2 sentences in English in the past simple. Past Simple

Irregular verbs in English, these are verbs that have special forms (Past Simple) and (Past Participle). Among them there are both very common ones (feel - to feel, speak - to speak) and rare ones (cleave - to cut, forswear - to renounce). The tables below show common irregular verbs.

Read also:

Despite the fact that irregular verbs change in a special way, they still have some regularity. In the table below, the verbs are given with translation and transcription and are distributed based on the coincidence of forms:

Verbs AAA - all three forms are the same (cut - cut - cut, cut).
ABA verbs – the 1st and 3rd forms coincide (run – ran – run, run).
Verbs ABC – the 2nd and 3rd forms coincide (teach – taught – taught, teach).
ABC verbs – all forms are different (know – knew – known, know).

Inside the table, words are distributed not alphabetically, but by frequency, i.e. the higher the word, the more often it is used. Attached to the tables pdf files– you can print them out, stick them on cardboard and cut out cards for learning words.

AAA verbs: the same in three forms Download PDF
Translation	Infinitive	Past Simple	Past Participle
put	put	put	put
let	let	let	let
cut	cut	cut	cut
put (install)	set	set	set
place a bet	bet	bet	bet
throw (cast metal)	cast	cast	cast
cost	cost	cost	cost
beat	hit	hit	hit
hurt	hurt	hurt	hurt
knit	knit	knit	knit
stop	quit	quit	quit
distribute	spread	spread	spread
ABA type verbs: forms 1 and 3 match
run	run	ran	run
come	come	came	come
become	become	became	become
Verbs like ABB: forms 2 and 3 match
read	read	read	read
teach (gain knowledge)	learn	learn (learned)	learn (learned)
think	think [θiŋk]	thought [θɔ:t]	thought [θɔ:t]
teach (educate)	teach	taught	taught
smell (smell)	smell	smelt	smelt
hear	hear	heard	heard
hold	hold	held	held
bring	bring	brought	brought
stand	stand	stood	stood
lose (lose)	lose	lost	lost
meet	meet	met	met
lead	lead	led	led
understand	understand [ʌndə’stænd]	understood [ʌndə’stud]	understood [ʌndə’stud]
win	win	won	won
buy	buy	bought	bought
send	send	sent	sent
sell	sell	sold	sold
catch	catch	caught	caught kɔ:t]
fight	fight	fought	fought
put (lay)	lay	laid	laid
sit	sit	sat	sat
bind	bind	bound	bound
bleed	bleed	bled	bled
build	build	built	built
burn	burn	burnt	burnt
deal with	deal	dealt	dealt
dig	dig	dug	dug
feed	feed	fed	fed
hang	hang	hung	hung
hide	hide	hid	hidden [‘hɪdn]
lean	lean	lean (leaned)	lean (leaned)
lend (to someone)	lend	tape	tape
illuminate	light	lit	lit
ride	ride	rode	ridden [‘rɪdn]
sew	sew	sewed	sewed (sewn)
spell or spell	spell	spelled	spelled
spill	spill	spilt	spilt
spit	spit	spat (spit)	spat (spit)
spoil	spoiler	spoilt	spoilt
stick	stick	stuck	stuck
hit	strike	struck	struck
sweep	sweep	swept	swept
cry	weep	wept	wept
twist	wind	wound	wound
Verbs likeABC: all forms are different
go	go	went	gone
know	know	knew	known
take	take	took	taken [‘teik(ə)n]
see	see	saw	seen
give	give	gave	given
write	write	wrote	written ['ritn]
speak	speak	spoke	spoken [‘spouk(e)n]
drive	drive	drove	driven [‘drivn]
break	break	broke	broken [‘brouk(e)n]
wear (clothes)	wear	wore	worn
There is	eat	ate	eaten [‘i:tn]
drink	drink	drank	drunk
draw (draw)	draw	drew	drawn
steal	steal	stole	stolen [‘stəulən]
throw	throw [θrəu]	threw [θru:]	thrown [θrəun]
blow	blow	blew	blown
fall	fall	fell	fallen [‘fɔ:lən]
start off	begin	began	begun
forget	forget	forgot	forgotten
forgive	forgive	forgave	forgiven
fly	fly	flew	flown
freeze (freeze)	freeze	froze	frozen [‘frouzn]
grow	grow	grew	grown
call	ring	rank	rung
shake	shake [ʃeik]	shook [ʃuk]	shaken [‘ʃeik(ə)n]
sing	sing	sang	sung
stink	stink	stank (stunk)	stunk
try	strive	strove	striven [‘strɪvn]
swear	swear	swore	sworn
tear	tear	tore	torn
wake	wake	woke up	woken [‘wouk(e)n]

Pay attention to the words read And wind. In the 2nd and 3rd forms read is read as . And the verb wind - to twist, should not be confused with the noun wind - wind.

