[NEW] Simple Past Tense | simple past tense examples – NATAVIGUIDES

Definition and Examples

The Past Simple Tense expresses an incident that had occurred in the past or that had occurred in the past regularly for a defined period of time. It strictly relates to the sporadic or regular incidents of past only. An incident that had been occurring in the past and is presently happening does not get any place in Past simple Tense; it is rather covered under Present Simple Continuous Tenses as we have already studied in the previous exercises.

Simple Past Tense sentences can also be classified under positive sentence, negative sentence and interrogative sentence category as in the Present Tense sentences. Below given sentences will be helpful in understanding the concept of Past Simple Tense and its three forms. Please go through the sentences carefully-

Incident that had occurred in the past-

• I ate a pie.

Incident that had occurred in the past for a certain period of time-

• He stayed in Seattle for two years.

Further go through the following sentences and draw your conclusion-

• She sang beautifully in the concert.
• He played well in the interstate championship.
• She studied commerce in Jas Raj College.
• He wore a helmet for safety.
• My mother woke me up early.

The above five sentences are in ‘Simple Past Tense’ and determine the incidents that have occurred in the past.  We will also just briefly go through some examples of negative and interrogative sentences and further cover them in details with structural formula, examples and exercises.

Examples of Negative Simple Past Tense sentences-

• She did not sing beautifully in the concert.
• He did not play well in the interstate championship.

Examples of Interrogative Simple Past Tense Sentences-

• Did she sing?
• Did he play well in the interstate tournament?

In the above examples you must have noted that in the ‘Positive Simple Past Tense’ sentences, second form or past form of the verb is used while in the negative and interrogative sentences – first or original form of verb is used. Below we will go through all the three forms of ‘Simple Past Tense’ sentences and will understand their structure and concept with the help of suitable examples and exercises.

Formula and Rules

a) Positive Sentences

Structure/Formula:

The basic structure/formula for Simple Past Tense Positive Sentences is:

• ( Subject + second form of verb + Object)

Rules for Positive Sentences in Simple Past Tense:

Irrespective of the subject the verb form in Positive Simple Past Tense remained unchanged i.e. second form; and is also placed immediately after the subject. There is no auxiliary verb used in the ‘Positive Simple Past Tense Sentences.’ For Example go through the below given sentences –

• I drank milk yesterday.
• They gave their consent for the proposal.
• She visited her grandparents.
• She followed him to office.
• The police man warned the rioters.
• Authorities confirmed the incident.
• She worked as a practitioner in Fortis hospital.
• My friend broke his leg while playing.
• They paid floral tribute to the martyr.
• The officers believed in the theory of defense attorney.

All the above incidents speak of the incidents that have occurred in the past at a particular time or had repeatedly occurred for quite some time. Please note that, in Simple Past Tense Positive Sentences, only second form of verb is used.

Exercises/Worksheets/Activities with Answers

Fill in The Blanks Exercises/Worksheets/Activities on Positive Form of Simple Past Simple Tense with Answers:

Complete the given below sentences by filling in with proper verb form, subject or object wherever required. You can cross check your result with the answers provided at the end of exercise. You can use the hints wherever provided.

1) The protesters _________ juice to break their fast. (drink)

2) She ______ her best performance ever. (give)

3) They ________ to the hotel for celebration. (go)

4) The ice ________ quickly in the chiller. (freeze)

5) The Hare_____ faster than the tortoise. (run)

6) The plane _________ over the building. (fly)

7) They _________ a long battle with patience. (fight)

8) He _________ his lost cap. (get)

9) She _______ her due place in the management. (get)

10) They _________ a new car. (buy)

11) They _______ the thief on the causeway. (catch)

12) The judge ________ the confiscation of all his assets. (order)

13) He _______ his friend on his way back home. (meet)

14) Indian team _______the opponents with good score. (beat)

15) Children _________ nervous on seeing the principal. (get)

16) He __________ in the Tax department. (work)

17) Officer _________ the miscreants regularly. (warn)

18) They ________ in a weird way. (act)

19) The authorities _________ prudently. (act)

20) The teacher ___________ my queries immediately. (answer)

Answer- 1)drank, 2)gave, 3)went, 4)froze, 5)ran,  6)flew, 7)fought, 8)got, 9)got, 10)bought, 11)caught, 12)ordered, 13)met, 14)beat, 15)got, 16)worked, 17)warned, 18)acted, 19)acted, 20)answered

MCQ Exercises/Worksheets/Activities on Positive Simple Past Tense With Answers:

Choose the appropriate verb form for the sentences from the choices provided so as to represent them in Positive Past Simple Tense. Verify your progress with the answers provided at the end.

