







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 | |
|---|---|
| Yeah, it was a good trick, who did you learn it from? | أجل، لقد كانت خدعة جيدة، مِن مَن تعلمتي هذه الخدعة؟ |
| It wasn't long ago. | .لم يكن منذ وقت بعيد |
| Today Rebecca called me about... | .... اليوم إتصلت بى ريبيكا حول |
| I hope you didn't have any *private* pictures on your phone. | .أتمنى انه لم يكن لديكى صور *خاصة* على هاتفك |
| I didn't say that, I was just reminding you of what you said before. | .لم أقل ذلك، كنت فقط أذكرك بما قلت لي من قبل |
| Did you sleep well last night? | هل نمتِ جيداً الليلة الماضية؟ |
| I knew it was too good to be true! | !لقد علمت أن المنزل أروع من أن يصدق |
| I hadn't realised you could remember things so fast before! | .لم أكن أعلم من قبل انك تستطيع تذكر الأشياء بسرعة |
| Sorry, but I have to say, we saw another house earlier today... | ...أسف، لكن يجب أن أقول، لقد رأينا منزل اخر مبكرًا اليوم |
| Good morning my friend, did I wake you up? | صباح الخير ياصديقي، هل أيقظتك؟ |
| You nearly gave me a heart attack! | !لقد كنت على وشك إصابتى بسكتة قلبية |
| I'm his friend from London, as he mentioned! | !انا صديقته من لندن، كما ذكر هو |
| So you already knew the cat was here before you came. | .إذا انت بالفعل كنت تعلم أن هناك قطة قبل أن تأتي |
| Did you manage to find it? | هل تمكنتى من إيجادها؟ |
| Pinocchio didn't know he wasn't a real boy in the beginning, either. | .لم يعلم بونوكيو انه ليس طفل حقيقي في البداية، كذلك |
| Yes they do, they looked after him last time. | .أجل يقومون بذلك، لقد إعتنوا به المره السابقة |
| I can't believe you, where did you get it from? | لا أصدقك، من أين جئت به؟ |
| Did you just meet him tonight? | هل تقابلتهم للتو الليلة؟ |
| While I was trying to catch the rice, I accidentally knocked over a bottle. | .بينما كنت أحاول الإمساك بالأرز، بالخطأ قمت بضرب الزجاجة |
| Sorry, Julianne, I didn't know you were still here. | .متأسف، جوليان، لم أعلم بأنكِ مازلتي هنا |