Past Simple Tense

1. Forms of the Past Simple Tense

💡 The Past Simple Tense has three main forms: affirmative, negative, and interrogative.

A. Affirmative Form

Structure: Subject + past form of the verb

• 🚶 I walked to the park.
• 🎬 You watched a movie.
• 👵 He visited his grandma.
• 🍰 She baked a cake.
• 🌧️ It rained yesterday.
• ✈️ We traveled to Italy.
• 🧹 You cleaned the house.
• 🏆 They won the game.

B. Negative Form

Structure: Subject + did not (didn’t) + base form of the verb

• 🚶 I did not walk to the park.
• 🎬 You didn’t watch a movie.
• 👵 He did not visit his grandma.
• 🍰 She didn’t bake a cake.
• 🌧️ It didn’t rain yesterday.
• ✈️ We didn’t travel to Italy.
• 🧹 You didn’t clean the house.
• 🏆 They didn’t win the game.

C. Interrogative Form

Structure: Did + subject + base form of the verb?

• 🚶 Did I walk to the park?
• 🎬 Did you watch a movie?
• 👵 Did he visit his grandma?
• 🍰 Did she bake a cake?
• 🌧️ Did it rain yesterday?
• ✈️ Did we travel to Italy?
• 🧹 Did you clean the house?
• 🏆 Did they win the game?

2. Irregular Verbs in the Past Simple

💡 Unlike regular verbs, irregular verbs do not follow a set pattern. Their past forms must be memorized.

• 🚶 Go → went (“I went to the store.”)
• 🍎 Eat → ate (“She ate an apple.”)
• 🗣️ Speak → spoke (“He spoke to his friend.”)
• 📸 Take → took (“They took a photo.”)
• 🛍️ Buy → bought (“I bought a gift.”)
• 👀 See → saw (“We saw a movie.”)
• 🏃‍♀️ Run → ran (“She ran in the marathon.”)
• ✍️ Write → wrote (“He wrote a letter.”)
• 💡 Know → knew (“I knew the answer.”)
• 👋 Leave → left (“They left early.”)
• 🛌 Sleep → slept (“She slept well.”)

💡 Remember: There is no fixed rule for forming the past tense of irregular verbs. Practice and repetition are key!

3. Spelling Rules for Regular Verbs

💡 Regular verbs typically add -ed to form the past tense. Here are some rules:

1. Most Verbs

• 🚶 Walk → walked
• 🏃 Jump → jumped
• 🖊️ Talk → talked
• 🎤 Listen → listened
• 🎨 Paint → painted

2. Verbs Ending in “e”

• 🏠 Live → lived
• 🎥 Move → moved
• 📞 Phone → phoned
• 💡 Use → used
• 🎭 Dance → danced

3. Verbs Ending in a Consonant + “y”

• 😢 Cry → cried
• ✏️ Study → studied
• 💭 Worry → worried
• 🎁 Carry → carried
• 📖 Copy → copied

4. Verbs with a Short Vowel + Consonant

• 🏃 Stop → stopped
• 📦 Wrap → wrapped
• 🛒 Shop → shopped
• 🎉 Plan → planned
• 💥 Clap → clapped

4. Usages of the Past Simple Tense

A. Actions Completed at a Specific Time in the Past

This usage refers to actions or events that occurred and finished at a particular time.

• ✍️ I wrote an essay yesterday.
• 📞 She called her friend last night.
• 🍽️ We ate dinner at 7 p.m.
• 🎥 They watched a movie on Friday.
• 🚶 He walked to school this morning.
• 🎮 I played video games last weekend.
• ☔ It rained heavily last week.
• 🎂 She celebrated her birthday last month.
• ✈️ We flew to Paris two years ago.
• 🎤 He sang at the concert on Saturday.

B. Series of Completed Actions in the Past

This usage describes multiple actions that occurred one after another.

• 🚗 I drove to the store, bought groceries, and returned home.
• 🎉 We danced, laughed, and celebrated all night.
• 🏃 He ran, jumped, and scored a goal.
• 🌅 She woke up, stretched, and went for a walk.
• 📖 I read, took notes, and reviewed the chapter.
• 👨‍🍳 We cooked, ate, and cleaned up afterward.
• 📸 They took photos, explored the museum, and had lunch.
• 🎬 She watched a movie, wrote a review, and shared it.
• 🎨 We painted, framed, and hung the artwork.

C. Actions That Took Place Over a Defined Period

This usage refers to activities or events that continued for a specific time period.

• 📖 I studied all night for the exam.
• 💼 She worked at that company for five years.
• 🏖️ They stayed at the beach for a week.
• 📝 He attended the workshop for three days.
• 📺 We watched TV for hours.
• 🍳 She cooked in the kitchen for two hours.
• 🎸 He practiced guitar for three years.
• 🏃 I jogged every morning for a month.
• 👥 They volunteered at the shelter for a month.
• 🎉 We celebrated the festival for an entire week.

5. Time Indicators

A. Using “Yesterday”

“Yesterday” indicates that the action happened the day before today.

• 👵 I visited my grandmother yesterday.
• 📄 She completed her assignment yesterday.
• 🦁 They went to the zoo yesterday.
• 📚 He bought a new book yesterday.
• 🎥 We watched a movie yesterday.
• 🧹 I cleaned my room yesterday.
• 👩‍🍳 She made dinner yesterday.
• 📞 He called his friend yesterday.
• 🏀 We played basketball yesterday.
• 📖 They studied together yesterday.

B. Using “Last” (Last Night, Last Week, etc.)

“Last” refers to a recent completed period.

• 🎤 I went to the concert last night.
• ✈️ She traveled to Canada last month.
• 🏡 They moved into their new house last year.
• ⚽ He played soccer last weekend.
• 👨‍👩‍👧 We visited our relatives last week.
• 📖 I read an interesting book last month.
• 👩‍💻 She started her job last year.
• 🧑‍🏫 He joined the club last semester.
• 🎉 We organized an event last weekend.
• ⛰️ They hiked the mountain last summer.

C. Using “Ago”

“Ago” is used with a time period to indicate how long before now an action occurred.

• ✈️ I visited Italy two years ago.
• 🇪🇸 She learned Spanish five years ago.
• 🏠 They moved here a month ago.
• 🚗 He bought his car three years ago.
• 👫 We met him a week ago.
• 🎥 I watched that movie a few days ago.
• 🎨 She started painting two months ago.
• 👨‍💼 He joined the company a year ago.
• 📝 We completed the project a week ago.
• 🚶‍♂️ They began their trip a few days ago.

D. Using Specific Dates or Times

This indicator refers to precise moments or dates in the past.

• 🎓 I graduated in 2018.
• 🏙️ She moved to New York in January.
• 🎉 They celebrated their anniversary on June 15th.
• 👔 He started his job in April.
• 🏛️ We visited the museum in March.
• 📖 I read that book in high school.
• 🏅 She joined the team in 2020.
• 📈 He launched his business last summer.
• 🎉 We hosted a party on my birthday.
• 💍 They got married in October.