1) He ________ fast.

a) run

b) ran

c) runs

2) They __________ the house.

a) designed

b) design

c) designing

3) She _________ him food.

a) give

b) given

c) gave

4) The kids _______ well in the play.

a) act

b) acted

c) acting

5) He _________ his desk with the wall.

a) adjusted

b) adjust

c) adjusting

6) The teachers ________ her efforts.

a) admire

b) admiring

c) admired

7) He ________ us to be careful.

a) advise

b) advised

c) advice

8) He ______ what he deserved.

a) get

b) getting

c) got

9) They _________ him a fugitive.

a) declare

b) declared

c) declares

10) He _______ for a favor in return.

a) ask

b) asking

c) asked

11) She ________ her blessing to the crowd.

a) give

b) gave

c) gives

12) I ________ juice at the party last night.

a) drank

b) drink

c) drinks

13) The thief _________ the officer chasing him.

a) attack

b) attacked

c) attacking

14) The officer __________ the thief.

a) warn

b) warns

c) warned

15) Lot of people _______ the conference on global warming.

a) attended

b) attend

c) attending

16) The family _______ a new pet.

a) bring

b) brings

c) brought

17) The students ___________ about the quality of food.

a) complain

b) complains

c) complained

18) They ________ to safety.

a) swim

b) swam

c) swimming

19) My friend ________ a beautiful dress.

a) choose

b) chose

c) choosing

20) He _______ deeper into the sea.

a) dive

b) dived

c) dove

Answers- 1)b,2)a, 3)c, 4)b, 5)a, 6)c, 7)b, 8)c, 9)b, 10)c, 11)b, 12)a, 13)b, 14)c, 15)a, 16)c, 17)c, 18)b, 19)b, 20)c

True or False Exercises/Worksheets/Activities on Positive Simple Past Tense with Answers:

Determine whether the following sentences are true or false based on whether they represent the Positive Past Simple Tense sentences or not. Verify your progress with the answer provided at the end.

1) They do as informed.

2) He caught the thief.

3) She drive faster than her friend.

4) They informed the authorities on time.

5) His parents forgive him for his mistakes.

6) The children froze in fright.

7) The tree grows bigger than the house.

8) I went to the doctor yesterday.

9) He find his wallet.

10) She gave her consent.

Answers- 1)False, 2)True, 3)False, 4)True, 5)False, 6)True, 7)False, 8)True, 9)False, 10)True

Crosscheck your answers with the given below correct sentences:

1) They did as informed.

3) She drove faster than her friend.

5) His parents forgave him for his mistakes.

7) The tree grew bigger than the house.

9) He found his wallet.

b) Negative Sentences

Structure/Formula:

The basic Structure/Formula for Simple Past Tense Negative sentences is:

• (subject + did not + first form of verb + object)

Rules for Negative Sentences in Simple Past Tense:

The most important rule for Negative Sentences in Simple Past form is that- first form of verb is to be used. That is, the verb should be in its original form like- sing, laugh, swim, dance etc. Also ‘did not’ should be wedged between the subject and verb followed by the object. Go through the below given sentences to better understand the concept and formation of Negative Sentences in Simple Past Tense Form-

• She did not teach the lesson.
• He did not laugh at the joke.
• They did not deliver the consignment.
• She did not go to the school.
• He did not attend the assemblies.
• She did not complete the home work.
• He did not ask for leave.
• The nomadic men did not have any gadgets.
• He did not confirm my selection.
• She did not convey her grievances to the committee.

The above sentences negate the incidents of the past by using ‘did not’ keeping the verb in its original first form.

c) Negative – Interrogative Sentences

The Negative sentences given above can easily be transformed into Interrogative – Negative sentences by making two simple changes in their formation as given below-

1) By adding ‘Why’ as an interrogation.

Please consider the same above negative sentences which have been converted into Negative- Interrogative sentences by using ‘Why’-

• Why she did not teach the lesson?
• Why he did not laugh at the joke?
• Why they did not deliver the consignment?
• Why he did not ask for leave?
• Why she did not complete the home work?

