they were hungry |
Next, here's the negative. It's very easy. You only add 'not'.
| Negative | Contracted Negative |
|---|---|
| I was not sleepy | I wasn't sleepy |
| you were not on the bus | you weren't on the bus |
| he was not at school | he wasn't at school |
| she was not beautiful | she wasn't beautiful |
| it was not cold | it wasn't cold |
| we were not at work | we weren't at work |
| they were not tired | they weren't tired |
And finally let's talk about the question form of the past simple with 'be'.
Firstly, here's the 'yes / no' question form:
| Yes/No Questions |
|---|
| was I sleepy? |
| were you late? |
| was he at the cinema? |
| was she kind? |
| was it hot? |
| were we hungry? |
| were they at work? |
If you'd like to make a 'wh' question, you just put the question word at the front:
| Wh Questions | |
|---|---|
| why was I sleepy? | |
| where were you? | |
| when was he at the cinema? | |
| how was she? | |
| how was it? | |
| why were we hungry? | |
| when were they at work? |
Past simple with other verbs
We make the past simple just like the present simple except we use 'did' instead of 'do / does'. It's really easy because 'did' doesn't change, even with 'he / she / it'.
We usually make the positive by adding '-ed' to the infinitive. For example, 'play' becomes 'played'. However, there are some irregular verbs, for example 'go' becomes 'went' and 'run' becomes 'ran'.
| Positive with other verbs |
|---|
| I walked (regular) |
| you played (regular) |
| he cooked (regular) |
| she listened (regular) |
| it rained (regular) |
| we ate (irregular) |
| they drank (irregular) |
In the negative there aren't any irregular verbs. All verbs use did not (didn't) + infinitive:
| Negative | Contracted Negative |
|---|---|
| I did not walk | I didn't walk |
| you did not play | you didn't play |
| he did not cook | he didn't cook |
| she did not listen | she didn't listen |
| it did not rain | it didn't rain |
| we did not eat | we didn't eat |
| they did not drink | they didn't drink |
How about the question form of the past simple tense?
Questions are also very easy. Just put 'did' before the subject, and the infinitive after it.
| Yes / No Questions |
|---|
| did I walk? |
| did you play? |
| did he cook? |
| did she listen? |
| did it rain? |
| did we eat? |
| did they drink? |
To make a 'wh' question, of course, put the question word at the beginning of the sentence:
| Wh Questions | |
|---|---|
| where did I go? | |
| what did you play? | |
| what did he cook? | |
| why did she listen? | |
| when did it rain? | |
| where did we eat? | |
| how did they travel? |
When Should I Use The Past Simple Tense?
Finished actions, states or habits in the past.
1. We use it with finished actions, states or habits in the past when we have a finished time word (yesterday, last week, at 2 o'clock, in 2003).
- I went to the cinema yesterday.
- We spent a lot of time in Japan in 2007.
2. We use it with finished actions, states or habits in the past when we know from general knowledge that the time period has finished. This includes when the person we are talking about is dead.
- Leonardo painted the Mona Lisa.
- The Vikings invaded Britain.
3. We use it with finished actions, states or habits in the past that we have introduced with the present perfect or another tense. This is sometimes called 'details of news'.
- I've hurt my leg. I fell off a ladder when I was painting my bedroom.
- I've been on holiday. I went to Spain and Portugal.
4. For stories or lists of events, we often use the past simple for the actions in the story and the past continuous for the background.
- He went to a café. People were chatting and music was playing. He sat down and ordered a coffee.
Unreal or imaginary things in the present or future.
5. We use the past simple to talk about things that are not real in the present or future. So we use it with the second conditional and after words like 'wish'.
- If I won the lottery, I would buy a house.
- I wish I had more time!