The ten most basic irregular verbs

Among the commonly used irregular verbs we can distinguish the most basic. You need to know them first. Start learning verbs from them, and not in alphabetical order. You can learn them in literally 5 – 10 minutes.

Translation	Infinitive (1st form)	Past Simple (2nd form)	Past Participle (3rd form)
go	go	went	gone
know	know	knew	known
think	think [θiŋk]	thought [θɔ:t]	thought [θɔ:t]
take	take	took	taken [‘teik(ə)n]
see	see	saw	seen
give	give	gave	given
write	write	wrote	written ['ritn]
speak	speak	spoke	spoken [‘spouk(e)n]
hear	hear	heard	heard
buy	buy	bought	bought

These verbs need to be learned first

Notes:

Over time, some verbs have almost turned from irregular to regular. For example, even in not very old textbooks it is written that the verb to work– irregular, it has the forms: work – wrought – wrought. Now the form wrought is hardly used except in established expressions like “wrought iron,” so I have not included it in this table.
Verbs to learn(learn), to lean(lean) are also more often used as correct: learned, leaned, especially in the USA.
Pay attention to the forms read – read – read. The word is written the same, but read differently.
Don't confuse the verb wind(twist) and noun wind- wind. They are written the same, but have different pronunciation and meanings.
In the British version the verbs sew pronounced like

Examples of affirmative sentences translated into Past Simple. In the article I have prepared simple sentences that you can practice with children, 3rd and high school students. I also posted interrogative and negative sentences here. All examples are from native English speakers.

Simple sentences translated into Past Simple

1. I had a doll. I had a doll.
2. Yesterday was Sunday. Yesterday was Sunday.
3. We listened to fairy tales. We listened to fairy tales.
4. Mark watched cartoons. Mark watched cartoons.
5. My mom cooked a cake. My mother made a cake.

6. My dog was black. My dog was black.
7. We played outside. We played outside.
8. He didn't like my toys. He liked my toys.
9. They asked a teacher. They asked the teacher.
10. She helped her mom. She helped mom.

Past Simple sentences with irregular verbs

1. We went to the zoo. We went to the zoo.
2. A cat ate. The cat ate.
3. My mom bought a doll. My mother bought a doll.
4. I took my toy. I took my toy.
5. We drank a lemonade. We drank lemonade.

6. Kate saw a rainbow. Katya saw a rainbow.
7. You draw a nice house. You drew a beautiful house.
8. They made nice flowers. They made beautiful flowers.
9. The dog run after the cat. The dog ran after the cat.
10. He told me his secret. He told me his secret.

Past Simple - sentences for high school with translation

1. I understood what the teacher said. I understood what the teacher said.
2. We had seven lessons on Monday. On Monday we had seven lessons.
3. I was at the gym last Sunday. Last Sunday I was at the gym.
4. I downloaded mp3 files on the Internet. I downloaded mp3 files on the Internet.
5. She spoke English pretty well. She spoke English well.

6. David worked all Saturday. David worked all Saturday.
7. We watched black and white movies. We watched black and white films.
8. They came here for a week. They came here for a week.
9. He traveled around the world. He traveled the world.
10. She created her own company. She created her own company.

1. I learned English. I studied English.
2. He didn’t play football. He played football.
3. We washed our hands. We washed our hands.
4. They cleaned my room. They cleaned my room.
5. She cooked spaghetti. She cooked spaghetti.

6. We baked a cake. We baked a cake.
7. I brushed my hair. I combed my hair.
9. He fixed his bike. He fixed his bike.
10. She dried her hair. She washed her hair.

1. I read a book. I was reading a book.
2. I drew a picture. I was painting a picture.
3. I wrote a message. I was writing a letter.
4. I took a nap. I was dozing.
5. I rode my bike. I was riding a bike.

6. I swam. I was swimming.
7. I ate ice-cream. I was eating ice cream.
8. I drank water. I drank water.
9. I went to the movies. I went to the cinema.
10. I read an article. I read the article.

