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Simple Past Tense

Explanation

What is Simple Past Tense?

Simple Past Tense is used to describe things that already happened or existed in the past. The aim of Simple Past Tense is to emphasize that the action is finished.

Examples:

I ate an apple yesterday.
My brother won a football match last year.

What are the forms of Simple Past Tense?

1. Basic form

I / He / She / It

Subject + was / verb (in past tense)

- I was a teacher, but I have quitted my job recently.

- My sister went to see a doctor yesterday.

You / We / They

Subject + were / verb (in past tense)

- You were late yesterday, I am still angry about it.

- They held a party last Christmas.

2. Negative form

There are two ways to make Simple Past Tense negative.

Subject + did not / didn’t + verb (in base form)

- I didn’t see you in class yesterday. Where were you?

- Kelvin did not show up in the singing contest last week.

I / He / She / It

Subject + was not / wasn’t

- Judy was not happy about what happened last night.

You / We / They

Subject + were not / weren’t

- You weren’t a member of the student union last year. Why are you joining now?

3. Asking a question

There are two ways to ask a question in Simple Past Tense form.

Did + Subject + verb (in base form)

- Did you watch the latest episode of “Stranger Things”?

- Did you take my book? I can’t find it.

I / He / She / It

Was + Subject

- Was I at the ceremony that day?

You / We / They

Were + Subject

- Were you the one who called me yesterday?

How to use Simple Past Tense?

Here is what Ben did today:

Do homework > Watch TV > Write diary > Sleep

Ben’s sister: Mum, I’m back! Where is Ben?

Ben’s mother: He is sleeping now. It’s too late for him.

Ben’s sister: I see. What did he do today?

Ben’s mother: He watched some TV and went to bed.

Ben’s sister: He didn’t have any homework?

Ben’s mother: He finished them before he watches TV.

Ben’s sister: Did he ask about me?

Ben’s mother: Yes, he did! He was worried about you as you are coming home late.

Ben’s sister: He is such a good boy!

Common regular verbs in Past Tense

Base Form	Past Tense	Base Form	Past Tense
Ask	Asked	Kick	Kicked
Call	Called	Laugh	Laughed
Enjoy	Enjoyed	Learn	Learned
Happen	Happened	Move	Moved
Invite	Invited	Need	Needed
Join	Joined	Open	Opened
Jump	Jumped	Pass	Passed
Joke	Joked	Place	Placed
Kill	Killed	Worry	Worried

Common irregular verbs in Past Tense

Base Form	Past Tense	Base Form	Past Tense
Be	Was / Were	Sing	Sang
Have	Had	Swim	Swam
Do	Did	Make	Made
Go	Went	Take	Took
Eat	Ate	Give	Gave
Write	Wrote	Become	Became
See	Saw	Come	Came
Get	Got	Say	Said
Pay	Paid	Draw	Drew

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