The Past Simple Tense

Talking about finished actions, facts, and habits in the past

The Past Simple tense (or Simple Past), sometimes called the preterit in English grammar, is a highly used verb tense for referring to finished past activities. At its core, the Past Simple is used to refer to isolated actions that started and were completed at a well-defined time in the past. To know more, read these sections of our review on the Past Simple in English.

1. Slogan

2. Usages

3. Form

4. Common time expressions

5. Negative sentences and question types

6. Summary

1. Slogan: “It happened, I know when, and that’s it !”

The slogan encapsulates the basic meaning of the Past Simple, so use it when hesitating about what verb form to choose in your English writing. Remembering one short slogan can help you navigate through all the grammar rules it relates to.

2. Usages

Read through the table and try to understand the connection between the usages and the slogan.

Use

1. completed

past action

2. discontinued

past fact

3. finished past state

4. terminated past habit

Examples

• I bought a new car yesterday.

• Columbus reached America in 1492.

• William Shakespeare wrote many plays.

• As children, we were quite messy.

• The data showed an increase in sales last month.

• Michelle lived in Paris for 5 years.

• She worked in Versailles during her first marriage.

• At first, she believed that her career was more important than family life.

• Before the accident, she played tennis twice a week.

• He drove a Ferrari for 20 years.

Explanation

• These are short actions or events performed and completed in the past. We either know exactly when they happened or infer this from context.

• The fact that both Columbus and Shakespeare are dead (in the certain past), calls for using the Past Simple, with or without stating the time of the action.

• These facts were true in the past but are not true now. The period when these facts were true in is both finished and defined (childhood, last month).

• Paris was her permanent place of residence for 5 years. This period in her life is over. She does not live there now.

• She worked in Versailles only during the years of her first marriage. When she got divorced, she stopped working there.

• Also for expressing beliefs and opinions in the past that are not true now. She does not believe that anymore.

• They did these actions regularly, as habits, only in the past. They do not practice these habits anymore.

Watch out !

• If the action occurred in the past, but is still true ( I have been teaching grammar for 10 years.) or happened at an undefined time in the past ( I have seen some good French movies recently.), you need the Present Perfect tenses.

• Stative verbs (appear, realize, love, sound) are more commonly used with simple tenses rather than with progressive tenses.

Advanced Usage of the Past Simple:

3. Form

As its name suggests, the Past Simple form is a simple one-word verb, composed of the Past Simple or V2 (preterit) form for all persons. Unlike other languages, there are no inflectional verb endings for the different persons in English past tenses. However, since English verbs include a large group of commonly used irregular verbs, which have a variety of unique Past Simple forms, you have to invest time and effort in learning these irregular verbs.

• A regular verb in the Past Simple has an ed ending for all persons.

play-play ed, work-work ed, stay-stay ed, listen-listen ed

• An irregular verb in the Past Simple changes its form, usually with a vowel change. Irregular verbs can be grouped according to certain change patterns, which helps to memorize them.

speak-spoke, eat-ate, see-saw, fly-flew, think-thought

*Remember: V1=base form, V2=Past Simple, V3=Past Participle, Ving=Present Participle

• One verb in English has special forms in the Past Simple:

My mother was a teacher for 30 years, and my grandparents were both college professors.

4. Common Time Expressions

The Past Simple is used with time expressions (in blue) informing about when things exactly happened.

5. Negative Sentences and Question Types in the Past Simple

Negative Statements:

Watch out !

Note that in negative past sentences, the main verb is in its base form and not in the V2 Past Simple form, as the past ending is attached to the auxiliary verb do, resulting in did.

The 3 Question Types:

1. Yes/No Questions:

2. Wh Questions:

3. Wh-Subject Questions:

Watch out !

• Note that in Wh-subject-questions, there is no need for an auxiliary verb.

• In Wh subject-questions in the Past Simple, the verb is always in the V2 Past Simple form.

6. Summary

This has been a review about the usage and formation of the Past Simple tense in English grammar. It is highly used to refer to actions accomplished and finished in defined periods in the past that are over. Reviewing the rules is not enough to make you use it properly. The more you pick it up in your reading, and more importantly, use it in your writing, the better you will use it.