Past Simple examples of interrogative sentences with translation

1. Did she eat sushi? Did she eat sushi?
2. Where were they lost? Where were they lost?
3. What did he create? What did he create?
4. Who are the candies? Who ate the candy?
5. Did you boil the water? Have you boiled water?

6. Did they usually take the subway to school? Do they usually go to Skoda by metro?
7. Did Mary watch a movie last night? Did Mary watch a movie last night?
8. When did you go to Moscow? When did you go to Moscow?
9. Did she book our flights? Did she book us a flight?
10. Did you make a dinner? Have you prepared dinner? I didn't write a letter.
5. You didn’t come to my birthday party. You didn't come to my birthday.

6. He didn’t chop the onions. He didn't cut the onion.
5. Tom didn’t know that. Tom didn't know about this.
7. My father didn’t take a taxi to the airport. My father didn't take a taxi to the airport.
8. We didn't live in America. We didn't live in America.
9. Mark and David were not excellent students in high school. In high school, Mark and David were not good students.
10. He didn’t eat spicy food when he lived in China. When he lived in China, he didn't eat spicy food.

What is Past Simple (Past Idefinite)

Past Simple (Past Indefinite) is the simple past tense in English, which is used to convey information about a specific event or action that happened in the past.

The name speaks for itself - this tense form is actually considered the simplest in the ocean of past tenses of the English language. The action could take place in the recent past or the distant past, and its duration, duration or completion does not matter.

Formula education Past Simple

When using correct English verbs:

Subject + verb infinitive without particle « to» + ending -ed.

My grandma danced a lot when she was young.
My granny a lot danced when I was young.

When using irregular English verbs:

Subject + 2 verb form.

Jessica hung out with her foreign mates at the record store last week.
Last week Jessica hanging out with my foreign friends.

Word markers and pointers in the Past Simple

The main indicators of “Past Simple” time include the following words and phrases:

yesterday- yesterday,
last week- last week,
two hours ago- two hours ago,
then- Then,
in 1998- in 1998, etc.

Mom bought that bag by Gucci in 2005.
Ma bought that Gucci bag in 2005.

Yesterday they watched their favorite photos from the past.
Yesterday They watched your favorite photos from the past.

Affirmative sentences in Past Simple

The affirmative sentence in “Past Simple” is constructed quite simply. First comes subject, followed by verb with ending «- ed"if it is correct (regular); or second verb form, if it refers to irregular verbs. Regardless of the person and number of the English subject, the predicate remains identical for everyone. Past Simple rules and examples can be found in the table below.

Interrogative sentences in Past Simple

To create interrogative sentence (interrogative sentence) in “Past Simple”, you just need to put the auxiliary verb “ did", then subject and finally initial form of the semantic verb(i.e. infinitive without the particle “to”).

Negative sentences in Past Simple

As in a regular affirmative sentence, a negative sentence ( negative sentence) you should start with subject. Next we add the auxiliary verb “ did"with a negative particle" not»: « did not / didn't", and then we use the infinitive form of the verb without using the particle " to" Voila!

Formula for constructing a negative sentence in the Past Simple

REGULAR VERB		IRREGULAR VERB
I + DIDN'T+ PAINT	I didn't draw	I + DIDN'T + SLEEP	I didn't sleep
You + DIDN'T+ PAINT	You didn't draw	You + DIDN'T + SLEEP	You didn't sleep
She + DIDN'T+ PAINT He + DIDN’T+ PAINT It + DIDN'T+ PAINT	She didn't draw He didn't draw It didn't draw	She + DIDN'T + SLEEP He + DIDN'T + SLEEP It + DIDN'T + SLEEP	She didn't sleep He didn't sleep It didn't sleep
We + DIDN'T + PAINT	We didn't draw	We + DIDN'T + SLEEP	We didn't sleep
You + DIDN'T+ PAINT	You didn't draw	You + DIDN'T + SLEEP	you didn't sleep
They + DIDN'T+ PAINT	They didn't draw	They + DIDN'T + SLEEP	They didn't sleep

Using verbs in the Past Simple

When it comes to the past tense in English, many people probably have a question: “How to use the verb correctly?” be"?" To avoid asking such a question, let us recall that this verb has a couple of forms: “ was» / « were» / « been" Since we are talking about “Past Indefinite”, we, accordingly, need the second options based on the rules for constructing this English-speaking tense.

