







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 | |
|---|---|
| Bye Toby, it was nice talking to you! | Hoşçakal Toby, seninle konuşmak güzeldi! |
| That was so easy, I can't believe it worked! | Bu çok kolaydı, işe yaradığına inanamıyorum! |
| I didn't want to wake you up, so I went to the kitchen. | Seni uyandırmak istemedim, onun için mutfağa gittim. |
| Erm, okay guys, let me explain what happened... | Emm, peki arkadaşlar, size neler olduğunu açıklayayım... |
| I think we should move the desk back where it was before. | Bence çalışma masasını eski yerine geri koymalıyız. |
| I don't know, it was like 10. | Bilmiyorum, 10 falandı. |
| That's funny... What did you forget to ask? | Komikmiş... Neyi sormayı unuttun? |
| Did you sleep well last night? | Dün gece iyi uyudun mu? |
| Did you have much money in your purse? | Cüzdanında çok para var mıydı? |
| If you are allergic to cats, why didn't you talk to me directly? | Eğer kedilere alerjin varsa direkt olarak benimle neden konuşmadın? |
| Exactly, I think they understood it at first sight! | Aynen, bence ilk görüşte anladılar! |
| Pinocchio didn't know he wasn't a real boy in the beginning, either. | Pinokyo da başta gerçek bir çocuk olduğunu bilmiyordu ki. |
| I'm very surprised you didn't check the wine list before you ordered. | Çok şaşırdım, siparişi vermeden önce şarap listesine göz atmadın. |
| Wow! Did you just agree to get a new house? | Vay be! Sen yeni bir eve çıkmayı kabul mu ettin şimdi? |
| Yes, that's me, hello, I think we talked on the phone before... | Evet benim, merhaba, sanırım daha önce telefonda konuşmuştuk... |
| I don't know, did you check the expiry date? | Bilmem, son kullanma tarihine baktın mı? |
| Very funny, I think you just killed some time there. | Çok komik, bence orada biraz vakit öldürdün. |
| Also I caught the wasp before they managed to get stung. | Ayrıca onlar kendilerini sokturmadan yaban arısını yakaladım. |
| What happened? Did you break a bottle? | N'oldu? Şişeyi mi kırdın? |
| Then when I got there, I called her again, but she didn't answer! | Sonra oraya gittiğimde onu tekrar aradım, ama cevap vermedi! |