Past Simple

The simple past (also called past simple, past indefinite or preterite) is a verb tense which is used to show that a completed action took place at a specific time in the past. The simple past is also frequently used to talk about past habits and generalizations.

Simple Past Forms

The simple past is formed using the verb + ed. In addition, there are many verbs with irregular past forms.

Questions are made with didand negative forms are made with did not.

• Statement: You called Debbie.
• Question: Did you call Debbie?
• Negative: You did not call Debbie.

Complete list of Simple Present forms

Most Verbs

Most verbs conjugate by adding -ed like the verb “wait” below.

Positive	Negative	Question
I waited.	I did not wait.	Did I wait?
You waited.	You did not wait.	Did you wait?
We waited.	We did not wait.	Did we wait?
They waited.	They did not wait.	Did they wait?
He waited.	He did not wait.	Did he wait?
She waited.	She did not wait.	Did she wait?
It waited.	It did not wait.	Did it wait?

Irregular Verbs

Many verbs, such as “have,” take irregular forms in the simple past. Notice that you only use the irregular verbs in statements. In negative forms and questions, “did” indicates simple past.

Positive	Negative	Question
I had.	I did not have.	Did I have?
You had.	You did not have.	Did you have?
We had.	We did not have.	Did we have?
They had.	They did not have.	Did they have?
He had.	He did not have.	Did he have?
She had.	She did not have.	Did she have?
It had.	It did not have.	Did it have?

To Be

The verb “be” is also irregular in the simple past. Unlike other irregular verbs, there are two simple past forms: “was” and “were.” It also has different question forms and negative forms. Always remember that you DO NOT use “did” with the verb “be” in the simple past.

Positive	Negative	Question
I was.	I was not.	Was I?
You were.	You were not.	Were you?
We were.	We were not.	Were we?
They were.	They were not.	Were they?
He was.	He was not.	Was he?
She was.	She was not.	Was she?
It was.	It was not.	Was it?

Simple Past Uses

USE 1 Completed Action in the Past

Use the simple past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.

Examples:

• I saw a movie yesterday.
• I didn’t see a play yesterday.
• Last year, I traveled to Japan.
• Last year, I didn’t travel to Korea.
• Did you have dinner last night?
• She washed her car.
• He didn’t wash his car.

USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions

We use the simple past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.

Examples:

• I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.
• He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00.
• Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?

USE 3 Duration in the Past

The simple past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.

Examples:

• I lived in Brazil for two years.
• Shauna studied Japanese for five years.
• They sat at the beach all day.
• They did not stay at the party the entire time.
• We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.
• A: How long did you wait for them?
  B: We waited for one hour.

USE 4 Habits in the Past

The simple past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as “used to.” To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.

Examples:

• I studied French when I was a child.
• He played the violin.
• He didn’t play the piano.
• Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid?
• She worked at the movie theater after school.
• They never went to school, they always skipped class.

USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations

The simple past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the simple past is quite similar to the expression “used to.”

Examples:

• She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.
• He didn’t like tomatoes before.
• Did you live in Texas when you were a kid?
• People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past.