Introduction
The simple past (also called past simple, past indefinite or preterite) is a verb tense which is used to show that a completed action took place at a specific time in the past. The simple past is also frequently used to talk about past habits and generalizations.
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The simple past in English may look like a tense in your own language, but the meaning may be different.
1. Simple Past: Form
Regular verbs: base+ed
walked, showed, watched, played, smiled, stopped
Irregular verbs: see list of irregular verbs in "Verbs and Verb Tenses" section.
Affirmative
Subject + Verb(ed) (for regular verbs)
Subject + Verb(S.P) (for irregular verbs)
- I washed the dishes last night.
- He went to a club last night.
- We gave her a doll for her birthday.
- My parents came to visit me last July.
Negative
Subject + did + not + Verb(infinitive)
Subject + didn't + Verb(infinitive)
- They didn't visit us last week.
- He didn't go to bed early last night.
- They didn't give John their new address.
- We didn't come because it was raining.
Interrogative
Did + Subject + Verb(Infinitive)?
- Did she arrive?
- Did he go to the cinema last night?
- Did Barry give you my passport?
- Did he come to your party last week?
Interrogative negative
Did + not + Subject + Verb(Infinitive)?
Didn't + Subject + Verb(Infinitive)?
- Didn't you like?
- Didn't he come last night?
Note: For the negative and interrogative form of all verbs in the simple past, always use the auxiliary 'did''.
How to use
1. The simple past is used to talk about a completed action in a time before now.
Duration is not important. The time of the action can be in the recent past or the distant past.
We often add expressions such as: last week, when I was a child, yesterday, six weeks ago...
or the other day, ages ago, a long time ago etc.
- John Cabot sailed to America in 1498.
- My father died last year.
- He lived in Fiji in 1976.
- We crossed the Channel yesterday.
2. Duration in the Past
The simple past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.
- I lived in Brazil for two years.
- Shauna studied Japanese for five years.
- They sat at the beach all day.
- They did not stay at the party the entire time.
- We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.
3. Habits in the Past
The simple past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as "used to." To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.
- I studied French when I was a child.
- Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid?
- She worked at the movie theater after school.
- They never went to school, they always skipped class.
Note: the word ago is a useful way of expressing the distance into the past. It is placed after the period of time
a week ago, three years ago, a minute ago...
Examples
- He sent me a letter six months ago.
- Peter left five minutes ago.
Simple past with be, have, do:
| Subject |
Verb |
|
Be
|
Have
|
Do
|
| I |
was
|
had
|
did
|
| You |
were
|
had
|
did
|
| He, she, it |
was
|
had
|
did
|
| We |
were
|
had
|
did
|
| You |
were
|
had
|
did
|
| They |
were
|
had
|
did
|
Examples
- I was in Japan last year
- She had a headache yesterday.
- We did our homework last night.
Note:
For the negative and interrogative simple past form of "do" as an ordinary verb, use the auxiliary "do",
- We didn't do our homework last night.
The negative of "have" in the simple past is usually formed using the auxiliary "do", but sometimes by simply adding not or the contraction "n't".
The interrogative form of "have" in the simple past normally uses the auxiliary "do".
- They weren't in Rio last summer.
- We hadn't any money.
- We didn't have time to visit the Eiffel Tower.
- We didn't do our exercises this morning.
- Were they in Iceland last January?
- Did you have a bicycle when you were a boy?
- Did you do much climbing in Switzerland?