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. 🤔

5. Common Mistakes and Tips

• Always add -ed (or the appropriate ending) to form the past simple of regular verbs.
• Remember to use the base form after “did not” or “did” in negative and interrogative sentences.
• Double-check spelling changes for verbs ending in “e” and “y”.
• Avoid confusing irregular verbs with regular ones.
• Practice by rewriting present tense sentences into the past simple form.