How verbs are formed in past simple. What is Past Simple? Time Past Simple (paste simple) in English

There are different ways to express the past tense in English. Each of them has its own patterns, having comprehended which, you will be able to easily convey the events of the past in English. One of the most “in demand” tenses is the Past Simple.

It is very easy to draw a parallel here with the Russian language. Everything that we are accustomed to attributing to the past is expressed by the Past Simple (Indefinite). That is why it is called simple time, which conveys ordinary actions and isolated facts.

Formation of Past Simple in English

As in any tense, all points of contact converge in the form of the verb and the use of the auxiliary verb. In an affirmative sentence, the predicate takes either ending ed (if the verb is correct), or it is used second form (2nd column of irregular verbs): V ed or V 2(with all faces the same) . To form questions or negatives, you need an auxiliary verb did. In the first case, it takes place before the subject, in the second - after + the particle not. It is important to note that the predicate verb returns to its primary person, i.e. infinitive without to. It is easy to see how the Past Simple is formed using a table.

Not only in colloquial speech, but also in writing they often use shortened form.

Important nuances

The first thing I want to note is the verb to be. In principle, it is incorrect, therefore it has a second form (was - singular / were - plural). In affirmative sentences it is used like this, but negative and interrogative sentences are formed without did: wasn’t, weren’t. Despite the fact that it is semantic, no auxiliary verb or other semantic verb is used with it in the past simple.

We were at home last night. — We were at home last night.

I wasn't the best student. — I was not the best student.

Were you in a new club? — Have you been to the new club?

The pronunciation of the ending ed changes. It all depends on the letters next to each other:

after voiceless consonants - [t] - worked

after voiced consonants and vowels [d] - used, enjoyed

after t/d — — studied, landed

Features of writing. The second form of the verb will have to be learned by heart, there is no way to escape from it. And with the addition of ed, not everything is easy either. When adding this ending to a word, sometimes there are some changes that are important to know:

If the word ends in "y", and in front of her is consonant, then “y” changes to “i”+ ed: try-tried, hurry - hurried. But: pl a y-pla y ed.
If a verb has a letter at the end "e", then when adding ed, one of the “e” disappears: change - changed, dance - danced.
If the verb ends in I agree(except c, w, z) or — er, -ur, and in front of her short vowel, then the last letter is doubled: stop - stopped, plan-planned, omit-omitted, occur - occurred.
If the latter is « l", then it is also duplicated: travel - travelled, quarel - quarelled.
Ending with "With", the verb in this case adds and "k": panic - panicked.

Cases of use

The rules for Past Simple (Indefinite) are quite easy to understand. And there are not many of them.

1. First of all, I would like to highlight isolated events in the past, facts. This way we emphasize what happened and simply state the fact. Vivid clues of this time are words such as ago (back), last year/month/week (last year, month, week), yesterday (yesterday), the other day (the other day), in 1998, in questions with when .

Last night my friends celebrated their anniversary. — Last night my friends celebrated their anniversary.

There wasn’t any rain in September. — There was no rain in September.

2. Alternately listed events in the past. The chronological order is very important: for example, got up, washed, had breakfast.

The dog picked up the bone and went away. — The dog picked up the bone and ran away.

She woke up, opened the window and switched on the TV. “She woke up, opened the window and turned on the TV.

3. Regular, constantly repeated actions in the past we will also express it in Past Indefinite: rarely, every week, often, always. You will immediately say that these are Present Simple pointers, and how can you find out. This is always clear from the context, whether the action refers to the present or the past. Just think about the proposal, don’t rush when you see the treasured clue.

Every week he took his son out. “Every week he took his son for a walk.

When I was a little boy I usually went to bed at 8. - When I was a little boy, I went to bed at 8 o'clock.

Sometimes there is confusion between the last function and the phrase used to do smth (be used to do smth). You can study this construction in detail in the article “Used to turnover”.

Even more examples of cases of using this tense can be found in the article “Examples of Past Simple”.

