Past Simple Regular Verbs: Learn to Talk About the Past (A1 English) — A1 English grammar lesson by Langcom

Past Simple Regular Verbs: Learn to Talk About the Past (A1 English)

Raúl Maguiña

Fondateur de Langcom | Examinateur pour les examens de Cambridge et du SIELE

septembre 22, 2026

A1✏️ Grammaire⏱️ 4 min de lecture📅 Mise à jour en septembre 2026
To talk about actions that finished in the past, we use the Past Simple. For most verbs in English, we call them regular verbs. To make the Past Simple form of a regular verb, you simply add -ed to the end of the verb. For example, play becomes played, et walk becomes walked. This form is the same for all subjects (I, you, he, she, it, we, they). You use the Past Simple to describe events that happened at a specific time before now, like yesterday, last week, ou two years ago. It’s a fundamental step for telling stories and sharing past experiences in English.

What is the Past Simple in English?

Les Past Simple is a verb tense. We use it to talk about actions or events that started and finished in the past.

These actions happened at a specific time before now. You often see time expressions with the Past Simple.

  • I visited my aunt yesterday.
  • They watched a movie last night.
  • She cleaned her room two hours ago.

🎓 Apprenez l'anglais grâce à la méthode mixte

Petits groupes · Tuteur IA disponible 24 h/24, 7 j/7 · Préparation aux examens de Cambridge

Plans provenant de $39 $79 par mois

Réservez votre cours

How Do We Form the Past Simple for Regular Verbs?

Good news! For regular verbs, forming the Past Simple is usually very easy.

You just add -ed to the base form of the verb. This rule applies to most verbs.

  • walk → walked
  • start → started
  • listen → listened

Les Past Simple form is the same for all subjects: I, you, he, she, it, we, they. Par exemple, I walked, you walked, he walked, and so on.

Spelling Rules for -ed Endings

Sometimes, we need to change the spelling a little before adding -ed. Here are the main rules for A1 learners:

  • Most verbs: Add -ed.
    Exemple : play → played
  • Verbs ending in -e: Just add -d.
    Exemple : live → lived
  • Verbs ending in consonant + -y: Change -y à -i, then add -ed.
    Exemple : study → studied
  • Verbs ending in a short vowel + single consonant (CVC): Double the last consonant, then add -ed.
    Exemple : stop → stopped
<span data-no-translation>Past Simple Regular Verbs: Examples and Rules</span>
<span data-no-translation>Base Form</span> <span data-no-translation>Past Simple</span> <span data-no-translation>Rule</span>
walk walked Add -ed
live lived Add -d (verb ends in -e)
study studied Change -y to -i, add -ed
stop stopped Double consonant, add -ed

Exemples

  • I played soccer with my friends yesterday.
  • She studied English last night.
  • They visited their grandparents last weekend.
  • He watched a movie on TV.
  • We walked to the park this morning.
  • The concert started at 8 PM.

Entraînement

💬 Vous avez besoin de conseils personnalisés ?

En tant que centre de préparation agréé par Cambridge, nous pouvons vous aider à choisir la formation et la certification qui vous conviennent. Discutez-en dès aujourd'hui avec nos conseillers.

Discutez avec un conseiller sur WhatsApp

Erreurs courantes chez les hispanophones

Many English learners, especially Spanish speakers, sometimes forget to add -ed to regular verbs in the Past Simple.

  • Incorrect : I play soccer yesterday.
  • Correct : I played soccer yesterday.

Remember, the -ed ending is very important to show that the action happened in the past and is now finished.

Questions fréquemment posées

What is a regular verb in English?

A regular verb is a verb that forms its Past Simple et past participle by adding -ed to the base form. Most verbs in English are regular.

Is the Past Simple form different for 'he/she/it'?

No, the Past Simple form for regular verbs is the same for all subjects (I, you, he, she, it, we, they). For example, I walked, she walked, they walked.

When do I use the Past Simple?

You use the Past Simple to talk about actions or events that happened at a specific time in the past and are now finished. Look for time words like yesterday, last week, in 2020, ou an hour ago.

How can I practice Past Simple regular verbs?

You can practice by reading texts and identifying the Past Simple regular verbs, like in a 'Mark the Words' activity. Also, try writing sentences about your past day or week using these verbs.

Leçons associées

À propos de l'auteur : Raúl Maguiña

Raúl Maguiña est le directeur de l'Asociación Educativa Langcom, un centre agréé de préparation à l'examen Cambridge English situé à votre pays. Fort de plus d'une décennie d'expérience dans l'enseignement des langues et les certifications internationales, il a aidé des milliers d'étudiants, d'enseignants et d'établissements d'enseignement dans 25 pays à obtenir les certifications d'anglais Cambridge, IELTS, TOEFL et Michigan.

En savoir plus sur le Langcom →

0 commentaire

Envoyer un commentaire

Votre adresse e-mail ne sera pas publiée. Les champs obligatoires sont indiqués avec *

Ce site utilise Akismet pour réduire les indésirables. Découvrez comment les données de vos commentaires sont traitées.

Demander plus d'informations

Si vous avez d'autres questions, n'hésitez pas à nous contacter.

WhatsApp

Courrier

Commencez avec Langcom : test de niveau gratuit et 14 jours d'accès gratuit à la plateforme · Faites le test de niveau gratuit · Essai gratuit de 14 jours de la plateforme · Pourquoi les étudiants choisissent Langcom