It's time to give a couple of examples " Past Simple» for clarity:

Gee, I don't have any idea where that guy was last time!
My God, I have no idea where was that guy last time!

Their kids were typical sweetums and binged on candies almost every day back in the days.
In the past their children were typical sweet tooths and ate candy almost every day.

Formation of Past Simple in active and passive

When we touch on "Past Simple", it is important to remember that this tense has 2 options. One is used for active voice - time " Past Simple Active" The second is for passive voice - time " Past Simple Passive».

Passive voice:

If used correct verbs in " Past Simple»:

Subject + verb was/were + infinitive verb without particles « to» With ending «- ed».

That seascape was painted by Edward William Cooke in the 19th century.
That seascape was painted by Edward William Cook in the 19th century.

Subject + verb was/were + 3 form verb

Their names were forgotten two decades ago.
Their names were forgotten two decades ago.

Affirmative sentence: "Past Simple Passive" vs. "Past Simple Active":

"Black Widow" was written by Iggy Azalea in 2014.
Iggy Azalea wrote"Black Widow" in 2014.
Iggy Azalea wrote the song "Black Widow" in 2014.

Negative sentence: "Past Simple Passive" vs. "Past Simple Active"

"Cloud Atlas" wasn't directed by Hayao Miyazaki then.
Hayao Miyazaki didn't direct"Cloud Atlas" then.
Hayao Miyazaki was not the director of Cloud Atlas back then.

Interrogative sentence: "Past Simple Passive" vs. Past Simple Active"

Was that mansion built by my ancestors last century?
Did my ancestors build that mansion last century?
My ancestors built that mansion last century?

Uses of Past Simple

Difference between Past Simple and Present Perfect

Past Simple	Present Perfect
The action happened at a certain moment in the past.	The action ended at an indefinite moment, we have the result, but we do not know in what exact period of time the action occurred.
Elizabeth left us yesterday. Elizabeth left us yesterday.	Elizabeth has left for Seoul. Elizabeth went to Seoul.
An action happened at a certain point in the past and cannot be repeated.	The action happened, we have the result for now, and it can be repeated.
We met Princess Diana. We met Princess Diana.	We have spoken to Nicki Minaj. We spoke with Nicki Minaj.
Past Simple - a certain fact in the past, a given that some action took place in the past. We do not know whether it lasted, is still lasting, or has already ended; it just was.	Present Perfect - a specific result of an action at the present moment in time; the action not only happened but also ended. Whether it completed successfully or not will be clear from the context and the words of the markers.

Nota Bene: To understand “Past Simple” once and for all and understand what the difference is between it and “Present Perfect”, do not forget to pay attention to the free online simulator from EnglishDom. There you will find not only an explanation of the grammatical nuances of using these two tenses, but you will also be able to consolidate the learned material in practice.

Conclusion

So we figured out what this strange time “Past Indefinite” is, and also talked about the differences between “Past Simple” and “Present Perfect”. Feel free to use this time in English speaking and share your memories and impressions with friends and colleagues!

We invite you to familiarize yourself with other tenses of the English language

Big and friendly EnglishDom family

Past Simple is called the simple past tense, but for many it is such a dark forest that they do not know how to approach it. We are sure this is not about you, but still... Why do we (or rather, the English) need this Past Simple Tense? Past Simple (otherwise, Past Indefinite) is pronounced like past simple. The rules of Past simple are simple: we will soon learn when the past simple is used, how the past simple is formed, why it is necessary to use the Past Simple, rules and examples of the functioning of this tense in the text. Imagine the situation: you are telling a friend what you did last summer. And we went there, and we were there, and we saw that. How can I tell all this in English? You can’t build barricades out of perfect forms, right? This is what the Past Simple is needed for.

Past Simple Tense: rules of use in English

So, let's take a closer look at the Past Simple - when is this tense used?

