Past Simple Tense: Rules, Examples and Exercises

Learn how to use the past simple tense with regular and irregular verbs, clear examples, common mistakes and practice exercises with answers.

Back to Grammar

Introduction to Past Simple Tense

The past simple tense describes actions, events and situations that started and finished in the past.

I visited London last summer.
She finished work at six o’clock.
We lived in Manchester for three years.

The past simple is also called the simple past tense. It is one of the most important English tenses because we use it to talk about completed events, tell stories, describe past habits and explain what happened at a particular time.

For regular verbs, we normally add -ed:

work → worked
clean → cleaned
visit → visited

Irregular verbs have different past forms:

go → went
see → saw
take → took

This guide explains how to use the past simple, form regular and irregular verbs, make questions and negatives, and avoid common learner mistakes.

Compare this with the present perfect, which can describe a situation that continues now. Our present perfect vs past simple guide explains the difference in detail.

What is the past simple tense?

The past simple places an action or situation inside a finished period of time.

I watched a film yesterday.

The action started and finished yesterday.

Daniel worked in Japan from 2019 to 2022.

The period is complete. Daniel does not work there now.

They arrived ten minutes ago.

The arrival happened at a specific point in the past.

The time may be stated directly:

We met in 2023.

It may also be understood from the context:

Did you enjoy the concert?

The speaker and listener both understand that the concert has finished.

Past simple structure

For most verbs, affirmative past simple sentences follow this structure:

subject + past form of the verb

I called my brother.
She bought a new laptop.
They went home.

The verb form stays the same for every subject:

I worked.
You worked.
He worked.
We worked.
They worked.

The verb be is different. It changes to was or were:

I was tired.
She was at home.
You were late.
They were excited.

‍

Regular and irregular past forms

Regular verbs

Most regular verbs form the past simple by adding -ed.

Diagram explaining past simple tense with examples of finished actions and no connection to now.

Regular and irregular past forms

Regular verbs

Most regular verbs form the past simple by adding -ed.

Examples of regular verbs in the past simple tense
Base form Past simple
work worked
play played
open opened
finish finished

Some verbs require spelling changes.

Verbs ending in -e

Add -d rather than another -ed.

live → lived
change → changed
arrive → arrived

Verbs ending in consonant + y

Change y to i and add -ed.

study → studied
carry → carried
try → tried

If a vowel comes before the y, simply add -ed:

play → played
enjoy → enjoyed

Short verbs ending in consonant-vowel-consonant

Double the final consonant before adding -ed.

stop → stopped
plan → planned
prefer → preferred

Do not normally double w, x or y:

snow → snowed
fix → fixed
play → played

Irregular verbs

Irregular verbs do not use the standard -ed ending. Their forms must be learnt individually.

Common irregular verbs in the past simple tense
Base form Past simple Example
go went We went to the beach.
see saw I saw Emma yesterday.
eat ate They ate lunch outside.
write wrote She wrote me a message.
take took He took the wrong train.
buy bought I bought a new coat.
speak spoke We spoke after the meeting.
leave left Daniel left early.

Some irregular verbs do not change:

cut → cut
put → put
cost → cost
hit → hit

‍

When to use the past simple

Completed actions at a finished time

Use the past simple when an action happened and finished at a known past time.

I called her yesterday.
We visited Edinburgh last year.
He graduated in 2021.

The time expression shows that the event belongs to a finished period.

A sequence of past events

Use the past simple to describe actions in the order they happened.

I woke up, made some coffee and checked my emails.
She opened the door, walked into the room and sat down.

This use is especially common in stories, news reports and personal anecdotes. The past simple describes completed events. To describe an action that was already in progress when another event happened, study the past continuous tense.

Past habits and repeated actions

Use the past simple for habits that were regular during a finished period.

I walked to school every day.
My family visited my grandparents every Sunday.
She played tennis twice a week when she was younger.

You can also use used to when emphasising that the habit no longer happens:

I used to walk to school every day.

Finished past situations

Use the past simple for states or situations that existed in the past but are no longer true.

We lived near the station for five years.
He worked as a chef before becoming a teacher.
I believed that story when I was a child.

Compare:

We lived there for five years.
The situation has finished.
We have lived there for five years.

The situation continues now.

Past facts

Use the past simple for facts that were true at a particular point in history.

The first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896.
The company opened its first office in London.
People travelled much more slowly two hundred years ago.