Comparison of times

The grammar of Past Indefinite Tense is quite simple. You will easily understand the formation and usage. But when comparing different past tenses, difficulties arise. Let's figure it out.

Past Simple	Past Continuous	Past Perfect	Past Perfect Continuous	Present Perfect
A single action in the past, a fact, just happened	Long-term action in the past, the exact period when it occurred is indicated	An action ended before a moment or another action in the past, what matters is that it ended	The action lasted a certain time period in the past	The action is not just completed, its consequences are visible in the present, and they are the ones that matter
I wrote a new novel last week.	I was writing a new novel the whole week.	I had written a new novel by New Year.	I had been writing a new novel for a year.	I have written a new novel, and now I go to the editor.
I wrote a new novel last week.	I've been writing a new novel all week.	I wrote a new novel for the New Year.	I've been writing a new novel for a year.	I wrote a new novel, and now I'm going to the editor.

So, let's summarize. According to the rules of Past Simple (Indefinite), the verb changes its form, and negation and question are formed using did. When performing exercises and tests, comparing past simple (indefinite) with other tenses, remember that the first of them tells, informs, lets you know that the action happened sometime in the past. All the time frames are a little blurry, the exact time is never given.

Affirmative form

Subject + Infinitive without to ending in -ed (form Past Simple for irregular verbs)

1. The lesson finished 5 minutes ago - The lesson ended 5 minutes ago.

finished – infinitive finish + ending -ed
ago (back) – an adverb indicating the use of Past Simple

2. I invited them to the party - I invited them to the party (before).

invited – infinitive invite + ending -ed

3. She paid for the tickets last week - She paid for the tickets last week.

paid – Past Simple form wrong verb pay
last week – indicates the use of Past Simple

Negative form

Subject + did + not + Infinitive without to

1. I did not buy any milk yesterday - Yesterday I did not buy milk.

not – negative particle
buy – infinitive without to

2. My friend did not pick me up - My friend did not pick me up.

did – auxiliary verb to do in the Past Simple form
not – negative particle
pick up – infinitive without to

3. Last summer they did not go on holiday - Last summer they did not go on vacation.

did – auxiliary verb to do
not – negative particle
go – infinitive without to

Interrogative form

did + Subject + Infinitive without to

1. Did they sing that funny song? – Did they sing that cheerful song? (general question)

first
sing – infinitive without to

2. Did you teach her to read? -Did you teach her to read? (general question)

did – the auxiliary verb to do in the Past Simple form stands on first place to formulate a question
teach – infinitive without to

3. Why did she stop visiting you? – Why did she stop visiting you? (special question)

did – auxiliary verb to do is worth after question word why and before subject to
stop – infinitive without to

#2 Uses of Past Simple

1. To express an action that occurred at a certain moment in the past. Used with the following words and expressions: yesterday - yesterday, last week (month, year, etc.) - last week (last month, year, etc.), a week ago (an hour ago, a year ago, etc.) - week (hour , a year ago, the other day– the other day, in 2014 – in 2014, and some others.

Someone knocked at the door half an hour ago - Someone knocked on the door half an hour ago.
It snowed yesterday - It snowed yesterday.

The time of action can also be expressed subordinate clause.

I noticed him when he called my name - I noticed him when he called me by name (when he called my name - subordinate clause).
My brother learned to swim when he was on holiday - My brother learned to swim when he was on holiday (when he was on holiday - subordinate clause).

2. For expression row past actions in the order in which they occurred.

They opened the door and entered the house - They opened the door and entered the house.
We went to the cinema, watched a film, then popped to a cafe and grabbed a couple of drinks - We went to the cinema, watched a film, then popped into a cafe and grabbed a couple of drinks.

3. For expression usual, repeated actions in the past.

When my sister was little she cried every day - When my sister was little, she cried every day.
At my previous workplace we had a staff meeting every Friday - At my previous job, meetings for employees were held every Friday.

#3 Verb TO BE in Past Simple

Linking verb TO BE It has two forms in Past Simple:

was(used with nouns or pronouns in the 1st or 3rd person singular form);
were(used with nouns and pronouns in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd person plural).