An action that you (or someone else) has performed regularly in the past. How often is not important. At least every minute, at least once in a millennium. The main thing is that the action was repeated from time to time in the past. Like here: He often visited us (often visited), when we lived there.
Permanent sign an object or characteristic of a person in the past. What was this object or person once like? For example: Jane looked much better (looked much better), when I saw her last time.
A chain of sequential actions in the past. Often found in fairy tales like “grandmother for grandfather, grandfather for turnip,” i.e. where the actions of the characters are described step by step. Chain simple actions It also occurs in our everyday life. Take a look: I entered the hall, switched on the light, opened the wardrobe, and then quickly closed it. He entered, turned on the light, opened the closet - these are sequential actions, very little time passed between them. There is no point in complicating the sentence and trying to convey this chain of actions in any other way than Past Simple.
One-time action in the past. Yes, yes, this is exactly about how you went to a resort 10 years ago, and now share your memories. Something that once happened some time ago (no matter yesterday or 140 years ago) is conveyed through the Past Simple.

Pitfall:

What to do with cultural heritage? For example, Shakespeare wrote such and such a work in such and such a year. After all, we are using the results of Shakespeare’s work, and we are doing it now - in this case, the Past Simple is often confused with the present perfect, which precisely describes the result in the present. However, the simple paste rule here is quite strict. Any invention, any work once written is a fact in the past. And facts, especially indicating the exact date, are the sphere of the Simple times group.

Past Simple: education

How is the Past Simple formed? And it's very simple. It’s not called simple for nothing. Past Simple, formation: V2 (second form of the verb). Do you remember that all English verbs can be divided into regular and irregular?

Past Simple: rules for forming the simple past of irregular verbs

Irregular verbs live their own lives: they have three forms, all three need to be known by heart. To get the Past Simple, we use the second form (V2) of the irregular verb.

For example:

Buy - bought - bought Read - read - read Cut - cut - cut Lie - lay - lain A list of irregular verbs is at the end of any dictionary or reference book. Ideally, this list should migrate from the reference book to your head. Fortunately, there are not many irregular verbs. Relatively. But all other verbs that are not on the list of irregular verbs are called regular. And everything is very easy with them. Past Simple: rules for forming the simple past of regular verbs Regular verbs in the Past Simple take on the ending -ed or -d. We add it to the stem of the infinitive.

For example:

To kick - he kicked (kick - he kicked) To look - he looked (look - he looked)

If the stem of the infinitive already ends in e, then only -d is added:

To dance - he danced (to dance - he danced) To invite - he invited (to invite - he invited) That's all! After all, it’s not for nothing that the Past Simple is called simple, right? But there are also some pitfalls.

Nuance No. 1

If a word ends with the letter y, then it must be changed to i and only then added the ending -ed. We do this manipulation only and exclusively when y is preceded by a consonant.

Compare:

To fly - he flied To obey - he obeyed In the case of obey before y - the vowel e. Well, let’s put the ending -ed and be glad that you don’t need to change anything!

Nuance No. 2

Did you like it? Then here's your second point. If the verb ends with the combination: short vowel sound + consonant letter, then the consonant is usually doubled. To plan - he planned This is necessary in order to maintain a closed syllable. After all, if we do not double the n in the word planned, it will result in an open syllable, and in an open syllable it is read differently. The end result will be a completely different word! Therefore, do not forget to double the consonant where necessary. But look at these examples: To fear - he feared To look - he looked There is no need to double anything here, because the consonants are not preceded by short vowels; nothing can affect their pronunciation. In British English, the l is always doubled at the end of a word: To quarrel - we quarreled But in American English such a metamorphosis does not occur. To quarrel - we quarrel How to correctly read verbs ending in -ed If putting a verb into the Past Simple is relatively easy, sometimes reading it is not very easy. Try not to neglect correct pronunciation, otherwise it will be very difficult for a foreigner to understand you.

What about questions and denials?

To form a question or a negative, we need the auxiliary verb do. Without it, alas, neither a question can be made nor a denial can be formed. The auxiliary verb do in the Past Simple will have the form did. In a negative sentence, did is placed after the subject and takes on the negative particle not.

Negation in Past Simple: rule of formation

Subject + did not + predicate (infinitive) Tom did not eat porridge. Didn't = didn't. Didn't is a shortened form of did not. IN oral speech This is the form you are most likely to hear. Tom did not eat porridge = Tom didn’t eat porridge. Mark did not come yesterday = Mark didn’t come yesterday

Question in Past Simple: rule of formation

In the question did will appear in the first position. The pattern of a general question in the past simple would be: DID + subject + predicate (infinitive)? Did Tom eat porridge? The answer to this question can be complete, but is usually short: - Yes, he did. / No, he didn’t.

