Do you want to tell a story or share what you did yesterday? The past simple is the perfect tool for talking about finished actions in the past. Mastering this tense lets you share your experiences and memories clearly. 🕰️
Function & Usage
We use the past simple to talk about actions and situations that started and finished at a specific time in the past. We often use it with time words like yesterday, last week, last year, in 2020, or an hour ago.
- Finished Actions: To describe a single completed event.
Example: I watched a great movie last night. - A Series of Past Actions: To tell a story in chronological order.
Example: I woke up, took a shower, and left for work. - Past Situations: To describe a situation that was true in the past but is not now.
Example: He lived in Brazil for ten years.
The Structure (Form)
For regular verbs, we add -ed to the base verb. However, many common verbs are irregular and have a special past form you must memorize (e.g., go → went, see → saw).
| Type | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Positive (+) | Subject + Verb-ed / Irregular Form | They visited Paris. / She went home. |
| Negative (-) | Subject + did not (didn’t) + Base Verb | They didn’t visit Paris. / She didn’t go home. |
| Question (?) | Did + Subject + Base Verb? | Did they visit Paris? / Did she go home? |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using the past form in questions and negatives: After “did” or “didn’t,” the verb always goes back to its base form. Incorrect: “I didn’t went.” Correct: “I didn’t go.” Incorrect: “Did you saw that?” Correct: “Did you see that?”
- Forgetting irregular verbs: You can’t add -ed to all verbs. Incorrect: “I buyed a new phone.” Correct: “I bought a new phone.”
Let’s see it in action! 🎬
Person A: What did you do last weekend?
Person B: I visited my parents. We played games and watched a movie.
Person A: I called you yesterday, but you didn’t answer.
Person B: Sorry! I was at the library. I left my phone at home.
Person A: Did you see the football match last night?
Person B: Yes, I did. It was an exciting game! Our team won in the last minute.
Check Your Understanding! ✅
1. I to the supermarket yesterday. (go)
2. She for the exam all night. (study)
3. We pizza for dinner last night. (eat)
4. They late to the party. (arrive)
5. He his friends at the mall. (see)
6. I ___ like the movie.
7. ___ you finish your homework?
8. He didn’t ___ to my email.
9. Where did she ___ that dress?
10. They ___ a great time on vacation.