I was very busy yesterday - Yesterday I was very busy.
They were in Rome in 2010 - They were in Rome in 2010.

During education negative And interrogative sentences with linking verb TO BE auxiliary verb did not used.

Was she in the office last Monday? – Was she in the office last Monday?
Did she be in the office last Monday?
Are you tired? – Were you tired?
Did you be tired?
The weather was not so nice as last time - The weather was not as good as last time.
The weather did not be so nice as last time
Probably they were not at home when you came - Perhaps they were not at home when you came.
Probably they did not be at home when you came

#4 Regular and irregular verbs

When using the Past Simple, you should pay special attention to the formation of forms of the semantic verb. In English, verbs are divided into correct And incorrect.

TO correct verbs are those verbs that form the past simple by adding the ending -ed to the stem of the verb. TO wrong Verbs include verbs that form the Past Simple in other ways.

She cut her finger when she was cooking dinner - She cut her finger when she was preparing dinner.
Everyone stood up when the teacher entered the classroom - Everyone stood up when the teacher entered the class.

Here you can take a lesson on the topic: Simple past tense in English. Regular and irregular verbs. Past Simple. Regular and Irregular verbs.

In this lesson we will get acquainted with regular and irregular verbs in English and how to use them in sentences simple past tense. It is these verbs that in most cases are part of the past tense.

To express thoughts in the past, the English often use the verbs was and were. Well, what if the main action is expressed by another verb, for example, swim, or play? In such cases, knowledge of regular and irregular English verbs is required. We will look at each category of verbs separately:

Regular verbs Regular verbs are a special group of English verbs that easily form the past tense by adding the suffix -ed to the infinitive (the regular form of the verb). Here are some examples of such verbs:

talk - talked (talk - spoke)
jump - jumped (jump - jumped)
check - checked (check - checked)
look - looked (look - looked)
stay - remained (stop - stopped)
ask - asked (ask - asked)
show -showed (show - showed)
work - worked (work - worked)

Regular verbs ending in -ed do not change for person or number. Let's look at the example of the verb walk (walk, stroll):

I walked - I walked
you walked - you walked / You walked
he walked - he walked
she walked - she walked
it walked - he/she walked/walked (inanimate)
we walked - we walked
they walked - they walked

I. There are some spelling rules when adding the ending -ed.

1. So, for example, if the verb is already ends with a letter-e , then only -d is added to it. For example:

Change - changed (change - changed)
arrive - arrived (arrive - arrived)
smoke - smoked (smoking - smoked)

2. If the verb ends with the letter -y, then the ending, with rare exceptions, changes to -ied. For example:

study - studied (teach - taught)
tidy - tidied (clean - cleaned)
try - tried (try - tried)

The exceptions are the verbs: play - played (play), stay - remained (stop), enjoy - enjoyed (enjoy).

3. In some short verbs(in 1 syllable) by adding the ending -ed The consonant is doubled. This rule applies to verbs that ends with one vowel and one consonant letters. For example:

stop - stop ped (stop - stopped)
rob - rob bed (rob - robbed)

II. Regarding regular English verbs, there are also several reading rules.

1. So, for example, in verbs, ending in a voiceless consonant(f, k, p, t), the ending -ed is read softly, like /t/. For example:

walk ed /wɔ:kt/
look ed /lukt/
jump ed /dʒʌmpt/
ask ed /a:skt/

2. In verbs, ending in voiced and all other sounds, the ending -ed is pronounced voiced, like /d/. For example:

play ed /pleid/
show ed /ʃəud/
arrived /ə"raivd/
chang ed /tʃeindʒd/

3. The pronunciation of the verb ending -ed changes slightly when the verbs end with the sounds /t/ or /d/. Then the ending is pronounced /id/. For example:

decid ed /di"saidid/
wait ed /"weitid /
land ed /"lændid /
fad ed/"feidid/

Now let's look at the regular verbs in affirmative sentences. Here are some examples:

