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 | |
---|---|
But we had some *little* problems. | ."لكن لدينا بعض المشاكل "الصغيرة |
I wasn't complaining, I just wanted to let you know about it. | .لم أكن أشتكي، كنت فقط أريدكِ أن تعلمين عن ذلك الأمر |
Oh yeah, I remember, you had some snails and you hated them. | .أوه أجل، أتذكر، لقد تناولت القواقع ولم تحبها |
Yes sure, you promised to take me to Brighton Pier. | .نعم بالتأكيد، انت وعدتنى انك ستأخذنى الى رصيف برايتون البحرى |
Did you sleep well last night? | هل نمتِ جيداً الليلة الماضية؟ |
Umm, she started staying with me recently. | .امم، لقد بدأت في الإقامة معي مؤخرًا |
What did you cook for breakfast? | ما الذى قمت بطهيه للإفطار؟ |
There was nothing wrong with you at the shop. | .لم يكن بكِ اى شىء غريب فى المتجر |
Sorry dear, I didn't mean to annoy you at all. | .أسفة عزيزي، لم أقصد أن أضايقك على الإطلاق |
Actually, I was going to ask you something at the pub, but Diego interrupted me. | .فى الحقيقة, كنت سأطلب منك شيئاً فى الحانة, لكن ديجو قاطعنى |
We've been coming here since Pogo was a kitten. | .لقد إعتدنا ان نأتى الى هنا منذ ان كان بوجو قط صغير |
What kind of coffee did you get me? | أى نوع من القهوة أحضرتى لي؟ |
It was a total disaster! | !كانت كارثة حقيقية |
Do you need help, how did you search? | هل تريدين مساعدة، كيف قمتي بالبحث؟ |
Exactly... So I gave up and decided to sit at a cafe and have a coffee. | .بالضبط...لذا فقد استسلمت وقررت أن أجلس في مقهى واحتسي القهوة |
You know we talked about bringing Pogo here one day. | .تعلم اننا تحدثنا حول إحضار بوجو هنا يوماً ما |
No, I didn't even know her name, until today. | .لا، لم أكن حتى أعرف إسمها، حتى اليوم |
It's a nice area, I considered living there once, too... | ...إنها منطقة جميلة، لقد فكرت مرة بالعيش فيها، أيضًا |
It was my mistake accepting the job to work with them. | .لقد كان خطأى اننى قبلت هذا العمل لأعمل معهم |
I thought your laptop was worth a cigarette! | !كنت أعتقد ان اللاب توب الخاص بك يستحق سيجارة |