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 | |
---|---|
No, don't worry, nothing happened to him. | Hayır, endişelenme, hiçbir şey olmadı. |
To tell you I came here earlier than we agreed! | Kararlaştırdığımızdan daha erken geldiğimi söylemek için! |
Did you sleep well last night? | Dün gece iyi uyudun mu? |
Diego was living in this house and there was a vacancy. | Diego bu evde yaşıyordu ve boş oda vardı. |
Any idea why they decided to sell the house suddenly? | Neden evi aniden satmaya karar verdiklerine dair bir fikrin var mı? |
Did the chips remind you of her? | Patates kızartması sana onu mu hatırlattı? |
Didn't you forget something, dear? | Bir şeyi unutmadın mı, canım? |
Of course I didn't, they had already started playing it before I got there! | Tabii ki hayır, ben oraya gitmeden önce oynamaya başlamışlardı zaten! |
When did you last visit your parents? | Annenleri en son ne zaman ziyaret ettin? |
Did you check the price of the rice? | Sen pirincin fiyatına baktın mı? |
Yes, I thought about moving upstairs. | Evet, üst kata taşınmayı düşündüm. |
You killed my favourite movie with one punch, dear! | En sevdiğim filmi tek darbede öldürdün, canım! |
That's right, how did we forget that? | Hakkaten, nasıl unuttuk ki bunu? |
So I got one chocolate and one blueberry one. | Ben de bi' tane çikolatalı bi' tane de yaban mersinli olandan aldım. |
Did you have much money in your purse? | Cüzdanında çok para var mıydı? |
Hello, what happened? | Merhaba, ne oldu? |
I don't know, did you check the expiry date? | Bilmem, son kullanma tarihine baktın mı? |
I met him last week at the vet. | Onunla geçen hafta veterinerde tanıştım. |
Dude, I heard you shagging till late last night. | Abi, dün gece geç saatlere kadar işi pişirdiğini duydum. |
I didn't want you to come out for a smoke, actually. | Aslında sigara içmek için dışarı gelmeni istemedim. |