< strong>Pitfall: A very common mistake when forming questions and negations in the Past Simple: using V2 instead of the infinitive. We have a good understanding of how the past simple is formed - using the ending -ed (for regular verbs) and V2 for irregular ones. Having understood this, we begin to put the second form of the verb everywhere, but in questions and negations this is superfluous! The auxiliary verb do has already taken over the functions of the past simple and turned into did (remember that do is an irregular verb: do-did-done. Accordingly, its V2 is did). Did ALREADY shows the past simple tense. There is simply no need to do any additional manipulations with the semantic verb (predicate)! Did already take care of everything!

Special questions

These are questions that begin with a special question word. Question words: What what? Where where? Who's who? Why why? When when? Whom to whom? How how? Special questions are not as difficult as they seem. If the structure of a simple question looks like this: DID + subject + predicate (infinitive)? Then the scheme of a special question looks like this: Question word + DID + subject + predicate (infinitive)? We simply put a question word at position zero - that’s all! The rest of the word order remains unchanged. The English language would not be English if there were not some exception here. It exists. With the question words Who (who?) and What? (what?), if we ask a question to the subject, this scheme does not work. True, it is even simpler. We simply put who or what in place of the subject! That's all! The predicate remains in the past simple. In practice it looks like this: Mary ate ice-cream yesterday. (Mary ate ice cream yesterday.) Who ate ice-cream yesterday? (Who ate ice cream yesterday?) Important: This scheme with who only works when we ask a question to the subject. If we ask a question to a direct object, then the scheme will be standard. Compare: Tom saw Mary two days ago. Who saw Mary two days ago? The question is asked to the subject (Tom). Who is in first position, no auxiliary verb is required. Let's move on. Let's first ask general question(the answer to which will be “yes” or “no”): Did Tom see Mary two days ago? (put did in first place) And now a special question with who, but not to the subject, but to the direct object (Mary): Who did Tom see two days ago? Since we are not asking the question to the subject, it means, like any interrogative word, who appears in the zero position, did remains in the first position and further according to the standard scheme.)

Past Simple Markers

Markers are our assistants, clue words that help us understand when we need the Past Simple. If we notice such a word in a sentence, this is a very eloquent hint that we need to use the simple past tense.

Okay, we know the markers, but where to put them in a sentence? After all, the structure of an English sentence is quite rigid... Markers containing the words last, every, ago, as a rule, are placed in last place in the sentence: I met Helen three months ago. Emma spent three weeks in Paris last year. Markers often, never, usually, rarely, always and similar ones usually come before the verb: I never saw you working. Tom and I always spent holidays together. Important: If the predicate is not an action verb, but a verb to be, then these markers are placed after it: John was often tired. Marker yesterday can occur at the beginning of a sentence or at the end: Yesterday I bought a new fur coat. I bought a new fur coat yesterday. But sometimes In general, he can stand wherever he wants. Or rather, where you want: I went to Paris sometimes, but always felt uncomfortable there. Sometimes I went to Paris, but always felt uncomfortable there. What to do if there are no bullets in the sentence? How do we work with an English sentence? First of all, we look at the markers. If you have an ago or last marker, then already at the stage of your first acquaintance with the sentence, without even translating it, you understand what tense you need to use: Past Simple. If there are no obvious markers in the sentence, then we move on to the next stage: translating the sentence. And here you may notice some clues.

For example:

Year indication: in 1956, in 2007. My grandpa died in 2007. Month indication: in August, in September. I caught a cold in January. The word during- for some time. Attention: during can only be used with nouns denoting a certain time period! During summer, during the weekend, during our meeting. Mary was in London during the winter. Marker for. You need to be more careful with this marker. This is one of the most striking indicators of the Present Perfect time. However, if the action has already completed and there is no connection with the present, then for clearly indicates the Past Simple. Compare: I have lived here for 13 years. I lived here for 13 years. (And I still live or am about to leave.) I lived in London for 13 years, but then moved to New York. I lived in London for 13 years and then moved to New York. (No connection with the present; I lived once and then moved). Clarification with when I pierced my tongue when I was 16. This is a fact of biography from the past. Which means Past Simple. If the emphasis is not on the fact, but on the process, then a different tense, Past Continuous, will be used: I was eating when my mom called me. Emphasis on the process - I was eating when my mother called me. Pay attention to the second part of the sentence: when my mom called me. Here we use the past simple again. Why? Because a shorter action or an action that interrupts the process (expressed in this case through the Past Continuous) requires the use of the Past Simple. Translate the sentence correctly and see how the semantic accents are placed! Past Simple is primarily a fact in the past. If an action used to happen regularly, but is no longer happening now, the construction used to + infinitive is used. Using this expression, we can designate habits of the past that we do not have now, or qualities and properties that are currently absent. Take a look: I used to be good at drawing, but now I cannot draw even a straight line. I used to draw well, but now I can’t even draw a straight line. The translation of sentences of this type can begin with the words “once upon a time” or “remembered”. She used to be so pretty! I remember she was so pretty! As a synonym used to we can use would + infinitive- but only to indicate actions in the past, not characteristics! My mom would bake the best cookies, when I was a child. Now you know everything about the Past Simple tense and can express your thoughts with ease. To make your English even more beautiful, read our other articles about the rules and nuances of English grammar.

