Past simple Verbs
- The Past Simple tense is used to describe actions that were completed in the past.
- It is one of the most commonly used tenses in English and is essential for everyday communication.
Past Simple Verbs: Formation & Examples
1. Basic Structure
The Past Simple tense describes completed actions in the past. It has two verb forms:
Regular Verbs: Add -ed (e.g., worked, played).
Irregular Verbs: Change form (e.g., went, ate, wrote).
2. Regular Verbs–Past simple Verbs
Regular verbs form their past tense by adding -ed to the base form of the verb.
Rules for “-ed”.
- Most verbs: Add -ed (walk → walked).
- Verbs ending in -e: Add -d (live → lived).
- Verbs ending in consonant + y: Change y to i + -ed (study → studied).
- One-syllable verbs with vowel + consonant: Double the consonant + -ed (stop → stopped).
Examples– Past simple Verbs
- She worked yesterday.
- They danced all night
- They visited Paris.
- We worried about you
- He dropped his phone
3. Irregular Verbs in Past Simple
Irregular verbs do not follow the regular “-ed” rule. Instead, they change their form completely (e.g., go → went, eat → ate). Since they don’t follow a pattern, you must memorize them.
Common Past simple Verbs (irregular) with Examples
- go → went
Examples: She went to the market.
They went home early.
- eat → ate
Examples: He ate breakfast.
We ate pizza last night.
- see → saw
Example: I saw a movie yesterday.
They saw him at the party.
- take → took
Example: She took my book.
We took a taxi to the airport.
- give → gave
Examples: He gave me a gift.
They gave money to charity.
- speak → spoke
Examples: She spoke to the teacher.
We spoke in Spanish.
4. Negative Sentences–Past simple Verbs
To form negative sentences in the Past Simple, we use did not (didn’t) + base verb.
Structure: Subject + did not (didn’t) + V1.
Incorrect: She didn’t went.
Correct: She didn’t go.
Incorrect: They didn’t ate.
Correct: They didn’t eat.
Examples:
- I didn’t play football.
- She didn’t call me.
- He didn’t finish his homework.
- My parents didn’t come to the party.
- The students didn’t understand the lesson.
5. Yes/No Questions– Past simple Verbs
To form questions, we use Did + subject + base verb.
Structure: Did + subject + V1?
Incorrect: Did you went?
Correct: Did you go?
Incorrect: Did she ate?
Correct: Did she eat?
Examples:
- Did you finish your homework?
- Did they visit the museum?
- Did he call you yesterday?
- Did the train arrive on time?
- Did she cook dinner last night?
6. Wh-Questions
Structure: Wh-word + did + subject + V1?
Incorrect: Where you did go?
Correct: Where did you go?
Incorrect: What did she ate?
Correct: What did she eat?
Examples:
- Where did you travel?
- Why did he leave?
- When did she arrive at the party?
- Which book did you read?
- Who did you meet yesterday?
7. Common Time Expressions Used with Past Simple
Certain words and phrases indicate that the Past Simple should be used:
- Yesterday
- Last night/week/month/year
- Two days ago
- In 2010
- When I was a child
Examples:
I saw him yesterday.
She traveled to Paris last year.
They met each other in 2015.
8. Common Mistakes
- Using Past Form (V2) after “did/didn’t”
Incorrect: Did you called?
Correct: Did you call?
- Incorrect Word Order
Incorrect: Why you did go?
Correct: Why did you go?
- Forgetting “did” in questions
Incorrect: You saw him?
Correct: Did you see him?
9. Key Takeaways
- Regular verbs: Add -ed.
- Irregular verbs: Memorize (e.g., go → went).
- Negatives/Questions: Use did/didn’t + V1 (base verb).
- Never use V2 after “did/didn’t.”
Practice:
Incorrect: She didn’t sang.
Correct: She didn’t sing.
Incorrect: Did they wrote?
Correct: Did they write?
Read also: Day 22: Was/were – past simple of ‘be’
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