Past Simple

First time here? You may want to see the list of basic facts about tenses.

We use the Past Simple to talk about actions that happened at a specific time in the past. The actions can be short or long. There can also be a few actions happening one after another. Generally, there are two important facts to remember about this tense:

  • Irregular verbs
  • Questions and negative sentences, unlike the positive ones, preserve the base form of the verb (Did you go there?)

Sorry, you need to install flash to see this content.
Copernicus was the first to be sure that the Sun, rather than the Earth, is the center of the Solar System.

Use
  1. Events in the past that are now finished (e.g. I went to school)
  2. Situation in the past (they lived a normal life until they won a lottery)
  3. A series of actions in the past

Irregular Verbs

The irregular verbs, in contrast to the regular ones, are those verbs whose conjugation falls outside the standard patterns of conjugation. Therefore, the irregular verbs have to be memorized by heart.

It is absolutely necessary for you to know them to be able to form past tenses and perfect tenses.

Form
Declarative sentences:

Subject + Verb + ed or an irregular form
I/a dog etc.   worked/went/saw

 

Sorry, you need to install flash to see this content.


I saw two colorful fishes in the lake yesterday (Use 1)
  • He enter ed a room, lit a cigarette and smiled at the guests. (Use 3)
  • Mary tried the soup but it was too hot to eat. (Use 1)

  • I lived in New York for 10 years (I don't live there anymore) (Use 2)
  • They saw us playing football. (Use 1)
  • He married a woman who lived in the same village. (Use 1)
Questions:

Auxiliary verb + Subject + Verb
did   I/a cat/my brother and I   go/take

  • How long did he work there? (Use 2 or Use 1)
  • Did the telephone ring? (Use 1)
  • Did you see that? (Use 1)

 

Note: When the subject is unknown ("who", "what") we omit "did"

  • Who cleaned up the mess yesterday?
  • What bit you?
Common time expressions (time adverbials) in the Past Simple:
yesterday, the other day, just now, the day before yesterday.
Negative sentences:
Subject + Auxiliary verb + Verb
I/a cat etc.   didn't   go/take
  • He didn't learn any Italian when he was in Italy two year ago. (Use 2)
  • I wasn't at my grandma's when you came. (Use 1)
  • He didn't get any good grades when he attended school. (Use 3)
Sorry, you need to install flash to see this content.

I met my old friend from school yesterday and she looked really weird.

Check your understanding!

Comments

ramalingam123's picture
Submitted by ramalingam123 on Sun, 03/07/2010 - 15:35.

very helpful and interesting notes and diagrams, but i think it could be more understandable if you placed one type of examples to one side and another type of information to another side.Anyway the information is good.
There is also when you said that i lived in new york for ten years(i don't live there anymore).You placed on the 2 but it should had been placed on the 3 one because the action is finished since he doesn't live there anymore.

Mark's picture
Submitted by Mark on Sun, 03/07/2010 - 15:59.

I'm glad you liked it. Whenever I have some free time, I try to improve this or that so your suggestions are very valuable to me. Thanks!