Miriam waited for Adam for several hours. - Miriam waited for Adam for several hours.
She walked towards the river. - She walked towards the river.
They changed their mind. - They changed their decision.
The woman carried a heavy bag. - The woman was carrying a heavy bag.
When I arrived the party was over. - When I arrived, the party was over.
The plane landed near the village. - The plane landed near the village.
The car stopped next to my house. - The car stopped next to my house.
Children played hide-and-seek. - The children played hide and seek.
We stayed at my grandmother's. - We stayed with my grandmother.
I looked around but there was noone. - I looked around, but there was no one there.
He studied German at school. - He studied German at school.

As can be seen from the examples, the place of subjects and verbs in affirmative sentences is fixed, and the remaining members of the sentences can be used depending on the context. When reading the examples, pay attention to the spelling of regular verbs and their pronunciation.

In contrast to regular verbs, English also has a number of irregular verbs, which do not obey the rule of adding the ending -ed, but are formed completely unexpectedly and in different ways. For example:

find - found (find - found)
take - took (take - took)
sleep - slept (sleep - slept)
fight - fought (fight - fought)
get - got (receive - received)
give - gave (give - gave)
buy - bought (buy - bought)
catch - caught (catch - caught)
lose - lost (lose - lost) and many others.

Here you can find the complete
The simple past tense uses verbs from the second column (Past Simple).

In affirmative sentences, irregular verbs are used in the same way as regular ones. The order of the sentence is fixed: Subject - Predicate - Object - Adverbial modifier. Let's look at examples:

He lost his key a day ago. - He lost his key a day ago.
Simon took my phone number yesterday. - Simon took my phone number yesterday.
I gave her a birthday present. - I gave her a present for her birthday.
They slept for eight hours last night. - They slept eight hours last night.

To form negative and interrogative sentences with regular and irregular verbs (except to be and modal verbs), the auxiliary verb did must be used.

So, for example, in interrogative sentences comes first auxiliary verb did, then the subject and verb, but in its original form (infinitive), since the auxiliary verb did takes on the function of the past tense. Let's look at a few examples:

(+) Her watch stopped working. - Her watch stopped working.
(?) Did her watch stop working? - Has her watch stopped working?

(+) He caught a big fish. - He caught a big fish.
(?) Did he catch a big fish? - Did he catch a big fish?

(+) They played cards in the evening. - They played cards in the evening.
(?) Did they play cards in the evening? - Did they play cards in the evening?

(+) Mr.Right found a purse with money. - Mr. Wright found a wallet with money.
(?) Did Mr.Right find a purse money? - Did Mr. Wright find a wallet with money?

(+) His father called him yesterday. - His father called him yesterday.
(?) Did his father call him yesterday? - Did his father call him yesterday?

As can be seen from the examples, the auxiliary verb did does not change in persons or numbers, like, for example, the verbs do and does, was and were. Also, these questions belong to the general category, and require short answers, which, unlike Russian “yes” and “no,” depend largely on the question itself and the auxiliary verb. Let's take a closer look:

Did you leave early last night? -Yes, I did. -No, I didn't. -Did you leave early last night? -Yes. -No.
Did they like the cake? -Yes, they did. -No, they didn't. - Did they like the cake? - Yes. - No.
Did their children break the remote control? -Yes, they did. -No, they didn't." -Did their children break the remote control? -Yes. -No.

Special questions with regular and irregular verbs are formed in the same order as common ones, but with the addition question word at the beginning. For example:

Where did you find the map? - Where did you find the map?
Why did they call us last night? - Why did they call us last night?
Who did you invite to the party? -Who did you invite to the party?
What did she cook fro dinner? - What did she cook for dinner?

Negative sentences with regular and irregular verbs are also formed using the auxiliary verb did, and the negative particle "not". The main verbs in such sentences remain in their original form, i.e. in the infinitive. Let's look at examples:

(+) He didn’t want us to go. - He wanted us to leave.
(-) He didn't (did not) want us to go. - He didn't want us to leave.