In the above sentences the speaker is asking a question to the listener, demanding an answer while the sentence remains in Negative Simple Past Tense Form; thereby, making the whole sentence a Negative-Interrogative sentence in Simple Past Tense form.

2) By interchanging the placements of the ‘Subject’ and ‘did’.

Another method to easily convert the Negative Simple Past Tense Sentences into Negative-Interrogative sentences in Simple Past Tense form is by placing ‘Did’ before the subject as is given in the examples below-

• Did she not teach the lesson?
• Did he not laugh at the joke?
• Did they not deliver the consignment?
• Did she not go to the school?
• Did she not complete the home work?

The above sentences have retained their negative form as ‘not’ is used; represent Simple Past Tense as they spoke about the incidents of the past keeping the first form of verb and are Interrogative as well; so, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that the sentences are- Negative-Interrogative in Simple Past Tense form.

Exercises/Worksheets/Activities with Answers

Fill in the Blanks Exercises/Worksheets/Activities on Negative form of Simple Past Tense with Answers:

Complete the below given sentences by filling in with proper verb form, auxiliary verb and ‘not’ wherever required. You can cross check your answers with the answers provided at the end of exercise. Take the help of the hints wherever provided.

1) He did _________ swim for the college. (no)

2) She ________ not write well for the exams.

3) She did not _________ for the performance. (preparing)

4) They did not _______ to the party. (going)

5) He did not _________ the medal. (getting)

6) Police did not _________ the thief. (catching)

7) People did ________ obey the draconian law. (no)

8) Children ________ not ________ for picnic. (do,going)

9) He did not ________the food. (eating)

10) They did not ________ me. (informing)

11) She did not ________ him. (liking)

12) He ______ not _________ his home work. (do, completing)

13) The rioters did not _____ law. (obeying)

14) He did not ________ her ring. (giving)

15) She did not _______ no. (saying)

16) He did not _________ money. (need)

17) The passenger did not ________ the train. (boarding)

18) Children did not ________ the silence. (breaking)

19) He did not ________ gifts. (bringing)

20) They did not ________ the remorse. (burying)

Answers- 1)not, 2)did, 3)prepare, 4)go, 5)get, 6)catch, 7)not, 8)did, go, 9)eat, 10)inform, 11)like, 12)did, complete, 13)obey, 14)give, 15)say, 16)need, 17)board, 18)break, 19)bring, 20)bury

MCQs Exercises/Worksheets/Activities on Negative Simple Past Tense with Answers:

Choose the appropriate verb form/auxiliary verbs for the sentences from the choices provided so as to represent them in Negative Past Simple Tense. Verify your progress with the answers provided at the end.

1) They did not ________ him.

a) forgave

b) forgive

c) forgiven

2) He did not _________ his belongings.

a) get

b) got

c) gets

3) He _____ not perform better than her.

a) do

b) did

c) does

4) She did not _________ her involvement.

a) conceding

b) concede

c) conceded

5) He did not ________ the requirements.

a) meet

b) meets

c) met

6) They did not __________ together.

a) merged

b) merges

c) merge

7) I did not mean to ________ you.

a) hurt

b) hurts

c) hurting

8) He did not ________ the main course.

a) made

b) make

c) making

9) She did not _______ cold.

a) caught

b) catches

c) catch

10) He did not ________his friends.

a) forgive

b) forgives

c) forgave

11) The crow did not _______ high.

a) flew

b) fly

c) flown

12) The children did not _______ about the teacher.

a) lie

b) lied

c) lying

13) His parents did not ________ their ancestral house.

a) left

b) leaving

c) leave

14) She did not _______ anything.

a) said

b) saying

c) say

15) We did not ________ our car.

a) sell

b) selling

c) sold

16) I did not ________ the development.

a) saw

b) seen

c) see

17) I did not __________ the money.

a) gave

b) give

c) given

18) She did not _______ well.

a) sleeping

b) sleeps

c) sleep

19) They did not _________ their consent.

a) give

b) gives

c) given

20) The driver did not ________ the door.

a) shut

b) shutting

c) shutted

Answers- 1)b, 2)a, 3)b, 4)b, 5)a, 6)c, 7)a, 8)b, 9)c, 10)a, 11)b, 12)a, 13)c, 14)c, 15)a, 16)c, 17)b, 18)c, 19)a, 20)a

True or False Exercises/Worksheets/Activities on Negative Simple Past Tense with Answers:

Determine whether the following sentences are true or false based on whether they represent the Negative Past Simple Tense sentences or not. Verify your progress with the answer provided at the end.

