Simple Past Tense in English

The Simple Past tense is one of the most fundamental and frequently used tenses in English. It describes actions, events, or situations that happened and were completed at a specific time in the past. Unlike the Present Perfect, the Simple Past focuses on when something happened rather than its connection to the present moment.

The Simple Past is formed differently for regular and irregular verbs, making it essential to learn both patterns for effective communication in English.

1. Structure of Simple Past (Affirmative Only)

The form of the Simple Past tense varies depending on whether the verb is regular or irregular:

Regular Verbs: Subject + verb + -ed

Irregular Verbs: Subject + past form of verb

Key Point: Unlike other tenses, the Simple Past form is the same for all subjects (I, you, he, she, it, we, they).

Examples with Regular Verbs:

  • I worked late yesterday.
  • You played football last weekend.
  • He watched a movie last night.
  • She cooked dinner for her family.
  • It rained heavily yesterday.
  • We visited our grandparents last month.
  • They traveled to Spain last summer.

Examples with Irregular Verbs:

  • I went to the store this morning.
  • You saw the accident happen.
  • He ate breakfast at 8 AM.
  • She wrote a letter to her friend.
  • It broke when it fell.
  • We took the bus to work.
  • They came to the party late.

2. Regular Verbs in Simple Past

Regular verbs form the Simple Past by adding -ed to the base form of the verb. However, there are specific spelling rules to follow:

Basic Rule: Add -ed

  • work → worked
  • play → played
  • talk → talked
  • help → helped
  • clean → cleaned

Spelling Rules for Regular Verbs

1. Verbs ending in 'e': Add -d only

  • live → lived
  • love → loved
  • close → closed
  • arrive → arrived
  • decide → decided

2. Verbs ending in consonant + y: Change y to i and add -ed

  • study → studied
  • try → tried
  • cry → cried
  • carry → carried
  • worry → worried

3. Verbs ending in vowel + y: Just add -ed

  • play → played
  • stay → stayed
  • enjoy → enjoyed
  • destroy → destroyed

4. One-syllable verbs ending in consonant-vowel-consonant: Double the final consonant and add -ed

  • stop → stopped
  • plan → planned
  • shop → shopped
  • rob → robbed
  • hug → hugged

5. Two-syllable verbs with stress on the second syllable: Double the final consonant and add -ed

  • admit → admitted
  • prefer → preferred
  • occur → occurred
  • refer → referred

Note: Do not double the consonant if the verb ends in w, x, or y, or if the stress is on the first syllable:

  • show → showed (not showwed)
  • fix → fixed (not fixxed)
  • listen → listened (stress on first syllable)
  • happen → happened (stress on first syllable)

3. Irregular Verbs in Simple Past

Irregular verbs do not follow the -ed pattern and must be memorized. Here are the most common irregular verbs with their past forms:

Base Form Simple Past Example Sentence
be was/were I was at home yesterday. / They were happy.
have had She had a great time at the party.
do did We did our homework last night.
go went They went to Paris last month.
come came He came to see me yesterday.
see saw I saw a beautiful sunset.
get got She got a new job last week.
make made He made breakfast this morning.
take took We took the train to London.
give gave She gave me a present.
say said He said he would call later.
tell told She told me the truth.
know knew I knew the answer immediately.
think thought We thought it was a good idea.
find found They found the missing keys.
leave left He left the office at 5 PM.
feel felt I felt tired after the long walk.
keep kept She kept the secret for years.
let let They let us use their car.
put put I put the book on the table.
read read She read the entire book last night.
write wrote He wrote a letter to his mother.
speak spoke We spoke in English during the meeting.
hear heard I heard a strange noise outside.
meet met They met for coffee yesterday.
buy bought She bought a new dress for the party.
bring brought He brought flowers for his wife.
eat ate We ate dinner at 7 PM.
drink drank They drank coffee after the meal.
sleep slept I slept for eight hours last night.
break broke The vase broke when it fell.
drive drove She drove to work this morning.
fly flew The bird flew away quickly.
run ran He ran five kilometers yesterday.
sing sang She sang beautifully at the concert.
swim swam We swam in the ocean last summer.