The variety of tense forms in the English language makes it possible to describe the action being performed in more detail, but may also be confusing. The “Past Simple” table tells in detail how the English Simple Past tense is formed and when it is used.

Basic Rule

Before moving on to consider the formation of the affirmative, negative and interrogative forms of the English Past Simple, it is necessary to understand how it is translated into Russian and what action it describes. Temporary Past form Simple is literally translated as Simple Past. The term Past refers to the past tense in a broad sense. Simple is an aspect indicating that the action being described is common and occurs regularly. It follows that the Past Simple describes ordinary, repeated actions, facts that happened in the past.

This meaning is also indicated by marker words such as yesterday, the day before yesterday, two weeks ago, last year and others.

Regular verbs

When considering the rule of formation Past Simple (Simple Past), new linguistic concepts appear - regular and irregular verbs. Regular verbs form the past simple by adding the -ed ending to the stem of the verb.

Basic rules and examples of Past Simple with regular verbs are presented in the following table:

Past Simple Tense: subjects + verb + -ed (2nd form of regular verbs)
*Positive form* (Affirmative form)	*Negative form* (Negative form)	*Interrogative form* (Interrogative form)
I closed - I closed	I did not close - I didn’t close	Did I close? - Did I close it?
You closed -You (you) closed	You did not close - You (you) did not close	Did you close? - Did you close it?
He closed - He closed	He did not close - He did not close	Did he close? - Did he close it?
She closed - She closed	She did not close - She did not close	Did she close? - Did she close it?
It closed - He (about an animal or inanimate) closed	It did not close - He did not close	Did it close? - Did he close it?
We closed - We closed	We did not close - We did not close	Did we close? - Are we closed?
They closed - They closed	They did not close - They did not close	Did they close? - have they closed?

In a negative sentence, the subject is followed by an auxiliary verb with a negative particle - did not. In the question, the word order changes and the auxiliary verb comes first. In both cases, the main verb loses the past tense ending -ed.

Irregular verbs

There are not many irregular verbs in the English language - 470. Not all of them belong to the daily vocabulary. Many are outdated and not used. But the main thing is different - you need to know them by heart. To make a proposal with irregular verb in the Past Simple, you need to look at the second column of the table of irregular verbs.

TOP 2 articleswho are reading along with this

Past Simple Tense: subjects + 2nd form of irregular verb
*Positive form* (Affirmative form)	*Negative form* (Negative form)	*Interrogative form* (Interrogative form)
I slept - I slept	I didn’t sleep - I didn’t sleep	Did I sleep? - Was I asleep?
You slept - You (you) slept	You didn’t sleep - You (you) did not sleep	Did you sleep? - Were you asleep?
He slept - He slept	He didn’t sleep - He didn’t sleep	Did he sleep? - Was he sleeping?
She slept - She slept	She didn’t sleep - She didn’t sleep	Did she sleep? - Was she sleeping?
It slept - He (it) was sleeping	It didn’t sleep - He didn’t sleep	Did it sleep? - Was he sleeping?
We slept - We slept	We didn’t sleep - We didn’t sleep	Did we sleep? - Were we asleep?
They slept - They slept	They didn’t sleep - They didn’t sleep	Did they sleep? - Were they asleep?

What have we learned?

The basic rules and examples of the Past Simple in the table help to organize the acquired theoretical knowledge on the topic. It presents examples of the formation of affirmative, negative and interrogative forms, which can serve as an excellent “cheat sheet” if necessary.

Article rating

Average rating: 4.3. Total ratings received: 79.