1) He did not grow fast.

2) She did not shouted loud.

3) They did not inform him.

4) We did not caught him.

5) It did not go well.

6) He did not played well.

7) They did not do well in exams.

8) I did not swam well.

9) The moon did not shine bright.

10) The glass did not shattered quickly.

Answers- 1)True, 2)False, 3)True,4)False, 5)True, 6)False, 7)True, 8)False, 9)True, 10)False

Crosscheck your answers with the given below correct sentences:

2) She did not shout loud.

4) We did not catch him.

6) He did not play well.

8) I did not swim well.

10) The glass did not shatter quickly.

d) Interrogative Sentences

Structure/Formula

The basic Structure/Formula for Simple Past Tense Interrogative sentences is:

• ( Did(Aux. verb) + subject + first form of the verb + Object)

Rules for Interrogative Sentences in Simple Past Tense:

Interrogative sentences in Simple Past Tense should begin with an auxiliary verb ‘Did’ irrespective whether the subject is – he, she, it, we, they, I or a plural or singular noun. The auxiliary verb is followed by the subject and the verb’s first form which is followed by the object in the end. Carefully go through the following sentences written in Interrogative forms of Simple Past Tense.

• Did he go to school?
• Did she confirm her participation?
• Did they discuss allowances in the meeting?
• Did they meet you?
• Did you call them?
• Did they laugh at the joke?
• Did he buy a new bike?
• Did we sign the contract?
• Did you bring medicine yesterday?
• Did the police baton charge the protestors?

The above sentences are interrogative i.e. they are asking a question to the listener and expect an answer usually with a ‘Yes’ or a ‘No’. Verb used in the Interrogative form of the Simple Past Tense sentences remain in its original form.

The above given Interrogative Sentences in Simple Past Tense can be written in another form demanding an explanation by the listener rather than a plain ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Also they can be converted into Interrogative-Negative sentences by making simple structural changes. Below we will go through them with help of suitable examples.

e) Interrogative – Negative Sentences

English Grammar might be flexible sometimes providing opportunities for conversion by making simple and minor changes. The Interrogative sentences in Simple Past Tense form can be written in different form and also can be converted into Interrogative-Negative sentences as explained below-

1) Adding ‘Why’/’How’ (or other question words) in the beginning.

If we begin the above Interrogative sentences with ‘Why’ or ‘How’ (or other question words) they retain their simple Past Interrogative form with the only change that they now demand an explanation or a detailed reply rather than a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. For simplicity and better understanding we will convert the above example sentences-

• Why/How did he go to School?
• Why/How did they meet you?
• Why/How did you call them?
• Why/How did they laugh at the joke?
• Why/How did you bring medicine yesterday?

The above sentences are also interrogative in Simple Past Tense form with the only exception that they now demand a reasonable answer in reply. Also the above sentences can be converted into Interrogative-Negative sentences by placing ‘not’ between the subject and the verb, as shown in the examples below-

• Why did he not go to school?
• Why did they not meet you?
• Why did you not call them?
• Why did they not laugh at the joke?
• Why did you not bring medicine yesterday?

Another interesting fact to be considered is that the above sentences retain their negative, interrogative as well as Simple Past form even if the positions of ‘did’ and ‘subject’ are interchanged. For Example-

• Why he did not go to School?
• Why did they not meet you?
• Why you did not call them?
• Why they did not laugh at the joke?
• Why you did not bring medicine yesterday?

2) Placing ‘not’ between ‘subject’ and ‘verb’.

The first example given as Interrogative sentences in Simple Past Tense form can be easily converted into Interrogative – Negative Sentences by making simple structural change i.e. placing ‘not’ between ‘subject’ and ‘verb’ as given below-

• Did he not go to school?
• Did she not confirm her participation?
• Did they not discuss allowances in the meeting?
• Did they not meet you?
• Did you not call them?