‍

Past simple negatives and questions

Negative sentences

Use did not + base form for most verbs.

subject + did not + base verb

I did not understand the question.
She did not attend the meeting.
They did not arrive on time.

The contracted form is didn’t:

We didn’t watch the match.
He didn’t bring his passport.

Do not use the past form after didn’t.

Incorrect:

She didn’t went.

Correct:

She didn’t go.

For the verb be, use was not or were not:

I was not tired.
They were not ready.

The contracted forms are wasn’t and weren’t.

Yes-or-no questions

Use did before the subject, followed by the base verb.

Did + subject + base verb?

Did you enjoy the trip?
Did she call you?
Did they finish the project?

Short answers use did:

Did you see him?
Yes, I did.
No, I didn’t.

Questions with be do not use did:

Was she at work?
Were they happy with the result?

Information questions

Place the question word before did.

Where did you stay?
When did the lesson start?
Why did he leave?
What did they buy?

The main verb remains in its base form.

Incorrect:

Where did you stayed?

Correct:

Where did you stay?

‍

Common time expressions

The past simple frequently appears with expressions that refer to finished times.

Common examples include:

  • yesterday
  • last night, week, month or year
  • two hours ago
  • in 2019
  • on Monday
  • when I was younger
  • at six o’clock
  • from 2020 to 2023
I finished the report yesterday.
They moved house six months ago.
We met on Friday.
She worked there from 2018 to 2022.

The word ago comes after the period of time:

three days ago
ten minutes ago
several years ago

Not:

ago three days

Common mistakes

Using a past verb after did or didn’t

Incorrect:

Did you saw the message?

Correct:

Did you see the message?

Incorrect:

I didn’t understood.

Correct:

I didn’t understand.

The auxiliary did already carries the past meaning, so the main verb returns to its base form.

Adding -ed to an irregular verb

Incorrect:

We goed home early.

Correct:

We went home early.

Incorrect:

She buyed a ticket.

Correct:

She bought a ticket.

Remember that a past simple form is not always the same as a past participle. This distinction is especially important when forming the present perfect tense.

‍

Confusing was and were

Use was with I, he, she and it.

I was busy.
She was at university.

Use were with you, we and they.

You were right.
We were tired.

Forgetting the spelling change

Incorrect:

He stoped the car.

Correct:

He stopped the car.

Incorrect:

She studyed English.

Correct:

She studied English.

Using the past simple for a continuing situation

I lived here for three years.

This normally suggests that you no longer live here.

To show that the situation continues, use the present perfect:

I have lived here for three years.

‍

Past simple exercises

Complete each sentence with the correct past simple form of the verb in brackets.

  1. We __________ to Cambridge last weekend. (go)
  2. She __________ the window because it was cold. (close)
  3. I __________ not __________ the question. (understand)
  4. __________ you __________ Daniel yesterday? (see)
  5. They __________ in Singapore from 2017 to 2020. (live)
  6. My brother __________ a new phone last month. (buy)
  7. The lesson __________ at nine o’clock. (start)
  8. Where __________ she __________ during her holiday? (stay)
  9. I __________ very tired after the journey. (be)
  10. We __________ not __________ enough time. (have)
  11. The train __________ ten minutes late. (arrive)
  12. He __________ his keys and __________ the house. (take, leave)
  13. The children __________ outside every evening that summer. (play)
  14. Why __________ they __________ the meeting early? (leave)
  15. You __________ not at home when I called. (be)

‍

Answers and explanations

  1. went
    Go is irregular. Its past simple form is went.
  2. closed
    Close ends in -e, so add only -d.
  3. did not understand
    Use did not followed by the base form.
  4. Did, see
    Questions use did + subject + base verb.
  5. lived
    The period from 2017 to 2020 is complete.
  6. bought
    Buy is irregular. Its past form is bought.
  7. started
    The lesson began at a specific finished time.
  8. did, stay
    The question uses did, so stay remains in the base form.
  9. was
    Use was with I.
  10. did not have
    Use did not followed by the base verb have.
  11. arrived
    Arrive ends in -e, so add -d.
  12. took, left
    Both verbs are irregular and describe a sequence of completed actions.
  13. played
    The sentence describes a repeated habit during a finished summer.
  14. did, leave
    After did, use the base form leave.
  15. were
    Use were with you.

The past simple tense is used for completed actions, past habits, finished situations and sequences of events. Remember to use the past form in affirmative sentences, but use did or didn’t plus the base verb in most questions and negatives.

Related Grammar Lessons