Past Simple Tense (Regular Verbs)

1. Forms of the Past Simple Tense

There are three main forms: affirmative, negative, and interrogative.

A. Affirmative Form

Structure: Subject + Verb (with -ed, -d, or -ied ending)

Examples:

• I played soccer yesterday.
• You played video games last night.
• He/She studied for the exam last week.
• It snowed heavily last winter.
• We traveled to Italy last summer.
• You (plural) attended the meeting on Friday.
• They lived in a quiet town when they were young.

B. Negative Form

Structure: Subject + did not (didn’t) + Base Verb

Examples:

• I didn’t play soccer yesterday.
• You didn’t play video games last night.
• He/She didn’t study for the exam last week.
• It didn’t snow much last winter.
• We didn’t travel to Italy last summer.
• You (plural) didn’t attend the meeting on Friday.
• They didn’t live in that town anymore.

C. Interrogative Form

Structure: Did + Subject + Base Verb?

Examples:

• Did I play soccer yesterday?
• Did you play video games last night?
• Did he/she study for the exam last week?
• Did it snow heavily last winter?
• Did we travel to Italy last summer?
• Did you attend the meeting on Friday?
• Did they live in that town when they were young?

2. Spelling Rules for Regular Verbs

Regular verbs are modified to form the past simple by following these rules:

A. General Rule: Add -ed

For most verbs, simply add -ed to the base form.

• play → played
• work → worked
• visit → visited
• learn → learned
• travel → traveled
• cook → cooked
• call → called
• watch → watched
• listen → listened
• help → helped

B. Verbs Ending in “e”: Add -d

If a verb ends in “e”, add only -d.

• love → loved
• live → lived
• hope → hoped
• change → changed
• move → moved
• like → liked
• taste → tasted
• dance → danced
• arrive → arrived
• smile → smiled

C. Verbs Ending in Consonant + “y”: Change “y” to “ied”

When a verb ends with a consonant followed by “y”, drop the “y” and add -ied.

• cry → cried
• try → tried
• reply → replied
• study → studied
• carry → carried
• hurry → hurried
• marry → married
• apply → applied
• deny → denied
• copy → copied

3. Usages of the Past Simple Tense

The Past Simple Tense is versatile and used to describe:

A. Completed Actions

• I played soccer yesterday.
• She watched a movie last night.
• We visited the museum on Saturday.
• They cooked dinner together.
• He finished his homework early.
• I called my friend after school.
• She cleaned her room last weekend.
• We traveled to Paris last summer.

B. Past Habits

• I walked to school every day.
• She always ate breakfast at 7 AM.
• We played outside every afternoon.
• They watched cartoons every morning.
• He visited his grandparents every weekend.
• I read a book every night.
• She practiced the piano daily.
• We cooked dinner together every evening.

C. Sequence of Events

• She opened the book, sat down, and read quietly.
• We arrived at the park, played games, and left happily.
• They finished dinner, washed the dishes, and went to bed.
• He entered the room, greeted his friend, and sat down.
• I called my mom, talked for a while, and hung up.
• The class started, the teacher explained, and we took notes.
• I packed my bag, caught the bus, and arrived on time.
• They logged in, completed the assignment, and logged out.

