Past Simple Tense
The past simple tense can be used to describe past actions, habits or routines.
Positive: subject + past tense verb
Negative: subject + did not + infinitive
Question: Did + subject + infinitive?
Regular verbs: We add -ed or -d to regular verbs when making the past simple. See 10 examples of common regular verbs below.
| Infinitive Form | Past Tense Form |
| love | loved |
| walk | walked |
| play | played |
| study | studied |
| work | worked |
| watch | watched |
| talk | talked |
| listen | listened |
| dance | danced |
| cook | cooked |
Irregular verbs: Irregular verbs do not follow this rule. Irregular verbs take a completely new form in the past simple. These need to be studied and memorized. Here are examples of 10 of the most common irregular verbs in the past simple.
| Infinitive Form | Past Tense Form |
| be | was/were |
| have | had |
| do | did |
| go | went |
| say | said |
| see | saw |
| come | came |
| give | gave |
| take | took |
| make | made |
Common uses:
1. Completed actions in the past
- I walked to the store yesterday.
- I did not watch TV last night.
- Did you eat breakfast this morning?
2. Past habits or routines
- I always drank coffee in the morning.
- I did not eat vegetables when I was a kid.
- Did you play soccer when you were younger?
3. Past events that happened at a specific time
- He arrived at the party at 8 pm.
- They did not finish the project before the deadline.
- Did you see the movie last week?