If you’re an English as an additional language learner and you’re not sure about how to use the past simple (or simple past) tense in English, here’s a complete guide made especially for you. You’ll finish reading this article much more confident in using this verb tense. Read on!
In case you need to remember all of these tenses, check out this amazing overview of all verb tenses in English!
Past Simple (or Simple Past)
The past simple (or simple past) tense in English is used to refer to something that happened at a specific time in the past. This means that the action you’re talking about is finished. It’s over. It started and ended in the past.
| PAST | PRESENT (NOW) | FUTURE |
| worked | – | – |
| did | – | – |
| played | – | – |
| met | – | – |
| etc. | – | – |
Affirmative, Negative, and Interrogative (Question) Forms
To form an affirmative sentence in the past, you use the structure subject + verb in the past simple + object.
To form a negative sentence in the past, you use the structure subject + did not (didn’t) + verb + object.
To form an interrogative sentence (question) in the past, use the structure: Did + subject + verb + object + question mark (?).
| AFFIRMATIVE | NEGATIVE | INTERROGATIVE (QUESTION) |
| I worked yesterday | I didn’t work yesterday | Did I work yesterday? |
| You did the homework | You didn’t do the homework | Did you do the homework? |
| He/she/it played with his brother | He/she/it didn’t play with his brother | Did he/she/it play with his brother? |
| We met at the park | We didn’t meet at the park | Did we meet at the park? |
| They saw a shooting star | They didn’t see a shooting star | Did they see a shooting star? |
Past simple (or simple past) of be
The verb be has two different forms in the past: was and were.
| SUBJECT | VERB FORM |
| I | was |
| You | were |
| He/she/it | was |
| We | were |
| They | were |
Affirmative, Negative and Interrogative (Question) Forms of be
To form an affirmative sentence in the past, you use the structure subject + verb in the past simple + object.
To form a negative sentence in the past, you use the structure subject + was not (wasn’t)/were not (weren’t) + object.
To form an interrogative sentence (question) in the past, use the structure: Was/Were + subject + object + question mark (?).
| AFFIRMATIVE | NEGATIVE | INTERROGATIVE (QUESTION) |
| I was happy | I wasn’t happy | Was I happy? |
| You were busy | You weren’t busy | Were you busy? |
| He/she/it was in the garden | He/she/it wasn’t in the garden | Was he/she/it in the garden? |
| We were sleepy | We weren’t sleepy | Were we sleepy? |
| They were at the party | They weren’t at the party | Were they at the party? |
Time Expressions
The past simple (or simple past) tense can be used with or without time expressions that refer to the past.
Time expressions are phrases such as yesterday, last week, last month, last year, etc. They identify the time you’re talking about. These expressions usually go at the end of the sentence (I worked yesterday).
WH question words
If you have a WH question word in your interrogative sentence (question), put it at the beginning of the sentence.
| When did I work? |
| What did you do? |
| Who did he/she/it play with? |
| Where did we meet? |
| What did they see? |
Past simple form of regular Verbs
Most of the verbs in English are regular. This means that they follow a pattern. To put regular verbs in their past form you need to add –ed to the end of the base form of the verb. The base form is the form you find in dictionaries. For example, work becomes worked; play becomes played, etc. Sometimes, there are small, additional changes to the verb, depending on its end such as carry becomes carried; plan becomes planned, etc.
Past simple form of irregular Verbs
However, some verbs in English are irregular. This means that they don’t follow a pattern. So, you have to memorize the list of irregular verbs in English. You don’t need to memorize everything immediately. Start with the most common ones and move on to the others as you need them. Some examples of irregular verbs are: say becomes said, win becomes won, drink becomes drank, put remains put, etc. Check a complete list of irregular verbs here.
Short Answers
Use short answers to answer a question in the past simple.
| QUESTION WITH BE | SHORT ANSWER | QUESTION WITH OTHER VERBS | SHORT ANSWER |
| Was I happy? | Yes, I was OR No, I wasn’t | Did I work yesterday? | Yes, I did OR No, I didn’t |
| Were you busy? | Yes, you were OR No, you weren’t | Did you do the homework? | Yes, you did OR No, you didn’t |
| Was he/she/it in the garden? | Yes, he/she/it was OR No, he/she/it wasn’t | Did he/she/it play with his brother? | Yes, he/she/it did OR No, he/she/it didn’t |
| Were we sleepy? | Yes, we were OR No, we weren’t | Did we meet at the park? | Yes, we did OR No, we didn’t |
| Were they at the party? | Yes, they were OR No, they weren’t | Did they see a shooting star? | Yes, they did OR No, they didn’t |
Example Sentences
| “Kanye West and Hit-Boy confirmed they worked together on new song Eazy and share new videos from the studio” (Daily Mail) |
| “Andrew Garfield didn’t even tell Emma Stone the truth about Spider-Man: No Way Home” (GamesRadar) |
| “Boris Johnson was warned about lockdown drinks – Cummings” (BBC) |
| “‘We escaped. We weren’t freed’: Rabbi recounts Texas synagogue standoff” (Global News) |
| “Houthis: Attacks on Abu Dhabi Were Response to UAE Military Actions in Yemen” (VOA) |
| “A government minister in Madagascar has said he swam for 12 hours to safety after his helicopter crashed at sea during a rescue mission” (BBC) |
| “Blind man’s death fall in Southampton was preventable, family say” (BBC) |
| “Jill Biden: I didn’t expect ‘healing role’ as first lady” (AP News) |
| “‘We were terrified’: Texas rabbi and congregants detail hostage drama” (The Guardian) |
| “Dun, Dun Duuun! Where did pop culture’s most dramatic sound come from?” (The Guardian) |
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