The simple past tense is used to describe a completed activity that happened in the past. In other words, it started in the past and ended in the past. For example:
John baked a cake.
They painted the fence.
Real-life Examples of the Simple Past Tense
Here are some real-life examples of the simple past tense:
I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free. (Italian sculptor Michelangelo)
I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn't work that way so I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.
Forming the Simple Past Tense
If you're dealing with a regular verb, the simple past tense is formed like this:
base form of verb
+
"ed"
jump > jumped
paint > painted
However, there are some spelling rules.
Spelling Rules
If a verb of one syllable ends [consonant-vowel-consonant], double the final consonant and add "ed":
chat > chatted
stop > stopped
If the final consonant is w, x, or y, don't double it:
sew > sewed
play > played
fix > fixed
If last syllable of a longer verb is stressed and ends [consonant-vowel-consonant], double the last consonant and add "ed":
incur > incurred
prefer > preferred
If the first syllable of a longer verb is stressed and the verb ends [consonant-vowel-consonant], just add "ed":
open > opened
enter > entered
swallow > swallowed
If the verb ends "e", just add "d":
thrive > thrived
guzzle > guzzled
If the verb ends [consonant + "y"], change the "y" to an "i" and add "ed":
cry > cried
fry > fried
Forming the Simple Past Tense of Irregular Verbs
If it's an irregular verb, the simple past tense is formed in all sorts of different ways. Here are some examples:
break > broke
catch > caught
find > found
see > saw
You just have to learn them.Read more about irregular verbs (includes a list of the most common irregular verbs).
Using the Simple Past Tense
When making a statement, you can use the following word order:
You can use the following word order for a choice question:
"did"
+
[subject]
+
base form of verb
+
choice A
+
or
+
choice B
Did the Martians land near the aqueduct or the town?
Did the burglar use the fire escape or the stairs?
The Simple Past Tense with Time Expressions
The simple past tense is often seen with a time expression explaining when the activity took place or how long it lasted.
Examples of "when an activity took place":
On Tuesday last week, the Martians landed near the aqueduct.
("On Tuesday last week" tells you when it happened. It's called an adverbial phrase of time. Other examples are"Yesterday," "Last year," "Before breakfast,". They are really common. When any adverb appears at the front of a sentence, it is usual to follow it with a comma. A comma is not usually used when the adverbial phrase appears at the back of a sentence. NB: This is not a strict rule. Use a comma if it helps your reader.)
Read more about commas with adverbial phrases.
The Martians landed near the aqueduct on Tuesday last week.
(Note: No comma)
Just before he was caught, the burglar considered using the fire escape.
("Just before he was caught" tells you when the activity took place.)
Examples of "how long an activity took":
Last week, the council inspected the drains.
("Last week" tells you when it happened and for how long.)
Her daughter hid under the bed for three hours.
(Using "for" is a common way of describing how long an activity lasted.)
Infographic for the Simple Past Tense
Interactive Verb Conjugation Tables
The tables below show all 12 tenses so you can see the simple past tense among the other tenses. (You can change the verb by clicking one of the green buttons.)
Person
I
you
he/she/it
we
you
they
past tense
past tense
past tense
past tense
past tense
past tense
The simple past tense is for a completed activity that happened in the past.
was present participle
were present participle
was present participle
were present participle
were present participle
were present participle
The past progressive tense is for an ongoing activity in the past. Often, it is used to set the scene for another action.
had past participle
had past participle
had past participle
had past participle
had past participle
had past participle
The past perfect tense is for emphasizing that an action was completed before another took place.
had been present participle
had been present participle
had been present participle
had been present participle
had been present participle
had been present participle
The past perfect progressive tense is for showing that an ongoing action in the past has ended.
