ESL Grammar Course
A2: Elementary
Simple Past Tense
We use the Simple Past tense to talk about completed actions, events, or states in the past. The action is finished and has a clear beginning and end.
Scope & Content:
- Affirmative: Regular (`-ed`) and common irregular verbs.
- Negative with `did not`: `I did not work.`
- Interrogative with `did`: `Did you work?`
⚠️ Attention: Common Challenges
1. Irregular Verbs: Many common verbs are irregular in the past tense and do not end in `-ed`. These must be memorized.
- go → went
- see → saw
- eat → ate
2. The Auxiliary Verb `DID`: Just like `do/does` in the present, `did` is the essential helper verb for all past tense negatives and questions (for most verbs).
- Correct: “Did you go to the party?” (Incorrect:
Did you went?) - Correct: “She did not see the movie.” (Incorrect:
She not saw the movie.) - Important: After `did`, the main verb ALWAYS returns to its base form. The `did` carries the past tense meaning.