SIMPLE PAST TENSE & EXAMPLES

The use of simple past tense is when any action starts in past and ended in past usually a very little time before speaking. The time of action is not specified in terms of a long time ago or short ago but it makes a sense that the action has done a little time ago for Past simple passive voice tense.

Finished Action

An action started in the past and finished in the past.

Formula

Formula: Subject + Verb 2nd(form) + Object

  • Alina gave presentation yesterday.
  • Children went to school.
  • It rained yesterday.

Past Tense Regular Verbs

To change a regular verb into its past tense form, we normally add –ED to the end of the verb or just -d if the root form already ends in an e.

Regular Verbs Irregular Past Tense
play played
wait waited
cook cooked
rain rained

4th VariationHelping Verb = Do / Does

Spelling Notes

Connected with repeated action.(1st Variation)

Formula

Formula: Formula: Subject + Verb 1st(form) + Object

  • She cooks good food.
  • Ali loves me.
  • They watch a movie.

Past Tense Regular Verbs

To change a regular verb into its past tense form, we normally add –ED to the end of the verb or just -d if the root form already ends in an e.

Regular Verbs Irregular Past Tense
play played
wait waited
cook cooked
rain rained
Formula: Subject + Verb 2nd(form) + Object

More Examples

Here are some more simple past tense examples.

Sentences

    • My mother died last year.
    • She lived in Toronto in 1986.
    • He won the gold medal in Olympic games.
    • Ali played video games all night.
    • They went to a club last night.
    • My parents came to visit me last December.

Note: We use didn’t (did not) to make a negative sentence in the past tense.

  • Negative: She didn’t live in Toronto in 1986.
  • Interrogative: Did she live in Toronto in 1986?
  • Neg. Int: Didn’t she live in Toronto in 1986?
Note: Whenever we make Affirmative sentences so we use Verb 2nd form, But when we will make Negative or Negative Interrogative sentences so we will convert Verb 2nd form into verb 1st form.

Rules

Here are some basic simple past tense rules.

Pronoun Helping Verb Example
We Were We were student
You Were You were student
They Were They were student
I Was I was student
He Was He was student
She Was She was student
It Was It was a good day
Any Name Was Ali was student

Table

When we talk about Profession, Relation, Existence & Condition so we will always use these verb Was / Were

And When we talk about Property, Illness & Parts of the body so we will use this verb Had.

Verb 2nd
Was / Were Condition, Profession, Relation & Existence
Had Property, Illness & Parts of the body

Non-Action / State

We use it for Condition & Property.

Formula

Formula: Subject + Verb 2nd + Object

  • There were cold in Islamabad. (Condition)
  • Alina was a teacher. (Profession)
  • They were good friends. (Relation)
  • Ali was in office. (Existence)

  • I had four markers. (Property)
  • Alina had a fever. (Illness)
  • Ali had long hairs. (Parts of body)

More Examples

Here are some more simple past tense examples.

Note: For negative sentences, we simply add Not after the verb.

  • Negative: She was not clever.
  • Interrogative: Was she clever?
  • Neg. Int: Was she not a clever?

  • Negative: I didn’t have two markers.
  • Interrogative: Did I have two markers?
  • Neg. Int: Did I not have two markers?

Contraction

Here are some contractions of the simple past tense.

Full Form Contraction Example
did not didn’t / din’t I didn’t receive any parcel.
was not wasn’t The third-place winner wasn’t happy.
were not weren’t They weren’t in Dubai last week.

List Of Irregular Verbs

Here is the list of Irregular Verbs (past tense).

Regular Verbs Irregular Past Tense
be was/were
begin began
break broke
eat ate
feel felt
find found
get got
give gave
go went
have had
hear heard
lead led
let let
lie lay
lose lost
make made
mean meant
bring brought
buy bought
build built
choose chose
come came
cost cost
cut cut
do did
draw drew
drive drove
meet met
pay paid
put put
run ran
say said
hold held
keep kept
know knew
leave left
sell sold
send sent
set set
sit sat
speak spoke
spend spent
wear wore
win won
write wrote
stand stood
take took
teach taught
tell told
think thought
understand understood

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