PAST SIMPLE
/talk about the past/
2 days
last ago
month 2 minutes ago
last yesterday
2005
week …
PAST NOW FUTURE
past
The verb To be in Past Simple
AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE
I was happy. I wasn’t happy.
wasn’t =
He was happy. He wasn’t happy. was not
She was happy. She wasn’t happy.
It was heavy. It wasn’t heavy.
We were happy. We weren’t happy.
weren’t =
You were happy. You weren’t happy. were not
They were happy. They weren’t happy.
QUESTIONS
(+) Affirmative They were happy. She was scared.
(?) Question Were they happy? Was she scared?
Short answer: Yes, they were / No, they weren’t Yes, she was / No, she wasn’t
WH – word: Why were they happy? What was she scared of?
I was born in 1982: Correct NOT I am born in 1982: Wrong
WHEN TO USE PAST SIMPLE?
The main use of the Past Simple is for finished actions in the past.
• I was born in San Francisco. • I cleaned my room.
• I forgot my key. • They always enjoyed visiting their friends.
• We saw a film on Saturday.
/the action happened within a finished period of time)
• I lived abroad for ten years.
• We travelled to India in 1999. They went to a rock concert last week.
• He bought a new car yesterday. I was afraid of spiders when I was a child.
She was at school between 9 am and 1 pm. /but she’s not there now/
I spent all morning cooking. /it’s the afternoon now, so the morning is in the past/
I lost my ring in Paris. /it is not the time that fixes the action in the past, but the place; I lost my ring
when I was in Paris, but I am no longer there/
Shakespeare wrote over 30 plays. /this was during his life; we know he’s not alive and the period of
time is finished/
To talk about SERIES of actions which started and finished in the past /actions that
followed each other in a story/:
Yesterday, I finished school, went to the store with my friends and bought a new dress.
I got up, had breakfast, left home and went to work.
TIME EXPRESSIONS USED WITH THE PAST SIMPLE:
• yesterday
• in + year/ month (in 1999; in April)
• last: last Monday, last week, last month, last April, last summer, last year
• ago: three days ago, two weeks ago, a month ago, two years ago; a long time ago
• when + past period: when I was a child; when we were on holiday
• this morning (when the morning is over); that day/afternoon; the other day/week; at eleven
o'clock, on Tuesday
HOW DO WE FORM THE PAST SIMPLE?
The form of the Past Simple is the same for all persons. Regular verbs are formed by adding -ed to the
infinitive of the verb:
• start → started I/ you/ he/ she/ it/ we/ they started to cry.
• walk → walked I/ you/ he/ she/ it/ we/ they walked into the room.
If a verb ends in -e, we add -d: If a verb ends in a vowel and a consonant, the consonant is
usually doubled before -ed.
agree → agreed escape → escaped like → liked
stop → stopped clap → clapped plan → planned
If a verb ends in consonant and -y, remove the - y and add -ied. But if the word ends in a vowel and -y, you add -ed.
try → tried carry → carried play → played enjoy → enjoyed
POSITIVE
Subject + Past Tense of the verb + object (s) + time expression
I went to the dentist yesterday.
QUESTIONS
(Question Word) + Did + subject + infinitive + object(s) + time expression
Did she play tennis when she was younger? Did you pass the exam?
Did you fail your exam? Short answer: ---- Yes, I did. / No, I didn't.
With Who we often don't use did:
Who discovered penicillin? Who wrote Don Quixote? Who scored the goal?
NEGATIVE
Subject + did + not (didn't) + infinitive + object(s) + time expression
They didn't go to Spain last year.
They didn't visit us for dinner last week. I didn't see you yesterday.
