Explanation of the simple past tense in English

Past simple tense

Definition The simple past tense is a grammatical form used in English to describe actions, events, or states that occurred and were completed in the past.
Following the simple past tense, here is an explanation of these rules:

Form

Regular verbs:

• General rule: Add -ed to the base form of the verb
  Example: play → played
  talk → talked
• Verbs ending in -e: Add only -d
  Example: like → liked
  dance → danced
• Verbs ending in consonant + y: Change y to i, then add -ed
  Example: try → tried
  study → studied
• Single-syllable verbs ending in consonant-vowel-consonant: Double the final consonant, then add -ed
  Example: stop → stopped
  plan → planned
• Verbs ending in -ic: Add -ked
  Example: panic → panicked

Irregular verbs:

• These don't follow a specific pattern and must be memorized. Some common examples:
  go → went
  eat → ate
  drink → drank
  be → was/were
  do → did
  have → had

Negative Form: For both regular and irregular verbs:

• Use (did not) or (didn't) + base form of the verb
• Example: I did not play
  She did not go

Question Form: For both regular and irregular verbs:

• Use Did + subject + base form of the verb
• Example: Did you play?
  Did she go?

Key Points

1. In negative and question forms, the main verb always remains in its base form
2. "Did" is used as the auxiliary verb for all persons (I, you, he, she, it, we, they)
3. For the verb "to be" (was/were), the rules are slightly different:
   • Affirmative: I/He/She/It was, You/We/They were
   • Negative: I/He/She/It was not (wasn't), You/We/They were not (weren't)
   • Question: Was I/he/she/it...?, Were you/we/they...?

Uses

Completed Actions in the Past To describe actions that started and finished in the past.

Example I watched a movie last night

Series of Completed Actions To list a sequence of actions that occurred one after another.

Example I woke up, ate breakfast, and went to work

Duration in the Past To express how long something lasted in the past.

Example She lived in Paris for five years

Habits or Regular Actions in the Past To describe repeated actions that no longer happen.

Examples When I was a child, I played soccer every weekend

Past States or Conditions To talk about states of being that existed in the past.

Example He was happy in his old job

Historical Facts To state facts about the past or historical events.

Example Shakespeare wrote many famous plays

Indirect Speech When reporting past statements or questions.

Example She said she liked the movie

Hypothetical Situations in the Past In second conditional sentences to express unreal or unlikely situations.

Example If I knew the answer, I would tell you

Polite Requests To make polite requests or inquiries.

Example I wondered if you could help me with this

Specific Time in the Past Often used with time expressions like "yesterday," "last week," "in 1999," etc.

Example We visited Rome last summer

Narrative or Storytelling To relate events in stories or personal anecdotes.

Example The princess lived in a castle and ruled the kingdom fairly

Read too

English story | Summer Plans Verbs used with food with examples