By Vahid Alaghehband
The past simple is used for finished actions at a time in the past: I visited my grandparents last weekend. Regular verbs add -ed (work → worked) and irregular verbs have their own form (go → went). Negatives and questions use did with the base form: Did you go? I didn't go.
This guide is part of English grammar by level. The past simple is A2 grammar on the CEFR (A2.1 in the Vozi Grammar catalog). The good news: the form is the same for every subject (except be: was/were).
How to form the past simple
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Subject + past form (-ed or irregular) | She called me. We went to the beach. |
| Negative | Subject + didn't + base verb | I didn't see the message. |
| Question | Did + subject + base verb? | Did they win the game? |
| Short answer | Yes, + subject + did. No, + subject + didn't. | Yes, they did. No, they didn't. |
Spelling of -ed: love → loved, study → studied, stop → stopped. The verb to be has two forms, was (I, he, she, it) and were (you, we, they), and doesn't use did: Were you at home? I wasn't tired.
When to use the past simple
Finished actions at a definite time
You say or it is clear when it happened.
- I finished the course in June.
- We met in 2018.
- She called me an hour ago.
A sequence of actions
To tell what happened, step by step.
- I woke up, had breakfast and took the bus.
- He opened the door, looked around and left.
Past situations and habits that are no longer true
You can also use used to for habits.
- I lived in Riobamba for five years.
- When I was a kid, I played soccer every afternoon.
20 of the most common irregular verbs
| Verb | Past | Past participle | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| be | was / were | been | exist, be |
| have | had | had | own, possess |
| do | did | done | perform |
| go | went | gone | move, travel |
| get | got | got / gotten | obtain, arrive |
| make | made | made | create |
| say | said | said | speak words |
| see | saw | seen | notice with the eyes |
| come | came | come | move toward |
| take | took | taken | carry, grab |
| know | knew | known | have information |
| think | thought | thought | believe, consider |
| give | gave | given | hand over |
| find | found | found | discover |
| tell | told | told | inform |
| buy | bought | bought | purchase |
| eat | ate | eaten | have food |
| write | wrote | written | put words on paper |
| speak | spoke | spoken | talk |
| leave | left | left | go away |
Gotten is the US form; British English uses got. You will need the past participle for the present perfect and the passive voice.
Time expressions and key words
Finished-time expressions that call for the past simple:
- yesterday
- last night / week / year
- two days ago
- in 2020
- on Monday
- when I was…
- then
- after that
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Correction | Why |
|---|---|---|
| ✗ I didn't went to the party. | ✔ I didn't go to the party. | After didn't, the verb goes back to the base form: did already shows the past. |
| ✗ Did you saw the game? | ✔ Did you see the game? | The same in questions: did + base verb. |
| ✗ I goed / I eated | ✔ I went / I ate | Go and eat are irregular; they don't take -ed. |
| ✗ Yesterday I go to the doctor. | ✔ Yesterday I went to the doctor. | A finished past action needs the past form. |
| ✗ I have seen her yesterday. | ✔ I saw her yesterday. | With yesterday, use the past simple, not the present perfect. |
| ✗ Where you went? | ✔ Where did you go? | Questions with where, what or when need did (except when the wh- word is the subject: What happened?). |
Past simple vs present perfect
| Past simple | Present perfect | |
|---|---|---|
| When | Finished time: yesterday, in 2019 | No time or an open period: ever, this week |
| Example | I lost my keys yesterday. | I've lost my keys (I still can't find them). |
| Typical question | When did you…? | Have you ever…? |
See the full comparison in our present perfect guide.
Short conversation
Two coworkers talk about the weekend.
A: How was your weekend?
B: It was great! I went to Baños with my cousins.
A: Nice! What did you do there?
B: We rode bikes to the waterfalls and ate at a small restaurant.
A: Did you go to the hot springs?
B: No, we didn't have time. We came back on Sunday afternoon.
A: Sounds fun. I stayed home and studied for my exam.
B: Oh, how did it go?
10 exercises with answers
Complete with the verb in the past simple. In the last one, fix the mistake.
- We ___ (watch) a movie last night.
- She ___ (not / come) to class yesterday.
- ___ you ___ (buy) the tickets?
- I ___ (see) Carlos two days ago.
- They ___ (study) all weekend.
- He ___ (take) the bus to work.
- Where ___ you ___ (go) on vacation?
- I ___ (be) very tired after the trip.
- We ___ (not / be) at home.
- Fix the mistake: I didn't knew the answer.
Show answers
- watched
- didn't come
- Did … buy
- saw
- studied
- took
- did … go
- was
- weren't
- I didn't know the answer.
Next step: if you don't know your level, take the English level test (about 15 minutes, with instant results). To keep working on this topic, see Vozi Grammar's English grammar exercises by level.
Frequently asked questions
How do you form the past simple in English?
Regular verbs add -ed (worked, played) and irregular verbs have their own form (went, saw). Negatives and questions use did with the base form: I didn't go, Did you go?
What are the most common irregular verbs in English?
Some of the most frequent are be (was/were), have (had), do (did), go (went), get (got), make (made), say (said), see (saw), come (came) and take (took).
When do you use did?
In past simple questions and negatives, with every verb except be: Did you call her? I didn't call her. It is not used in affirmative sentences (except for emphasis).
How do you pronounce the -ed ending?
It has three sounds: /t/ after voiceless sounds (worked), /d/ after voiced sounds (played) and /ɪd/, an extra syllable, only after t or d (wanted, needed).