The above sentences have very well retained their interrogative form but are also now negative with addition of ‘not’. Very interesting to note here that the above sentences can be made to shun their interrogative form making them Simple Past Tense Negative Sentences by simply interchanging the places of ‘did’ and the ‘subject’ as given in the sentences below-

• He did not go to School.
• She did not confirm her participation.
• They did not discuss allowances in the meeting.
• They did not meet you!
• They did not laugh at the joke.

Exercises/Worksheets/Activities with Answers

Fill in the Blanks Exercises/Worksheets/Activities on Interrogative Simple Past Tense with Answers:

Complete the below given sentences by filling in with proper verb form and auxiliary verb wherever required. You can cross check your answers with the answers provided at the end of exercise. Take the help of hints wherever provided.

1) _______ you watch that match? (do)

2) Did he _________ you about the class? (telling)

3) Did she ________? (laughing)

4) Did they ___________? (informing)

5) _______ you _________ them? (do, telling)

6) Did she ________ you? (informing)

7) Did _______ give you their agreement?

8) Did you _______ your salary? (getting)

9) Did she ________ on leaving? (crying)

10) Did he __________ coffee? (drinking)

11) Did they ________ a new car? (bringing)

12) Did she _________ the train? (boarding)

13) Did he ________ the groceries? (getting)

14) Did I ________ my book to you? (giving)

15) ______ he _________ his bike to his friend? (do, giving)

16) Did _______ get the vegetables?

17) Did she ________ something? (saying)

18) Did he _________ his ID card? (forgetting)

19) Did he ______ you? (informing)

20) Did they _________ you? (convincing)

Answers- 1)did, 2)tell, 3)laugh, 4)inform, 5)did, tell, 6)inform, 7)they, 8)get, 9)cry, 10)drink, 11)bring, 12)board, 13)get, 14)give, 15)did, give, 16)he/she/they, 17)say, 18)forget, 19)inform, 20)convince

MCQs Exercises/Worksheets/Activities on Interrogative Simple Past Tense with Answers:

Choose the appropriate verb form (Hint: base form or first form) for the sentences from the choices provided so as to represent them in Interrogative Past Simple Tense. Verify your progress with the answers provided in the end.

1) Did he ________ the cake?

a) ate

b) eat

c) eats

2) Did she _________ her pen?

a) give

b) given

c) gives

3) Did she ________ good in exams?

a) wrote

b) writing

c) write

4) Did they _________ here?

a) came

b) come

c) coming

5) Did they ________ money?

a) bring

b) brought

c) bringing

6) Did she _________ on the joke?

a) laughed

b) laughing

c) laugh

7) Did they __________ the teacher?

a) informed

b) inform

c) informs

8) Did the forces ______ fast?

a) acted

b) acts

c) act

9) Did you ________ for the Aadhar card?

a) apply

b) applying

c) applied

10) Did the reporter ________ the crime?

a) exposes

b) expose

c) exposed

11) Did he ________ fast?

a) drive

b) drove

c) drives

12) Did she _________ carefully?

a) listening

b) listens

c) listen

13) Did they _________ to the orphanage?

a) contribute

b) contributed

c) contributing

14) Did he _______ you?

a) warned

b) warns

c) warn

15) Did she ________ you?

a) calls

b) call

c) called

16) Did they ________ you?

a) missed

b) missing

c) miss

17) Did you _______ him?

a) seen

b) see

c) saw

18) Did we _________to them?

a) speak

b) spoke

c) spoken

19) Did she ________ on the chair?

a) sitting

b) sat

c) sit

20) Did he ________ his bag?

a) show

b) shows

c) showed

Answers- 1)b, 2)a, 3)c, 4)b, 5)a, 6)c, 7)b, 8)c, 9)a, 10)b, 11)a, 12)c, 13)a, 14)c, 15)b, 16)c, 17)b, 18)a, 19)c, 20)a

True or False Exercises/Worksheets/Activities on Interrogative Simple Past Tense with Answers:

Determine whether the following sentences are true or false based on whether they represent the Interrogative Past Simple Tense sentences or not. Verify your progress with the answer provided in the end.

1) Did he called you?

2) Did she see you?

3) Did they wrote a letter to the warden?

4) Did you meet her?

5) Did she ate the dinner?

6) Did it perform well?

7) Did they left their old house?

8) Did you go to the college?

9) Did she attended the lecture?

10) Did he sing well?

