







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 | |
|---|---|
| That's interesting, did you also teach them how to cook? | C'est intéressant. Tu leur a aussi appris à cuisiner? |
| If you are allergic to cats, why didn't you talk to me directly? | Si tu est allergique aux chats, pourquoi tu ne m'en parles pas directement? |
| When did you get here? I didn't see you. | Quand es-tu venu, je ne t'ai pas vu. |
| No, I didn't have much money in it. | Non, je n'avais pas beaucoup d'argent dedans. |
| Very funny, I think you just killed some time there. | Très drôle, je pense que t'as juste tué le temps là-bas. |
| Plus you drank half of my bottle of wine! | Et tu as bu la moitié de ma bouteille de vin! |
| When did you last visit your parents? | Quand est-tu allée voir tes parents pour la dernière fois? |
| I hope I didn't make you wait long. | J'espère que je ne vous ai pas fait attendre. |
| We are going to follow the original plan, how it was before. | On va faire ce qu'on a dit au début, comme avant. |
| I'm still shocked... I can't believe what I just heard! | Je suis choquée... Je n'arrive pas à croire ce que je viens d'entendre! |
| Did you put a question mark at the end? | Est-ce que tu as mis un point d'interrogation à la fin ? |
| No, don't worry, nothing happened to him. | No, ne t'inquiète pas, rien ne lui est arrivé. |
| Meanwhile I was feeling very tired and wanted to lie down for a while. | Pendant ce temps, je me sentais très fatiguée et voulais me coucher pendant un moment. |
| While I finished doing things here by myself! | Pendant que je finissais de faire les chose par moi-même ! |
| After just a couple of minutes, it died. | Après quelques minutes, elle était vide. |
| Oh my god, I'm sorry dear, I got what you meant just now... | Oh mon Dieu, désolé mon chéri, j'ai compris ce que tu voulais dire... |
| I just got here mate, about 5 minutes ago. | Je viens à peine d'arriver mec, il y a environ 5 minutes. |
| Nope, those are the days when I slept alone... | Non, ce sont les jours où j'ai dormi seul... |
| I found out we didn't have many things in the fridge. | Je me suis rendu compte qu'il n'y avait pas grand chose dans le frigo. |
| Did you sleep well last night? | Tu as bien dormi la nuit dernière? |