What is the Past Simple (Positive) for?

We use the Past Simple positive to talk about actions that are complete. These actions happened at a specific time in the past.

• Use it for things that are finished.
• Use it for things that happened at a known time (e.g., yesterday, last week, in 2022).
• It describes a sequence of events in the past.

How to Form the Past Simple with Regular Verbs

Most verbs in English are regular. To make them Past Simple, we add -ed to the base form of the verb.

• For most verbs, add -ed: work → worked, play → played.
• If the verb ends in -e, just add -d: live → lived, love → loved.
• If the verb ends in consonant + -y, change -y to -i and add -ed: study → studied, try → tried.
• If the verb ends in vowel + -y, just add -ed: play → played.
• For short verbs ending in consonant + vowel + consonant, double the last consonant and add -ed: stop → stopped, plan → planned.

What About Irregular Verbs?

Some common verbs are irregular. They do not follow the -ed rule. You need to learn their special Past Simple forms.

• go → went
• have → had
• do → did
• be → was (for I/he/she/it) or were (for you/we/they)
• eat → ate
• see → saw

There are many irregular verbs, but you will learn the most common ones first.

Examples

• I worked yesterday.
• She lived in London last year.
• We studied English on Monday.
• They played football last weekend.
• He stopped the car quickly.
• I went to the shop an hour ago.
• She had a big breakfast this morning.
• We were at home all day.
• You ate pizza for dinner.
• They saw a movie last night.

Practice

Common mistakes for Spanish speakers

Spanish speakers sometimes make mistakes with the Past Simple because of differences with their native language.

• Using the base form instead of the past form:
  Incorrect: I go to the party yesterday.
  Correct: I went to the party yesterday.
  Remember to always change the verb to its past form.
• Adding -ed to irregular verbs:
  Incorrect: She buyed a new phone.
  Correct: She bought a new phone.
  Irregular verbs have their own special forms; they don’t take -ed.
• Confusing Past Simple with Present Perfect:
  The Past Simple is for finished actions at a specific time. The Present Perfect is for actions that started in the past and continue or have a result now. For A1, focus on finished actions with Past Simple.

Frequently asked questions

When should I use the Past Simple?

You should use the Past Simple to talk about actions or events that are completely finished and happened at a specific time in the past. For example, I visited my family last week.

Are there many irregular verbs?

Yes, there are many irregular verbs in English. However, for A1 level, you only need to learn the most common ones, like go, have, do, be, eat, and see. You will learn more as you progress.

How can I remember irregular verbs?

The best way to remember irregular verbs is to practice them often. Read English texts, listen to English, and try to use them in your own sentences. You can also make flashcards or lists of common irregular verbs.

Is the Past Simple used in exams?

Yes, the Past Simple is a very important tense and appears in all English exams, even at A1 level. You might need to complete sentences or write short descriptions of past events using this tense.

Related lessons

• Past simple
• Past simple