English Past Tenses - Differences and Examples Explained
Past tenses describe actions, states, or events that happened in the past. They show completed or ongoing events and may link to the present. They indicate whether someone finished an action, was in progress, repeated it, or completed it before another past action. They also explain how events relate. For instance, they show which action happened first or which was interrupted. This helps create a clear timeline and makes communication more accurate, logical, and easy to understand.
There are four past tenses:
The 4 Past Tenses
| Tense Type | Structure (Formula) | Use | Example Sentences |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Past |
verb + -ed (or irregular form) Subject + past verb |
Completed actions at a specific or understood time in the past. |
She worked yesterday. She danced beautifully. I visited Paris in 2019. We traveled to the countryside last summer. |
| Past Continuous |
was / were + verb-ing Subject + was/were + verb-ing |
Actions in progress at a specific time in the past or interrupted by another action. |
They were studying when I called. He was driving fast. She was reading a book when the phone rang. |
| Past Perfect |
had + past participle Subject + had + past participle |
Actions completed before another action in the past. |
I had finished dinner before 9 p.m. They had left before it started to rain. She had finished her work by the time the meeting began. |
| Past Perfect Continuous |
had been + verb-ing Subject + had been + verb-ing |
Actions ongoing for a period of time before another past action. |
He had been working all day before resting. I had been waiting for hours before she arrived. They had been living in that house for ten years before moving out. |
Combining Past Tenses
Oftentimes in the English language, you have to combine past tenses together.
Use Simple Past + Simple Past to describe
Example: She opened the door and walked inside.
Use Simple Past + Past Continuous for an interrupted action
Example: I was watching TV when the phone rang.
Use Past Perfect + Simple Past to describe a past action that happened before an event in the past
Example: They had finished dinner when I arrived.
Use Past Perfect Continuous + Simple Past to describe a background activity/give context before a past event
Example: He had been studying all day when his friends called.
The Most Common Time Expressions for Past Tenses
📅 Specific past time
- yesterday
- last night / last week / last year
- in 2019 / in June
⏳ Time + ago
- two days ago
- a year ago
🔎 Other common expressions
- when I was …
- then
- at that time
- before / after
- earlier
Find out more
- Simple Past
- Used for actions that started and finished in the past.
- Example: I visited my grandmother yesterday.
- Past Continuous (Past Progressive)
- Used for actions that were ongoing at a specific time in the past.
- Example: I was visiting my grandmother when you called.
- Past Perfect
- Used for an action that was completed before another action in the past.
- Example: I had visited my grandmother before I moved abroad.
- Past Perfect Continuous (Past Perfect Progressive)
- Used for actions that had been ongoing for some time before another past action.
- Example: I had been visiting my grandmother regularly before she fell ill.
- I updated the website last night after everyone had gone to bed.
- We shipped your order the same day you placed it.
- She asked for a refund because the item arrived damaged.
- They were looking for eco-friendly packaging, so we recommended our recycled options.
- By the time you emailed us, we had already resolved the issue.
To talk about the past, add an -ed towards your verb to indicate the past tense (present: show/ past: showed). Some verbs are irregular and change form (like go → went, have → had, buy → bought).
Past Simple: Can be used for single events OR repeated habits (e.g., "I played guitar yesterday" or "I played guitar as a child").
"Used to": Specifically refers to past habits or states that are no longer true (e.g., "I used to play guitar, but I don't anymore").
Use the Past Perfect to show which of two past actions happened first.
- Past Simple: "The meeting finished and then we went to lunch." (Sequential order)
- Past Perfect: "We went to lunch after the meeting had finished." (Emphasizes the meeting happened first)