Take our FREE Placement Test<\/a><\/div>\nHow do we form the Past Simple for Regular Verbs?<\/h2>\n
Most verbs in English are regular. To form their Past Simple, we usually add -ed<\/span> to the base form of the verb.<\/p>\n\n- Most verbs:<\/strong> add -ed<\/span>. walk \u2192 walked<\/span>, play \u2192 played<\/span><\/li>\n
- Verbs ending in -e<\/span>:<\/strong> add -d<\/span>. live \u2192 lived<\/span>, love \u2192 loved<\/span><\/li>\n
- Verbs ending in consonant + y<\/span>:<\/strong> change y<\/span> to i<\/span> and add -ed<\/span>. study \u2192 studied<\/span>, try \u2192 tried<\/span><\/li>\n
- Verbs ending in vowel + y<\/span>:<\/strong> just add -ed<\/span>. play \u2192 played<\/span>, enjoy \u2192 enjoyed<\/span><\/li>\n
- Verbs with one syllable, ending in consonant + vowel + consonant:<\/strong> double the last consonant and add -ed<\/span>. stop \u2192 stopped<\/span>, plan \u2192 planned<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What about Irregular Verbs?<\/h2>\n
Many common verbs in English are irregular. This means they do not follow the -ed<\/span> rule. You need to learn their Past Simple forms by heart.<\/p>\nSome examples of irregular verbs include:<\/p>\n
\n- go \u2192 went<\/span><\/li>\n
- have \u2192 had<\/span><\/li>\n
- eat \u2192 ate<\/span><\/li>\n
- see \u2192 saw<\/span><\/li>\n
- be \u2192 was\/were<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The verb to be<\/span> is special: I\/he\/she\/it was<\/span>, you\/we\/they were<\/span>.<\/p>\nHow do we make Negative Sentences?<\/h2>\n
To make a negative sentence in the Past Simple, we use did not<\/span> (or the short form didn't<\/span>) followed by the base form of the main verb.<\/p>\n\n- I didn't go to the party.<\/span> (NOT *I didn't went*<\/span>)<\/li>\n
- They didn't finish their homework.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For the verb to be<\/span>, we do not use did not<\/span>. Instead, we use was not<\/span> (wasn't<\/span>) or were not<\/span> (weren't<\/span>).<\/p>\n\n- She wasn't happy yesterday.<\/span><\/li>\n
- We weren't at home last night.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
How do we ask Questions?<\/h2>\n
To ask a question in the Past Simple, we use Did<\/span> before the subject, and then the base form of the main verb.<\/p>\n\n- Did you enjoy the film?<\/span><\/li>\n
- Did they visit their grandparents?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For the verb to be<\/span>, we put Was<\/span> or Were<\/span> before the subject.<\/p>\n\n- Was he busy?<\/span><\/li>\n
- Were you tired?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For 'Wh-' questions (e.g., What<\/span>, Where<\/span>, When<\/span>), the 'Wh-' word comes first.<\/p>\n\n- Where did you go on holiday?<\/span><\/li>\n
- When did she arrive?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nCommon Irregular Verbs (A2 Level)<\/caption>\n\n\n| Base Form<\/th>\n | Past Simple<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
\n\n| be<\/span><\/td>\n | was\/were<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| become<\/span><\/td>\n | became<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| begin<\/span><\/td>\n | began<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| break<\/span><\/td>\n | broke<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| buy<\/span><\/td>\n | bought<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| come<\/span><\/td>\n | came<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| do<\/span><\/td>\n | did<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| drink<\/span><\/td>\n | drank<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| eat<\/span><\/td>\n | ate<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| find<\/span><\/td>\n | found<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| get<\/span><\/td>\n | got<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| give<\/span><\/td>\n | gave<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| go<\/span><\/td>\n | went<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| have<\/span><\/td>\n | had<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| know<\/span><\/td>\n | knew<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| make<\/span><\/td>\n | made<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| meet<\/span><\/td>\n | met<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| read<\/span><\/td>\n | read<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| say<\/span><\/td>\n | said<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| see<\/span><\/td>\n | saw<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| take<\/span><\/td>\n | took<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| tell<\/span><\/td>\n | told<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| think<\/span><\/td>\n | thought<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| win<\/span><\/td>\n | won<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| write<\/span><\/td>\n | wrote<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |