The Past Simple Tense is the simple past tense of a verb in English. This is one of the main tenses that you need to know at a basic level of learning English and it belongs to the group of simple tenses - Simple Tenses (Present Simple, Past Simple, Future Simple). The English usually use this tense when talking about the past, that is, when an action verb answers a question: what did you do?
From this article you will learn:
When to use Past Simple in a sentence about the past:
So, as mentioned above Past Simple Tense (simple past tense) used in a sentence that refers to the past. But let's figure out what the past is. The past tense is a grammatical category, and the past is a philosophical concept, and in order not to get confused, there are clue words in the English language that indicate the past. These are the words - yesterday, last, ago(for example, a year ago), and actually year in the past(eg 1970). Rule 1 below will help you remember these tips.
The Past Simple Tense (rules for beginners from the book “English Grammar: Simply About Complex Things”)
Here are ten more simple rules from my book that will help you avoid basic mistakes when learning this verb tense.
1. " yesterday, ago, last, when(v.sl) – Past Simple then"
2. "in" Past Simple assistant did , the end of the action ed »
3. “if the verb is correct – ed add if incorrect D 2 remember"
4. Appears in a negative sentence didn't(after D.L.),
and D2 changes to D or see rule No. 55. In exercises on Past Simple « you see not, write didn't»
6. "where" did, No ed and there is no second form D2".
7. B will ask. appears in the sentence did
and D2 changes to D or see rule No. 88. “if you want to Past Simple did write and D 2 on D change.
9. " be don't need either did, nor ed."
10. “be polite, that you were- Do not forget » .
Commentary on the rules:
Rule 1. « Yesterday, ago, last, when(v.sl) – Past Simple then" says that the sentence should use the simple past tense - The Past Simple Tense, if it contains temporary expressions (hints):
- yesterday- yesterday
- ago- backwards, that is, in phrases like:
- a week ago - a week ago
- a month ago - a month ago
- a year ago - a year ago
- last- past, that is, in phrases like:
- last week - last week
- last month - last month
- last year - last year, etc.
- When(question next) - that is, in questions starting with When...? - When?
Conclusion: If the sentence contains " yesterday, ago, last, when(v.sl) » , then 100% of it must use Past Simple Tense.
Rule 2.“In the Past Simple, the assistant did, the ending of the action ed» means that for most verbs (they are called regular) the past tense is formed by adding the ending -ed to the main form (it is called the first).
watch - watch (first form)
watch ed- look l(second form)
Adding an ending -ed to a regular verb, we put it in the second form.
Rule 3. “If the verb is correct, add –ed, if incorrect, remember D2,” says that there are still irregular verbs to which you CANNOT add a past tense ending -ed.
sleep - sleep (first form)
slept — slept(second form)
So, we have looked at three rules for the simple past tense - Past Simpe Tense and we will stop there for now. 'Cause now it's time to find out how to make Past Simple Tense sentences.
How to make sentences in Past Simple Tense
Now look at these diagrams and read again rules 4-8.
Rule 4. Appears in a negative sentence didn't(after D.L.),
and D2 changes to D or see rule No. 5
Rule 5. In exercises on Past Simple « you see not, write didn't"that is a negative particle « not" is translated into English not not, A didn't.
EXAMPLE. He didn't. — He didn’t do.
Rule 6."Where did, No ed and there is no second form D2"
Rule 7. Appears in an interrogative sentence did(before D.L., but after V.sl.),
and D2 changes to D or see rule No. 8
Rule 8."if you want to Past Simple don’t forget to ask the question in front of the actor did write and D 2 on D change.
Let's leave two rules for later, but for now answer the questions.
Test yourself and answer the questions:
- When should you use the Past Simple Tense of a verb in a sentence?
- Which tense expressions indicate the simple past tense?
- What form is the verb in the simple past tense?
- How are affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences constructed in Past Simple Tense? Draw time diagrams.
- What rules do you remember?
Now let's figure it out How to read the ending -ed in the Past Simple.
If you remember well eight rules for the Past Simple, then you need to do it
Each language has its own characteristics. English is not one of the rare exceptions. Using vivid examples of sentences in the Past Simple, you can examine from all sides not one, but many of its amazing features: tense construction, articles, regular and irregular verbs, peculiarities of sentence construction.
What is the Simple Past Tense?
There are three tenses in English: present, past and future. This is no different from our native language - Russian. However, just as each individual person has a set of his own individual qualities, so the English tense system differs from the Russian one in the presence of its own individual character - aspect. Depending on what kind of action we have in front of us - repeated, long-term or completed, three aspects are distinguished - Simple, Continuous, Perfect.
From this we can conclude that our today’s “hero” Past Simple or Simple Past Tense describes an ordinary, repeated action that was performed in the past.