Answers- 1)False, 2)True, 3)False, 4)True, 5)False, 6)True, 7)False, 8)True, 9)False, 10)True

Crosscheck your answers with the correct sentences given below:

1) Did he call you?

3) Did they write a letter to the warden?

5) Did she eat the dinner?

7) Did they leave their old house?

9) Did she attend the lecture?

Related Links:

Past Continuous or Past Progressive Tense
Past Perfect Tense
Past Perfect Continuous Tense

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What is simple past tense shortly?

Simple past tense (past simple tense) is a verb tense that describes completed actions or past habits. It is also used to talk about a series of events in the past. “Did” is the helping verb of simple past tense. For affirmative (positive) sentences we use past simple form of a verb. You can learn past simple tense here with games, images, dialogues and exercises here. Scroll down to learn more.

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Formation of simple past tense

For affirmative sentences we use the formation of “verb + ed”. For negative sentences and questions we use the auxiliary “did” or “did not”. See the chart below to learn the structure of simple past tense.

 

 

Did

 

Why did

Where did

Alex

arrived

worked

help

did not play

play

go

yesterday

QUICK LINKS IN THIS PAGE

Simple Past Tense Formation
(+) Affirmative form
(-) Negative form
(?) Question form

 I watched.
 I didn’t watch.
 Did you watch?

 You watched.
 You didn’t watch.
 Did you watch?

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Which auxiliary (helping verb) to use for simple past tense?

The auxiliary verb in simple past tense is “did“. However we use “was-were” to talk about a state in the past.
Examples:

• I walked in the park.
• I didn’t walk in the park.
• Did you walk in the park?

• I was in the park.
• I wasn’t in the park.
• Were you in the park?

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Positive (Affirmative) sentences in simple past tense

For the formation of positive sentences in simple past tense we add “-ed“, “-ied” or just “-d” to the verb. We do not use “did” for the positive sentences.

• I asked a question.
• She studied maths.
• She cleaned her room.
• Jack repaired the car last week.
• A traffic accident happened yesterday.

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Negative sentences in simple past tense

For the formation of negative sentences in simple past tense we use “not” together with “did“. The short form is “didn’t”

• He did not want tea.
• We didn’t wait for the bus.
• I didn’t use your pen.
• Susan didn’t lie.

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Interrogative sentences in simple past tense

For the formation of question sentences (interrogative) in simple past tense we put “did” before the subject.

• Did you enjoy your holiday.
• Did she write an email.
• Where did Yuto go?
• What did Ali want?

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Sentence forms in simple past tense

Simple Past Tense Formula with example sentences
(+) Affirmative sentences
(-) Negative sentences
(?) Interrogative sentences

 I played
 I didn’t play
 Did I play?

 You played
 You didn’t play
 Did you play?

 He played
 He didn’t play
 Did he play?

 She played
 She didn’t play
 Did she play?

 It played
 It didn’t play
 Did it play?

 We played
 We didn’t play
 Did we play?

 They played
 They didn’t play
 Did they play?

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What are the regular verbs?

Regular verbs are the verbs that gets “-ed“, “-ied” or “-d” for the the past simple forms.

Regular verbs
Infinitive
Past simple
Past participle

clean
cleaned
cleaned

play
played
played

study
studied
studied

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What are the irregular verbs?

Irregular verbs are the verbs which don’t get “-ed“, “-ied” or “-d” to form past simple form or past participle form. There are a number of irregular verbs which needs to be memorized. Because the formation has no standard rule. Some verbs have the same form as bare form, past simple form or past participle form. For example “cut, put, let, hit”.

Irregular verbs
Infinitive
Past simple form
Past participle form

find
found
found

go
went
gone

break
broke
broken

speak
spoke
spoken

put
put
put

Examples:

• (+) I 

  visited

   my uncle. 

• (-) I 

  didn’t visit

   my uncle yesterday. 

• (?) Did you visit your uncle yesterday? 

• (+) They found the cat.
• (-) They didn’t find the cat.
• (?) Did they find the cat?