Special Note about "be": The verb "be" has two past forms:

  • was - used with I, he, she, it
  • were - used with you, we, they

Examples: I was tired. You were late. He was happy. They were excited.

4. Main Uses of Simple Past

The Simple Past tense is used in several specific situations to describe completed actions in the past:

1. Completed Actions at a Specific Time

Actions that happened and finished at a particular time in the past, often with time expressions.

  • I visited my grandmother last Sunday.
  • She graduated from university in 2020.
  • They moved to London three years ago.
  • We watched a movie yesterday evening.
  • He called me at 9 o'clock.

Common Time Expressions with Simple Past:

  • Yesterday, last night, last week, last month, last year
  • Two days ago, a week ago, years ago
  • In 2010, in January, on Monday, on Christmas Day
  • At 3 o'clock, at noon, at midnight
  • This morning, this afternoon (when the time period is finished)

2. Past Habits and Repeated Actions

Actions that happened regularly or repeatedly in the past but no longer happen now.

  • When I was young, I played football every day.
  • She walked to school when she lived in the city.
  • We visited our grandparents every summer.
  • He worked at that company for ten years.
  • They traveled a lot before they had children.

3. Sequence of Past Events

Multiple actions that happened one after another in the past.

  • I woke up, had breakfast, and went to work.
  • She opened the door, walked in, and sat down.
  • He finished his homework, watched TV, and went to bed.
  • We arrived at the airport, checked in, and boarded the plane.

4. Past States and Situations

Describing how things were in the past, often using the verb "be" or stative verbs.

  • The weather was beautiful yesterday.
  • I felt nervous before the exam.
  • The house belonged to my grandfather.
  • She knew the answer immediately.
  • The movie seemed very long.

5. Stories and Narratives

The Simple Past is the main tense used for telling stories and describing past events.

  • Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful princess.
  • Last weekend, we went camping in the mountains.
  • The accident happened at the busy intersection.
  • My first day at work started early in the morning.

5. Simple Past vs. Present Perfect

Understanding the difference between Simple Past and Present Perfect is crucial for English learners:

Simple Past Present Perfect
Specific time in the past mentioned or understood Connection to the present, time often unspecified
Action is completely finished Action may continue or have present relevance
I visited Paris last summer. I have visited Paris. (experience, time not important)
She lived in Tokyo from 2015 to 2018. She has lived in Tokyo for three years. (still living there)
We finished the project yesterday. We have finished the project. (recently completed, relevant now)
He wrote three books in the 1990s. He has written three books. (in his lifetime so far)

Key Principle: Use Simple Past when the time is specified or when the action is disconnected from the present. Use Present Perfect when the action has relevance to the present moment.

Time Expressions that Signal Simple Past:

  • Yesterday, last week, ago, in 2010, when I was young
  • At that time, then, during the war, in those days
  • Once, one day, that morning, that evening

These expressions cannot be used with Present Perfect.

6. Pronunciation of Past Tense -ed Endings

The -ed ending of regular verbs is pronounced in three different ways depending on the final sound of the base verb:

/t/ Sound

After voiceless consonants: /p/, /k/, /f/, /s/, /ʃ/, /tʃ/

  • helped /helpt/
  • looked /lʊkt/
  • laughed /læft/
  • missed /mɪst/
  • washed /wɒʃt/
  • watched /wɒtʃt/

/d/ Sound

After voiced consonants and vowels: /b/, /g/, /v/, /z/, /m/, /n/, /l/, /r/, and all vowel sounds

  • lived /lɪvd/
  • played /pleɪd/
  • listened /ˈlɪsnd/
  • called /kɔːld/
  • opened /ˈəʊpənd/
  • studied /ˈstʌdid/ (note: this is /ɪd/ because 'study' ends in /i/)

/ɪd/ Sound

After /t/ and /d/ sounds (creates an extra syllable)

  • wanted /ˈwɒntɪd/
  • needed /ˈniːdɪd/
  • started /ˈstɑːtɪd/
  • ended /ˈendɪd/
  • decided /dɪˈsaɪdɪd/
  • visited /ˈvɪzɪtɪd/

Memory Tip: If you can't decide between /t/ and /d/, put your hand on your throat. If you feel vibration when saying the last sound of the base verb, use /d/. If no vibration, use /t/.

