Simple Past - Definition, Examples & Uses
The simple past describes completed actions, states, or habits in the past. It explains what happened and often shows when it happened. Time words like yesterday, last week, or in 2022 help with this. It is the most common tense for talking about finished events. The simple past is key for storytelling. It helps describe past experiences and report events clearly.
It is formed with the past form of the verb: regular verbs end in -ed while irregular verbs have a different form. For negative sentences, use did not (didn't) + base form of the verb (They didn't go). For questions, use did + subject + base form of the verb (Did I forget something).
The simple past can be formed in two main ways.
For most regular verbs, the simple past is created by adding -ed to the base form of the verb.
Examples:
- walk → walked
She walked to the park after school. - clean → cleaned
He cleaned his room on Saturday. - watch → watched
They watched a movie last night.
Spelling Rules for the Simple Past
| Rule | Verb Change | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verbs ending in -y after a consonant |
Change y → i and add -ed study → studied carry → carried |
She studied for the exam all evening. He carried the heavy bag into the house. |
| Verbs ending in -y after a vowel |
Keep y and add -ed play → played enjoy → enjoyed |
The children played outside. They enjoyed the concert. |
| One-syllable verbs ending in Consonant + Vowel + Consonant (CVC) |
Double the final consonant and add -ed stop → stopped plan → planned |
The car stopped suddenly. We planned the trip carefully. |
Building the Simple Past with Irregular Verbs
However, some verbs are irregular and do not follow standard -ed rules. They do not follow a simple pattern and must be memorized.
Examples:
- go → went
She went to the store after work. - see → saw
We saw a great movie last night. - take → took
He took the wrong bus this morning.
👉 It is important to learn irregular verbs by heart.
The Most Common Irregular Verbs
| Base Form | Simple Past |
|---|---|
| be | was / were |
| go | went |
| come | came |
| do | did |
| have | had |
| make | made |
| take | took |
| get | got |
| see | saw |
| eat | ate |
| give | gave |
| find | found |
| think | thought |
| say | said |
| buy | bought |
When to Use the Simple Past
1. When Something Happened Once in the Past
Use the simple past to describe an action that happened one time in the past.
Examples:
I met her at a conference last year.
He broke his phone yesterday.
2. When Something Happened Several Times in the Past
Use the simple past for actions or states that happened repeatedly in the past.
Examples:
We visited our grandparents every summer.
She called me many times last week.
3. To Describe an Indefinite Point in the Past
Use the simple past when the exact time is not mentioned, but the action is finished.
Examples:
I read that book before.
He tried sushi once.
4. To Describe a Past State of Being
Use the simple past to describe how someone or something was in the past.
Examples:
I was very shy as a child.
They lived in a small apartment before.
Common Signal Words for the Simple Past
- Common time expressions:
- yesterday
- last night / last week / last year
- ago (two days ago)
- in + past year (in 2010, in 2025)
- then
- when
- before
- once
Examples:
I met her two years ago.
We traveled to Spain last summer.
Simple Past Forms (Regular and Irregular)
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative (regular) | Subject + past verb | She worked late. |
| Affirmative (irregular: do) | Subject + did | He did his homework. |
| Affirmative (irregular: have) | Subject + had | They had enough time. |
| Negative | Subject + did not + base verb |
She did not work late. He did not do his homework. They did not have enough time. |
| Question | Did + subject + base verb? |
Did she work late? Did he do his homework? Did they have enough time? |
| Negative Rule | Use did not (didn't) + base verb |
She did not finish her homework. We didn't understand the question. He did not call me yesterday. |
| Question Rule | Did + subject + base form of the verb |
Did you finish your homework? Did she see the message? Did they arrive on time? |
Find out more
The simple past focuses on when something happened and shows that the action is finished.
The present perfect describes actions that happened in the past but are still relevant now, or actions that started in the past and continue into the present.
Examples (Simple Past):
- I visited Paris in 2019.
→ The time is specific, and the trip is over. - She lost her keys yesterday.
→ The action happened in the past and is completed.
Examples (Present Perfect):
- I have visited Paris.
→ The event happened in the past, but the experience is important now.
She has lived here for five years.
→ The action started in the past and is still ongoing.
The past perfect is used to show that one past action happened before another past action. The simple past tells what happened in the past, but it does not show the order of past actions.
Examples (Simple Past):
- I arrived at the station at 8 p.m.
→ The action happened at a specific time in the past. - She finished her homework last night.
→ The action is completed in the past.
Examples (Past Perfect):
- I had arrived at the station before the train left.
→ This action happened earlier than another past action. - She had finished her homework when her friend called.
→ The homework was completed before the phone call.