SIMILAR PAGES:
❯❯ Learn verb to be here
❯❯ Learn simple present tense here
❯❯ Learn present continuous tense here
❯❯ Learn future simple tense (will) here
❯❯ Learn be going to future tense here
❯❯ Learn past continuous tense here
❯❯ Learn present perfect tense here

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Explanations and usages of Simple Past Tense

Lets go on with the explanations, usages and time adverbs of simple past tense

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1- Finished actions in the past

Simple Past Tense is used to describe a finished action in a specific time in the past.
Examples:
I watched a film yesterday. 
I didn’t watch a film yesterday. 
Last year, I traveled to Italy. 
Last year, I didn’t travel to Italy. 
She washed her hands. 
She didn’t wash her hands. 
I bought a hat yesterday.
Did you like your cake?
Where did you go?
What did Ethan say?
How did she get 100 points in the exam?

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2- A series of finished actions.

Simple Past Tense is also used to describe past actions that happen one after the other. The series of actions are all expressed in simple past tense.
Examples:
I went out, walked to the park, and watched the sky silently.

He arrived from the airport at 11:00, looked for someone to ask the way, and called a taxi.

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3- Past habits

We can also use simple past tense to talk about habits in the past.
Examples:
I always played basketball when I was a child.
He often played the guitar.
They never went to school, they always skipped.
She worked at the hospital after school.

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Using “was”, “were” to talk about past states.

If you want to talk about a past state or condition we use “was, were”. The negative form is “was not, were not” or “wasn’t weren’t”. To make questions we use “was/were” before the subject.

⬤ I lived in London.
⬤ I was in London.

Examples (did)
Sally worked at the hospital.
Sally didn’t work at the hospital.
Did Sally work at the hospital?
Where did Sally work?

Examples (was-were)
Sally was at the hospital.
Sally wasn’t at the hospital.
Was Sally at the hospital?
Where was Sally?

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Time expressions in simple past tense

⬤ yesterday 
I went to the cinema yesterday. 
⬤ last week, last year, last Sunday, last month etc.
He bought a car last week. 
⬤ two years ago, four days ago, three minutes ago etc.
I saw her five minutes ago.
⬤ in 1995, in 2003 etc.
I had an accident in 2014.

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Time adverbs exercise

You can see the simple past tense time adverbs below. Click on the cards and tell the meaning of them in your native language..

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Learn simple past tense with images and example sentences.

You can learn simple past tense with images and example sentences below.

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A dialogue about simple past tense

Here is a dialogue to learn simple past tense. You can make similar dialogues.

1. Hi? Harry

   Did you win the match yesterday?

2. Yes, we did.

3. How was the game?

4. I don’t know.

5. What do you mean?

   Didn’t you play?

6. Actually I didn’t.

   I had a traffic accident

   so I spent the night at a hospital.

   We won the match.

   My teammates dedicated the goals to me.

7. How nice!

   Well. Your team needs you. Get well soon.

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Translate the sentences below into your native language.

You will see random examples of simple past tense below. Try to translate them into your own language.

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Sentence scramble game about simple past tense

You will see scrambled words of simple past tense sentences. Click on them in order to make a sentence.

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Example sentences about simple past tense

You can see many sentences below to learn simple past tense.

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10 examples of about simple past tense

1. I listened to the new pop album yesterday. It’s great.
2. She liked the film but she didn’t like the music.
3. There was a problem with the plug.
4. I was happy to see her with a smile in her face.
5. Her parents travelled by train from Istanbul to Moscow.
6. I phoned you four times last night but you were out.
7. There were many workers waiting outside.
8. We walked along the beach yesterday. It was lovely.
9. I had a problem. So I asked to my mother about it.
10. Last week I was in Paris. I stayed in a hotel.

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Questions and with answers about simple past tense

Read the questions and the answers below to learn how to use about simple past tense.

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10 questions and answers about simple past tense

1. Did you like the film?
   Yes, I liked it very much.
2. Did they give her a present after the ceremony?
   Yes, they gave her a new camera.
3. When did you start playing the guitar?
   I started playing the guitar when I was nine.
4. Was there a guard at the door?
   No. They let us in.
5. When did you leave school?
   I left school when I was sixteen.
6. Who invented the radio?
   Guglielmo Marconi invented it.
7. When did you give your first concert?
   We gave our first concert in a wedding in Liverpool.
8. How many sandwiches did he eat?
   He ate 3 sandwiches.
9. Were you with Sally when she had an accident?
   Yes, I was.
10. What did she do with the book?
    She sat on a bench and started reading.

External resources:
You can go on learning with our other games and activities on this category page. You can also learn simple past tense on British Council page here, or watch a video from the popular movies here.

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