Person
I
you
he/she/it
we
you
they
base form
base form
3rd pers sing present
base form
base form
base form
The simple present tense is mostly for a fact or a habit.
am present participle
are present participle
is present participle
are present participle
are present participle
are present participle
The present progressive tense is for an ongoing action in the present.
have past participle
have past participle
has past participle
have past participle
have past participle
have past participle
The present perfect tense is for an action that began in the past. (Often, the action continues into the present.)
have been present participle
have been present participle
has been present participle
have been present participle
have been present participle
have been present participle
The present perfect progressive tense is for a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present (or finished very recently).
Person
I
you
he/she/it
we
you
they
will base form
will base form
will base form
will base form
will base form
will base form
The simple future tense is for an action that will occur in the future.
will be present participle
will be present participle
will be present participle
will be present participle
will be present participle
will be present participle
The future progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will occur in the future.
will have past participle
will have past participle
will have past participle
will have past participle
will have past participle
will have past participle
The future perfect tense is for an action that will have been completed at some point in the future.
will have been present participle
will have been present participle
will have been present participle
will have been present participle
will have been present participle
will have been present participle
The future perfect progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future.
Video Lesson
The Other Past Tenses
The simple past tense is one of four past tenses. This table shows all four of the past tenses:
The 4 Past Tenses
Example
simple past tense
I went
past progressive tense
I was going
past perfect tense
I had gone
past perfect progressive tense
I had been going
Printable Test
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See Also
Take another test on the simple past tenseTensesPast progressive tensePast perfect tensePast perfect progressive tenseSimple present tensePresent progressive tensePresent perfect tensePresent perfect progressive tenseSimple future tenseFuture progressive tenseFuture perfect tenseFuture perfect progressive tenseGlossary of grammatical terms
The simple past tense, sometimes called the preterite, is used to talk about a completed action in a time before now. The simple past is the basic form of past tense in English. The time of the action can be in the recent past or the distant past and action duration is not important.
Yesterday, I washed my car. Last week, I visited my friends. Last year, I broke my arm. Ten years ago, I studied Korean. All of these things happened in the past, but these sentences also all have one other thing in common: they use verbs in the simple past tense.
The past simple is usually formed by adding d, ed, or ied to the base form of the verb, however, in English there are many irregular verbs that take on a completely different form in the past tense. Some people call this the V2 form of the verb. The best thing to do is to try and memorize them.
Note : simple past tense indicates the events took place in the past. Example –We worked hard and built that house. Those underline words are past form of verbs.
Yesterday I woke up at 6.30 a. m. in the morning. I brushed my teeth and washed my face with clean water. My mother prepared a nice meal for me. After breakfast, I sat to study and there I found many interesting facts in my science book.
English uses three principal forms of the past, the Simple Past (or preterite), the Present Perfect (or compound past), and the Past perfect, sometimes called the Pluperfect. There is also a special tense called the future perfect.
Students construct a question in the past simple using the word on their card as the first word in their question. The question should ask about something that may have happened over the weekend. Each student in the small group is to answer the question, also using the past simple.
To make negative negative sentences in the simple past we use the auxiliary 'did not' / 'didn't' and the base form of the verb. For example: I didn't play football yesterday. They didn't go to the theater last month.
Note : simple past tense indicates the events took place in the past. Example –We worked hard and built that house. Those underline words are past form of verbs.
The simple present tense is when you use a verb to tell about things that happen continually in the present, like every day, every week, or every month. We use the simple present tense for anything that happens often or is factual. Here are a few examples: I go to school every day.
We use the simple present tense when an action is happening right now, or when it happens regularly (or unceasingly, which is why it's sometimes called present indefinite). Depending on the person, the simple present tense is formed by using the root form or by adding ‑s or ‑es to the end. I feel great!
Yesterday I woke up at 6.30 a. m. in the morning. I brushed my teeth and washed my face with clean water. My mother prepared a nice meal for me. After breakfast, I sat to study and there I found many interesting facts in my science book.
Verbs have three simple tenses: the present, the past, and the future. The present tense shows an action or condition that occurs now. The past tense shows an action or condition that was completed in the past. The future tense shows an action or condition that will occur in the future.
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