(+) They enjoyed the concert. - They liked the concert.
(-) They didn’t enjoy the concert. - They didn’t like the concert.

(+) Albert promised me something. - Albert promised me something.
(-) Albert didn’t promise me anything. - Albert didn’t promise me anything.

(+) My friend paid t he fine. - My friend paid the fine.
(-) My friend didn't pay the fine. - My friend did not pay the fine.

(+) It broke after all. - And yet it broke.
(-) It didn’t break after all. - And yet it didn’t break.

As can be seen from the examples, the word did can be combined with the particle not, and then the abbreviated form is obtained - didn't.

Thus, we examined regular and irregular verbs in English, and also became familiar with their use in affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences. The category of regular verbs does not require targeted memorization, but it is recommended to learn irregular verbs several times a day and try to use them in your sentences.

The variety of tense forms in the English language makes it possible to describe the action being performed in more detail, but may also be confusing. The “Past Simple” table tells in detail how the English Simple Past tense is formed and when it is used.

Basic Rule

Before moving on to consider the formation of the affirmative, negative and interrogative forms of the English Past Simple, it is necessary to understand how it is translated into Russian and what action it describes. The tense form Past Simple is literally translated as Simple Past. The term Past refers to the past tense in a broad sense. Simple is an aspect that indicates that the action being described is common and occurs regularly. It follows that the Past Simple describes ordinary, repeated actions, facts that happened in the past.

This meaning is also indicated by marker words such as yesterday, the day before yesterday, two weeks ago, last year and others.

Regular verbs

When considering the rule of formation Past Simple (Simple Past), new linguistic concepts appear - regular and irregular verbs. Regular verbs form the past simple by adding the -ed ending to the stem of the verb.

Basic rules and examples of Past Simple with regular verbs are presented in the following table:

Past Simple Tense: subjects + verb + -ed (2nd form of regular verbs)
*Positive form* (Affirmative form)	*Negative form* (Negative form)	*Interrogative form* (Interrogative form)
I closed - I closed	I did not close - I didn’t close	Did I close? - I closed?
You closed -You (you) closed	You did not close - You (you) did not close	Did you close? - Did you close it?
He closed - He closed	He did not close - He did not close	Did he close? - Did he close it?
She closed - She closed	She did not close - She did not close	Did she close? - Did she close it?
It closed - He (about an animal or inanimate) closed	It did not close - He did not close	Did it close? - Did he close it?
We closed - We closed	We did not close - We did not close	Did we close? - Are we closed?
They closed - They closed	They did not close - They did not close	Did they close? - have they closed?

In a negative sentence, the subject is followed by an auxiliary verb with a negative particle - did not. In the question, the word order changes and the auxiliary verb comes first. In both cases, the main verb loses the past tense ending -ed.

Irregular Verbs

There are not many irregular verbs in the English language - 470. Not all of them belong to the daily vocabulary. Many are outdated and not used. But the main thing is different - you need to know them by heart. In order to make a sentence with an irregular verb in the Past Simple, you need to look at the second column of the table of irregular verbs.

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Past Simple Tense: subjects + 2nd form of irregular verb
*Positive form* (Affirmative form)	*Negative form* (Negative form)	*Interrogative form* (Interrogative form)
I slept - I slept	I didn’t sleep - I didn’t sleep	Did I sleep? - I was asleep?
You slept - You (you) slept	You didn’t sleep - You (you) did not sleep	Did you sleep? - Did you sleep?
He slept - He slept	He didn’t sleep - He didn’t sleep	Did he sleep? - He slept?
She slept - She slept	She didn’t sleep - She didn’t sleep	Did she sleep? - She slept?
It slept - He (it) was sleeping	It didn’t sleep - He didn’t sleep	Did it sleep? - He slept?
We slept - We slept	We didn’t sleep - We didn’t sleep	Did we sleep? - We sleep?
They slept - They slept	They didn’t sleep - They didn’t sleep	Did they sleep? - They slept?

What have we learned?