Affirmative sentences
Each of the 12 tense forms of the English language has its own grammatical formation formula. In Past Simple it looks like this: subjects + verb in 2nd form. And here we are faced with another feature of the language - regular and irregular verbs. Regular verbs form the 2nd form using the ending -ed: to invite - invited (to invite - invited), to brush - brushed (to brush with a brush - cleaned with a brush).
As for irregular verbs, the 2nd form can always be found in the 2nd column of irregular verbs: to have - had, to blow - blew.
Let's look at these rules using Past Simple examples with regular and irregular verbs:
Negation
Negative sentences in the Past Simple are constructed using the following formula: subjects + did not + verb. It is impossible not to pay attention to another distinctive feature of the language - the auxiliary verb did. It is not translated into Russian. When negated, it “attaches” the negative particle not (not) and “takes away” the past tense form from the main verb. This rule applies to all verbs except to be - was/were (to be), which does not require the support of an auxiliary verb. How this works in practice can be seen in the example sentences in English with translation into Russian:
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In negative sentences, the auxiliary verb can “merge” with a negative particle and form a short form - didn’t, wasn’t, weren’t.
Question
There are different types of questions in English: general (requiring an answer “yes” or “no”), special (beginning with a question word), alternative (with the disjunctive conjunction or (or) and others. They differ in structure from each other, but they are united by a common essence that is inherent only in English interrogative sentences - reverse word order and an auxiliary verb before the subject: “did + subjects + verb?”, “was/were + subjects?”.
Such “time markers” as yesterday, the day before yesterday, five years ago, last month are clear signs that we are dealing with Past Simple ).
What have we learned?
Examples of affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences in the Past Simple show better than any rules how they are built and what their features are.
Test on the topic
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Past Simple Tense- past simple tense, one of the main tenses of the English language, which is studied at the level elementary and at subsequent levels is considered in comparison with other times. To understand more complex tenses, you need to thoroughly know and be able to use Past Simple tense. Today we will talk in detail about the formation and use of this time.
Past Simple tense: education and use.
Learning the Past Simple is a milestone in language learning. Mastery of the past tense instantly expands the range of topics for conversation and gives more freedom in expressing thoughts. On the other hand, the Past Simple opens up the possibility of learning other, more complex past tenses. You are introduced to new forms of verbs that you most likely have not used before, which is undoubtedly a huge step forward.
Considering the importance of mastering Past Simple tense, a lot of time is devoted to it in classes.
When studying any tense, we must know how to construct a statement and how to use a given tense, what actions it conveys.
Let's start with statements.
Statement always begins with a subject followed by a semantic verb. In the statement in Past Simple the semantic verb is placed in the second form (V2):
I lived in Moscow ten years ago. - I lived in Moscow ten years ago.
He wrote a letter yesterday. - He wrote a letter yesterday.
They came to see us last weekend. - They came to visit us last weekend.
What is the second form of the verb?
This is a verb form that is used in the Past Simple to convey a past action. You probably know that all verbs are divided into correct And incorrect. Let's talk about regular verbs. They are called regular because they always form the second (and third) forms according to the rule. To form the second form of regular verbs, you need to add an ending to the verb ED:
Help - helped
look - looked
work - worked
When adding an ED ending to a verb, its pronunciation and spelling may change, so there are a number of rules to remember.
There are not many of these rules, but you need to understand them well, since now you are forming the basis for your further study. Therefore, we have dedicated a separate section to the end of ED, which discusses all the features of its use, rules of pronunciation and writing. Be sure to study! In this article we will look at them briefly.
Rules for pronunciation of words ending in ED.
| /id/ | /t/ | /d/ |
| Only after the sounds /t/ and /d/ | After voiceless and sibilant /p/, /h/, /s/, /k/, /f/, /tʃ/, /ʃ/ | After all other sounds (voiced and vowels) |
Rules for writing words ending in ED.
Let's move on to writing verbs ending in ED. There are several simple rules:
|
If the verb ends in a silent E, then when adding the ending we add only D |
close - closed dance - danced live - lived |
|
|
If a verb ends in a closed stressed syllable, then when adding an ending, the final consonant is doubled * letters X and W at the end of a word are not doubled |
admit- admitted beg - begged permit- permitted fixed-fixed row-rowed |
|
|
If a verb ends in Y preceded by a consonant, then Y is changed to I and ED is added |
apply - applied copy - copied dry - dried |
|
|
If there is a vowel before Y at the end of a word, then the ending is added without changes: |
enjoy - enjoyed obey - obeyed play - played |
|
|
If a verb ends in L and is preceded by a short vowel, the final consonant is doubled * in AmE the letter L at the end of a word before a short vowel is not doubled |
travel - travelled quarrel - quarreled |
|
|
If a verb ends in R in a stressed syllable, the final R is doubled |
occur - occurred prefer - preferred star- starred |
If the verb is irregular, then you need to refer to the table of irregular verbs and look in the second column. Tables of irregular verbs are usually found at the end of textbooks. Irregular verbs can be difficult to remember. How to make this task easier, read.