4. Common Regular Verbs in the Past Simple

1. 1. accept: I accepted the invitation to the party.
   2. add: She added extra cheese to her pizza.
   3. agree: We agreed on the meeting time.
   4. allow: My teacher allowed me to leave early.
   5. answer: He answered the question correctly.
   6. appear: The sun appeared behind the clouds.
   7. arrive: They arrived at the station on time.
   8. ask: I asked for help with my homework.
   9. bake: She baked a chocolate cake.
   10. believe: I believed in my dreams.
   11. borrow: He borrowed my notebook.
   12. call: She called her friend last night.
   13. carry: They carried the boxes upstairs.
   14. change: I changed my hairstyle last month.
   15. clean: He cleaned his room on Saturday.
   16. climb: We climbed the hill during our hike.
   17. close: She closed the window before bed.
   18. compare: I compared prices at different stores.
   19. complain: They complained about the noisy neighbors.
   20. complete: I completed my assignment on time.
   21. cook: She cooked a delicious dinner.
   22. copy: He copied the notes from the board.
   23. correct: I corrected my mistake in the test.
   24. create: They created a beautiful painting.
   25. decide: I decided to join the club.
   26. deliver: The courier delivered the package.
   27. describe: She described her vacation vividly.
   28. design: He designed a new poster for the event.
   29. destroy: The storm destroyed the old shed.
   30. develop: We developed a new strategy.
   31. die: Many leaves died in the autumn.
   32. discuss: They discussed the project details.
   33. divide: I divided the cake into equal slices.
   34. double: She doubled the recipe for the party.
   35. dress: He dressed quickly for school.
   36. earn: I earned a reward for my efforts.
   37. enjoy: We enjoyed the concert immensely.
   38. examine: The doctor examined the patient carefully.
   39. exist: Myths existed in ancient cultures.
   40. expect: I expected a surprise party.
   41. explain: She explained the rules clearly.
   42. explore: We explored the old castle.
   43. extend: They extended the deadline by two days.
   44. fail: He failed the exam despite studying.
   45. fill: I filled the bottle with water.
   46. finish: She finished her homework before dinner.
   47. follow: We followed the guide through the museum.
   48. form: They formed a circle during the dance.
   49. guess: I guessed the answer correctly.
   50. happen: It happened suddenly.
   51. help: She helped her brother with his project.
   52. imagine: I imagined a bright future.
   53. improve: He improved his skills over time.
   54. include: The list included all the necessary items.
   55. increase: The price increased last month.
   56. intend: I intended to call you yesterday.
   57. join: They joined the new club eagerly.
   58. jump: The cat jumped over the fence.
   59. laugh: We laughed at the funny joke.
   60. learn: I learned a new word today.
   61. listen: She listened to her favorite song.
   62. live: They lived in a small town.
   63. look: He looked at the beautiful sunset.
   64. love: I loved the movie we watched.
   65. manage: She managed her time very well.
   66. measure: I measured the table for a new cloth.
   67. miss: He missed the bus this morning.
   68. move: They moved to a new city last year.
   69. need: I needed help with the project.
   70. notice: She noticed a mistake in her essay.
   71. occur: The event occurred unexpectedly.
   72. open: I opened the door for fresh air.
   73. order: He ordered a pizza for dinner.
   74. own: They owned a small shop downtown.
   75. paint: I painted my room blue.
   76. participate: She participated in the contest.
   77. plan: We planned a surprise party.
   78. play: The kids played in the park.
   79. prefer: I preferred tea over coffee.
   80. prepare: She prepared a tasty dinner.
   81. promise: He promised to help me.
   82. protect: They protected the wildlife by recycling.
   83. provide: I provided all the necessary details.
   84. pull: She pulled the door open.
   85. push: I pushed the shopping cart to the store.
   86. reach: He reached the top of the hill.
   87. remember: She remembered the meeting time.
   88. relax: We relaxed by the pool.
   89. repeat: I repeated the instructions.
   90. reply: He replied to my message.
   91. return: She returned the borrowed book.
   92. save: I saved my file on the computer.
   93. share: She shared her lunch with me.
   94. smile: He smiled at the joke.
   95. start: I started a new project.
   96. stop: She stopped the car at the red light.
   97. talk: I talked with my friend after class.
   98. taste: He tasted the soup and smiled.
   99. thank: They thanked me for my help.
   100. travel: We traveled to the countryside last summer.
   101. turn: She turned off the lights before leaving.
   102. type: I typed my report on the computer.
   103. use: He used the map to find his way.
   104. visit: They visited the museum last weekend.
   105. wait: I waited for the bus patiently.
   106. want: She wanted a new bicycle.
   107. wish: He wished for a quiet evening.
   108. work: I worked on my project all day.
   109. worry: They worried about the upcoming test.
   110. wrap: She wrapped the gift with colorful paper.
   111. walk: I walked to school this morning.
   112. watch: He watched a funny video online.
   113. wonder: I wondered about the mystery.