The basic rules and examples of the Past Simple in the table help to organize the acquired theoretical knowledge on the topic. It presents examples of the formation of affirmative, negative and interrogative forms, which can serve as an excellent “cheat sheet” if necessary.

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This article is the second in the series “Times of the English Language”. The first was devoted to ways of expressing it in this language, and this material will present past tense in English. As we know, the past tense is a form of a verb that indicates the time of an action, which in this case happened in the past. In English we call all past tenses Past Tenses, the difference of which lies only in their duration or quality: will it be simple past -, long past - or past perfect – . Let us dwell on each of the indicated past tenses in English.

Past Simple - simple past tense in English

This tense can be called practically the main one when expressing the past tense in English, since it, in principle, expresses any action that took place in the past. Of course, it competes with this time , which, being the present perfect tense, is nevertheless translated by a verb in the past tense. In this case, you should remember only one point - Present Perfect comes into force only in cases where the action occurred in the past and in some way affects or is connected with the present. If past events have no such connection, take Past Simple and use it without doubt.

Time is formed Past Simple simple: if , take its second form (from the table); if the verb is correct, add an ending to it - ed. Need a question? We use did. The predicate is expressed by a verb to be in the required form? We put it at the beginning of the sentence and we're done. Is denial necessary? The same auxiliary verb will come to the rescue did, only in company with a particle not. The same particle is easily attached to the verb to be in the past tense form in English.

To sum it up: time Past Simple we use in the following cases:

our action happened in the past and has nothing to do with the present. Pay attention to the marker words: yesterday(yesterday), last month(last month), 5 years ago(5 years ago), in 1999(in 1999)
My brother was born in 1987. - My brother was born in 1987.

She moved to the capital 7 years ago. - She moved to the capital seven years ago.

We saw him last month. - We saw him last month.
we strive to retell a series of actions in the past
He wrote the letter, put it in the envelope, left it on the table and went out. - He wrote a letter, put it in an envelope, left it on the table and left.
we want to show that the action referred to was common and occurred repeatedly in the past over a period of time
From 1995 to 2000 he worked as a manager. - He worked as a manager from 1995 to 2000.
if our goal is to present a well-known fact of the past
The Second World War began in 1939. - The Second World War began in 1939.

Past Continuous - long past tense in English

The only difference between this time and the previous one is that in this case the action of the past is shown in process. For example:

Mary was doing chores at 10 a.m. - Mary was cleaning at 10 o’clock in the morning.

As a cheat sheet, you can remember that the verb will be of the imperfect form. From the sentence it is clear that the formation of time Past Continuous requires only knowledge of the verb form to be - was / were. To one of them we add the main verb and assign an ending to it - ing. In the case of an interrogative sentence, we place the auxiliary verb at the beginning, and in a negative sentence we attach it to the same auxiliary verb not.

You also need to use this past tense in English:

if you are talking about an action that happened at a certain point in the past
She was drinking coffee when I came in. - She was drinking coffee when I arrived.
if you want to characterize a person, thus making your speech emotionally charged
My mother was always hiding sweets from me when I was a kid. - When I was a child, my mother constantly hid sweets from me.

Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous - perfect and perfect continuous past tenses in English

To form these tenses you will need a good knowledge of verb forms, both regular and irregular. For Past Perfect need an auxiliary verb have in the past tense form in English, that is had and participle II of the main verb (for regular ones - form in - ed, for incorrect ones – the third form in ). For time use an auxiliary verb to be in the form of time Past Perfect, that is had been, to which we add the main verb as participle I, that is, the form in - ing. In question had goes to the beginning of the sentence, and when negated, calls to itself not.

The simple perfect tense is used only in a few cases:

if we want to express an action that ended before a certain point in the past
Malfoy had done the work by the time his friend returned. - Malfoy had finished all the work by the time his friend returned.
if we want to show two actions, one of which was in progress, and the second was completed by the time it started.
The rain had stopped and the stars were twinkling on the dark sky. - The rain stopped, and the stars sparkled in the dark sky.