The second form of the verb is used only in statements.
IN denials and questions(except for a question to the subject) it is not the second form that is used, but first. The only exception is the question to the subject, where we do not change the word order and use the second form.
Negation is formed using the auxiliary verb DID and the negative particle NOT. Auxiliary verb with particle NOT is placed before the semantic verb in the first form. Colloquially DID NOT is shortened to DIDN"T :
| Subject | DIDN"T | V1 |
I didn't close the door. - I didn't close the door.
He didn't answer the question. - He didn’t answer the question.
We didn't go on holiday last year. - We didn’t go on vacation last year.
General issues are formed using the auxiliary verb DID, which is placed before the subject, followed by the semantic verb in the first form:
| DID | Subject | V1 | ? |
Did you understand the rule? - Did you understand the rule?
Did she find a job? - Has she found a job?
Did they go to Europe? - Did they go to Europe?
For building information question Before the auxiliary verb we put the necessary question word:
|
WHAT
|
DID | Subject | V1 | ? |
What did you do yesterday? - What did you do yesterday?
When did she sell her car? - When did she sell her car?
Why did they leave? - Why did they leave?
IN question to the subject(Who? Who?) the auxiliary verb DID is not used, but direct word order is used (as in the statement):
| WHO | V2 | ? |
Who called you yesterday? - Who called you yesterday?
Who repaired the car? - Who fixed the car?
Who told them about it? -Who told them about this?
Use of Past Simple tense.
Now that you know how to form Past Simple, let's look at the uses of this tense in English:
1. Past Simple is an action that happened in the past and has no relation to the present, a fact about the past:
I went to the movies yesterday. - I went to the cinema yesterday.
She graduated from University last year. - She graduated from university last year.
They moved to the USA three years ago. - They moved to America three years ago.
2. Past Simple is used if the action was regularly repeated in the past or was habitual, but is no longer repeated:
When I was a child, we often went fishing with my father. - When I was a child, we often went fishing with my dad.
She attended gym three times a week to keep fit. - She went to the gym three times a week to keep fit.
They sold fruits and vegetables. - They sold fruits and vegetables.
To express regular actions in the past, the construction USED TO and the modal verb WOULD are also used. You can read more about their use.
3. Actions that occurred in a row, one after another in the past:
I entered the room and greeted everyone. - I entered the room and said hello.
He turned on the TV and sat in his armchair. - He turned on the TV and sat down in his chair.
We bought some bread and left the shop. - We bought some bread and left the store.
4. When we talk about historical events and figures:
Columbus discovered America. - Columbus discovered America.
The First World War began in 1914. - The First World War began in 1914.
Admiral Nelson defeated the French in the Battle of Trafalgar. - Admiral Nelson defeated the French at the Battle of Trafalgar.
Any time is perceived better if you remember its indicators.
Typical Past Simple tense indicators include: yesterday(yesterday), as well as combinations including words last(past, last) and ago(ago):
Last week - last week
last month - last month
last year - last year
an hour - an hour ago
two days ago - two days ago
three weeks ago - three weeks ago
In addition, prepositions of time can be used in, on, at and others, if the context makes it clear that the action occurred in the past:
We had breakfast at 8 o"clock. - We had breakfast at eight o'clock.
Their first lesson was on Tuesday. - Their first lesson was on Tuesday.
He got married in 2000. - He got married in 2000.
Common mistakes when using Past Simple tense:
- incorrect pronunciation of endings of regular verbs.
You can correct this error by doing exercises on reading endings. Pronounce endings clearly. Don't try to speak quickly until you can pronounce the endings without deafening them.
- adding ED to irregular verbs or using the wrong form of an irregular verb.
You will most likely be understood, but it is better to avoid this mistake. Read more texts in Past Simple, highlight the regular and irregular verbs in them with different colors. You can make up examples with irregular verbs and give them to your familiar teachers or for checking.
Many people forget to put DID before the subject in questions or use the second form of the verb in questions and statements.
This problem is relevant for all times. In this situation, only practice will help.
If you are learning English on your own, you can try this method: write down all the formulas (affirmations, negations, general and informational questions) in the margins of the page, then select sentences from the texts in the Past Simple and form all the forms by writing them opposite the formulas. At first you will often look at the hint, then less and less, and in the end you will remember everything automatically. Tested by experience!)
The Past Simple is often confused with other tenses. In particular, this and . It's important to understand the differences here. Read about the differences in the use of tenses in our following articles: and.
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Exercise 1. Put the verbs in the following sentences into the affirmative and negative past simple forms.
