







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 | |
|---|---|
| I only went to the kitchen and no one was there. | Sadece mutfağa gittim ve orada kimse yoktu. |
| That's funny... What did you forget to ask? | Komikmiş... Neyi sormayı unuttun? |
| The first appointment was at 07:30 in the morning! | İlk randevu sabah 07:30'daydı! |
| I'm very surprised you didn't check the wine list before you ordered. | Çok şaşırdım, siparişi vermeden önce şarap listesine göz atmadın. |
| Good morning my friend, did I wake you up? | Günaydın dostum, seni uyandırdım mı? |
| How come? We just called this morning! | Nasıl olur? Daha bu sabah aramıştık! |
| You nearly gave me a heart attack! | Az kalsın kalp krizi geçirtecektin bana! |
| Then the wine bottle broke, etcetera... | Sonra da şarap şişesi kırıldı falan filan... |
| What happened to this one? | Buna ne oldu? |
| Why didn't you tell me that before? | Bunu neden bana daha önce söylemedin? |
| Unfortunately, I already did. | Ne yazık ki sordum bile. |
| Did you have much money in your purse? | Cüzdanında çok para var mıydı? |
| Hello, what happened? | Merhaba, ne oldu? |
| Anyway, I woke up at 07:00 and went to see the first one. | Herneyse, 07:00'da kalktım ve ilkini görmeye gittim. |
| Did you call this one near the station? | İstasyonun yakınındaki şu evi aradın mı? |
| While I was trying to catch the rice, I accidentally knocked over a bottle. | Pirinci yakalayayım derken yanlışlıkla elim şişeye çarptı. |
| That's the point... It wasn't the right door! | Olay da bu... Doğru kapı değildi! |
| You killed my favourite movie with one punch, dear! | En sevdiğim filmi tek darbede öldürdün, canım! |
| Why did you wake up so early? | Neden bu kadar erken kalktın? |
| What!? So you complained to Nick about our cat! | Ne!? Nick'e bizim kedimizi mi şikayet ettin yani? |