A1–A2 English grammar
Past Simple Tense: Rules, Examples and Exercises
The past simple describes a finished event in a finished time. Learn affirmative forms, was and were, negatives, past simple questions, and the difference between regular and irregular verbs: then use the tense in a meaningful story.
Understand · You say · Check
A clear route through the lesson
Follow one short story through a statement, negative and question. Use the speaking pauses as your core task; the longer story is optional.
Read the explanations, answer aloud at each You say pause, then reveal the model and check one point. A model is one possible answer. Finish with the 12-question understanding check.
Keep the learner’s speaking time. At each You say pause, use the suggested follow-up and one correction focus. Finish with the 12-question understanding check.
When do we use the past simple?
One completed event
The action began and ended before now.
I called Maya at nine.She answered immediately.
A sequence of events
Use the tense to move a story forward, one completed action after another.
We arrived, ordered dinner and sat outside.A finished past habit
A repeated action can use the simple past when its period is finished.
At university, Leo walked to class every day.A past state
Use was/were or another state verb for a condition that was true then.
The room was cold.I believed the story.
Yesterday’s missing train
1 · 08:00
Sam arrived at the station.
2 · 08:05
The train was cancelled.
3 · 08:15
Sam called a taxi.
Regular -ed has three endings: worked /t/, called /d/, wanted /ɪd/. Add an extra syllable only after /t/ or /d/ sounds.
Listen, then say it
Listen once, then repeat worked, called and wanted. Only wanted has an extra syllable.
Read the audio transcript
Worked. I worked late. Called. She called a taxi. Wanted. We wanted to go home. Worked, called, wanted. Now say one short sentence with each verb.
Build affirmative forms
Most verbs
subject + past formI/you/he/she/we/they worked late.
All subjects use the same past form.
The verb be
I/he/she/it was · you/we/they wereThe office was open.
We were tired.
| Function | Ordinary verb | Be |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | Sam finished. | Sam was ready. |
| Negative | Sam did not finish. | Sam was not ready. |
| Question | Did Sam finish? | Was Sam ready? |
| Short answer | Yes, he did. | No, he wasn’t. |
Past simple regular and irregular verbs
Regular: add -ed
work → worked
clean → cleaned
visit → visited
The spelling is often -ed, but its pronunciation can be /t/, /d/ or /ɪd/.
Final -e: add -d
live → lived
arrive → arrived
change → changed
Do not add another e.
Consonant + y: use -ied
study → studied
carry → carried
But a vowel + y stays: play → played.
Short stressed form: double
stop → stopped
plan → planned
Do not double in open → opened because the final syllable is not stressed.
Past simple questions and negatives
Questions with did
Did + subject + base verb?Did you enjoy the concert?
Where did Ava park?
Did carries the past meaning, so the main verb returns to its base form.
Negatives with did not
subject + did not/didn’t + base verbWe didn’t hear the alarm.
He did not bring his passport.
Did she went? → Did she go?
They didn’t arrived. → They didn’t arrive.
With be, do not use did: Were they late?
Use time expressions to make a clear story
Time expressions locate events; linking expressions show their order.
Finished-time expressions
yesterday, last night, last year, two minutes ago, in 2019, when I was a child
We moved here three years ago.Sequence expressions
first, then, after that, later, finally
First, I checked the address. Then, I called a taxi.For background actions and earlier events, continue with Four Past Tenses: Build a Clear Story.
Guided past simple exercises
Complete the sentence before opening its explanation.
1. We ___ (visit) the museum last Saturday.
visited. The event is finished and visit is regular.
2. Mia ___ (not understand) the instructions.
didn’t understand. Use didn’t + base verb.
3. Where ___ you ___ (buy) that jacket?
did you buy. A question uses did + subject + base verb.
4. The children ___ (be) very quiet.
were. The plural subject children takes were.
5. Correct: “Did Marco took the train?”
Did Marco take the train? Did already marks the past.
Final check
Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Read the context carefully: a question may ask for a particular form, meaning or register. The explanations show why that answer fits.
0 of 12 questions answered