Past simple tense
Definition
The Past Indefinite Tense (also called the Simple Past Tense) is used to describe actions that happened and finished at a specific time in the past. It tells about completed events, a series of past actions, or past habits and states that are no longer true.
For all subjects we use the same past form for regular verbs (verb + ed) or the irregular past form. To make negatives and questions we use the auxiliary did (did not / didn’t) plus the base verb.
I did my homework yesterday.
Did you see that movie last night?
They did not come to the party.
# Sentence Structures
Affirmative: Subject + past verb + object.
Example sentences: I visited my cousin last Sunday. He finished the book. They watched the sunset.
Negative: Subject + did not / didn’t + base verb + object. (Do not use verb+ed after did not.)
Example sentences: I didn’t eat breakfast. She did not like the documentary. The students did not answer the question.
Interrogative: Did + subject + base verb + object?
Example sentences: Did you call your mother? Did he finish the project? Did they arrive on time?
Negative Interrogative: Did + subject + not + base verb + object? or Didn’t + subject + base verb + object?
Example sentences: Didn’t you see the message? Did she not study for the test? Did they not tell you?
Time expressions commonly used with the Past Indefinite
yesterday, last night, last week, two days ago, in 2010, when I was a child, an hour ago.
Example sentences: I met her two days ago. He left the office an hour ago. We traveled to Lahore last year.
# Forming the Past with Regular and Irregular Verbs
Regular verbs: add ed to the base verb to form the past.
Example sentences: I walked to the market. She cleaned her room. We watched the match.
Irregular verbs: these do not follow a single pattern; each verb has its own past form. You must learn them.
Example sentences: He went to school. They ate lunch at noon. She had a headache.
# Spelling rules for regular verbs
If a verb ends with e, add only d: arrive → arrived.
If a verb ends with a single vowel + single consonant and the final syllable is stressed (or the verb is one-syllable), double the final consonant and add ed: stop → stopped, plan → planned.
If a verb ends with consonant + y, change y to i and add ed: carry → carried. If it ends with vowel + y, just add ed: play → played.