7. Common Mistakes with Simple Past

Incorrect Correct Explanation
I goed to the store yesterday. I went to the store yesterday. "Go" is irregular; its past form is "went," not "goed."
She buyed a new car last week. She bought a new car last week. "Buy" is irregular; its past form is "bought," not "buyed."
We studyed English yesterday. We studied English yesterday. Verbs ending in consonant + y: change y to i and add -ed.
He stoped the car quickly. He stopped the car quickly. Double the final consonant in one-syllable CVC verbs before adding -ed.
They was happy about the news. They were happy about the news. Use "were" with "they," not "was."
I have visited Paris last year. I visited Paris last year. Use Simple Past with specific past time expressions like "last year."
She didn't came to the party. She didn't come to the party. This is for the next lesson on negatives, but note: use base form after "didn't."

8. Time Expressions with Simple Past

These time expressions commonly appear with the Simple Past tense:

Specific Times
  • Yesterday: I saw him yesterday.
  • Last + time period: last night, last week, last month, last year
  • Time + ago: two hours ago, a week ago, years ago
  • Specific dates: in 2010, in January, on Monday, on Christmas Day
  • Clock times: at 3 o'clock, at noon, at midnight
Past Periods
  • When clauses: when I was young, when we lived there
  • During: during the meeting, during my childhood
  • In those days: In those days, people walked everywhere.
  • At that time: At that time, I worked in London.
  • Then: I lived in Paris then.
  • Once: Once, I met a famous actor.

Important: These time expressions require Simple Past, not Present Perfect. They specify when something happened in the past.

Simple Past Practice Test

Choose the correct Simple Past form of the verb for each sentence.

1. Yesterday, I ______ (go) to the supermarket.

2. She ______ (study) French at university.

3. They ______ (be) very happy about the news.

4. We ______ (watch) a great movie last night.

5. He ______ (take) the bus to work this morning.

Fill in the Blanks - Regular Verbs

Type the correct Simple Past form of the regular verb for each sentence.

Fill in the Blanks - Irregular Verbs

Type the correct Simple Past form of the irregular verb for each sentence.

Simple Past vs. Present Perfect

Choose the correct tense (Simple Past or Present Perfect) for each sentence.

1. I ______ to London three times in my life.

2. She ______ her homework yesterday evening.

3. We ______ in this house for ten years now.

4. They ______ to Paris last summer for their honeymoon.

5. I ______ many interesting people since I moved here.

Mixed Practice - Regular and Irregular Verbs

Complete each sentence with the correct Simple Past form of the verb in parentheses.

Summary: Key Points to Remember

  1. Regular verbs form Simple Past by adding -ed to the base form
  2. Irregular verbs have unique past forms that must be memorized
  3. Simple Past describes completed actions at specific times in the past
  4. Common time expressions: yesterday, last week, ago, in 2010, when I was young
  5. The verb "be" has two past forms: was (I, he, she, it) and were (you, we, they)
  6. Simple Past form is the same for all subjects (unlike present tense)
  7. Use Simple Past when the time is specified or the action is disconnected from now
  8. The -ed ending has three pronunciations: /t/, /d/, and /ɪd/
  9. Follow spelling rules carefully when adding -ed to regular verbs

The Simple Past is essential for storytelling, describing past events, and talking about your experiences. Practice using both regular and irregular verbs in different contexts, and pay attention to time expressions that signal when to use this tense. Remember that the Simple Past focuses on when something happened, making it different from the Present Perfect which focuses on the connection between past and present.