1. I (to do) morning exercises.2. He (to work) at a factory.
3. She (to sleep) after dinner.
4. We (to work) part-time.
5. They (to drink) tea every day.
6. Mike (to be) a student.
7. Helen (to have) a car.
8. You (to be) a good friend.
9. You (to be) good friends.
10. It (to be) difficult to remember everything.
Exercise 2. Open the brackets using verbs in .
1. Alice (to have) a sister.2. Her sister’s name (to be) Ann.
3. Ann (to be) a student.
4. She (to get) up at seven o"clock.
5. She (to go) to the institute in the morning.
6. Jane (to be) fond of sports.
7. She (to do) her morning exercises every day.
8. For breakfast she (to have) two eggs, a sandwich and a cup of tea.
9. After breakfast she (to go) to the institute.
10. Sometimes she (to take) a bus.
11. It (to take) her an hour and a half to do her homework.
12. She (to speak) English well.
13. Her friends usually (to call) her at about 8 o’clock.
14. Ann (to take) a shower before going to bed.
15. She (to go) to bed at 11 p.m. m.
Exercise 3. Open the brackets using verbs in .
1. My working day (to begin) at six o"clock.2. I (to get) up, (to switch) on the TV and (to brush) my teeth.
3. It (to take) me about twenty minutes.
4. I (to have) breakfast at seven o’clock.
5. I (to leave) home at half past seven.
6. I (to take) a bus to the institute.
7. It usually (to take) me about fifteen minutes to get there.
8. Classes (to begin) at eight.
9. We usually (to have) four classes a day.
10. I (to have) lunch at about 2 o’clock.
Exercise 4. Use the words in brackets to form sentences in . Pay attention to what form the sentence should be in (affirmative or negative).
1) They _____ football at the institute. (to play)2) She _____ emails. (not / to write)
3) ____ you____ English? (to speak)
4) My mother ____ fish. (not / to like)
5) ____ Ann ____ any friends? (to have)
6) His brother _____ in an office. (to work)
7) She ___ very fast. (cannot / to read)
8) ____ they ____ the flowers every 3 days? (to water)
9) His wife _____ a motorbike. (not / to ride)
10) ____ Elizabeth_____ coffee? (to drink)
Exercise 5. Insert Past Simple in the required form.
1. I...a student.2. My father ... not a shop-assistant, he ... a scientist.
3. ...your aunt a nurse? - Yes, she... .
4. ... are they at home? - No, they... not. They...at school.
5. ... are you an engineer? - Yes, I....
6. ... your friend a photographer? No, she ... not a photographer, she ... a student.
7. ...your brothers at school? - Yes, they... .
8. ... this her watch? - Yes, it... .
9. Max...an office-worker.
10. We... late, sorry!
Exercise 6. Translate into English:
1. She was busy. (to be busy)2. I wasn't busy.
3. Were you busy?
4. Were they at home? (to be at home)
5. He was not at home.
6. I didn't know.
7. Did they know?
8. She didn't know.
9. Who knew?
10. Nobody knew.
11. Did he read English books? (to read English books)
12. They never read. (never / to read)
13. Did she have an apartment? (to have a flat)
14. He had nothing.
15. Who was it?
Right answers:
Exercise 1. 1 - did, 2 - worked, 3 - slept, 4 - worked, 5 - drank, 6 - was, 7 - had, 8 - were, 9 - were, 10 – was.Exercise 2. 1 - had, 2 - was, 3 - was, 4 - got, 5 - went, 6 - was, 7 – did, 8 - had, 9 - went, 10 - took, 11 - took, 12 - spoke , 13 - called, 14 - took, 15 – went.
Exercise 3. 1 - began, 2 - got, switched, brushed, 3 - took, 4 - had, 5 - left, 6 - took, 7 - took, 8 - began, 9 - had, 10 - had.
Exercise 4. 1 - played, 2 – did not (=didn't) write, 3 – Did (you) speak, 4 – did not (=didn't) like, 5 – Did (Ann) have, 6 - worked , 7 – could not (=couldn't) read, 8 – Did (they) water, 9 – did not (=didn't) ride, 10 – Did (Elizabeth) drink.
Exercise 5. 1 - was, 2 – was, was, 3 – Was, was, 4 – Were, were, were, 5 – Were, was, 6 – Was, was, was, 7 – Were, were, 8 – was , was, 9 - was, 10 - were.
Exercise 6. 1 – She was busy, 2 – I was not busy, 3 – Were you busy?, 4 – Were they at home?, 5 – He was not at home, 6 – I didn’t know, 7 – Did they know?, 8 – She didn’t know, 9 – Who knew?, 10 – No one (=nobody) knew, 11 – Did he read English books?, 12 – They never read, 13 – Did she have a flat ?, 14 – He didn’t have anything (=He had nothing), 15 – Who was it?
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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