π The Simple Past π Click to see the full picture!
π Simple Past: Actions in the Past
π What is the Past Simple?
The Past Simple is used to talk about actions or situations that happened and are finished. It can describe specific events or states in the past.
π How to Form the Past Simple
- Regular Verbs: Add -ed to the base verb.
- play β played
- watch β watched
- work β worked
- Irregular Verbs: These verbs change completely, and there’s no rule. You need to memorize them.
- go β went
- eat β ate
- see β saw
π οΈ Making Questions and Negatives
- Questions: Use did + subject + base verb.
- Did she go to school yesterday?
- Did they watch the movie last night?
- Negatives: Use did not (didn’t) + base verb.
- She did not (didn’t) like the food.
- They didn’t play football.
π° Time Expressions
The Past Simple often uses time expressions to tell when the action happened. These words help to specify the time clearly:
- yesterday
- last week
- two days ago
- in 2015
- when I was a child
Examples:
- β³ I went to the park yesterday.
- π She had a party last weekend.
- π¨βπ« He studied French when he was in school.
π Examples of Regular and Irregular Verbs
- Regular Verbs:
- π I baked a cake yesterday.
- π They played football after school.
- π₯ We watched a movie last night.
- Irregular Verbs:
- β She flew to Paris last summer.
- π He ate an apple during lunch.
- π I saw a shooting star last night.
π©βοΏ½ When Do We Use the Past Simple?
- π Completed actions at a specific time in the past.
- He visited his grandparents last week.
- π Past habits or repeated actions.
- I walked to school every day when I was young.
- πΆ Past states that are no longer true.
- She lived in London two years ago.
π‘ Tips for Remembering the Past Simple
- π Regular verbs: Just add -ed.
- π Irregular verbs: Practice and memorize them! They donβt follow the rules.
- π° Use time expressions: Add words like yesterday, last year, or ago to show it happened in the past.
π¨ Summary
The Past Simple is perfect for telling stories, talking about things that happened, or describing something in the past that is finished. Whether you are using regular or irregular verbs, remember to use time expressions to make it clear when the action took place.
π Irregular verbs π Click to see the full picture!
πββοΈ go β went
π΄ eat β ate
π see β saw
βοΈ write β wrote
π come β came
π think β thought
ποΈ sleep β slept
π£οΈ speak β spoke
π break β broke
πΆββοΈ take β took
𧳠leave β left
πΆ sing β sang
βοΈ fly β flew
π§ freeze β froze
π¨ draw β drew
π buy β bought
π read β read
π§βπ³ make β made
π οΈ build β built
πͺ shut β shut
π catch β caught
π drive β drove
π say β said
π€² give β gave
π¦ bring β brought
π find β found
π οΈ fix β fixed
π learn β learned/learnt
π get β got
π hear β heard
πΈ pay β paid
βοΈ cut β cut
β³ begin β began
ποΈ hold β held
πͺ shut β shut
πΆββοΈ stand β stood
π sell β sold
π€ understand β understood
π§ββοΈ sit β sat
π ring β rang
π§οΈ blow β blew
π lie β lay
π win β won
πΈ play β played
π’ catch β caught
π rise β rose
π feel β felt
π meet β met
π« leave β left
β¨ shine β shone
π€ drive β drove
π stick β stuck
π³ grow β grew
π§Ό wash β washed
β°οΈ climb β climbed
π₯ burn β burnt
ποΈ lift β lifted
βοΈ fly β flew
π³ eat β ate
π feed β fed
π οΈ Making Questions and Negatives
Questions: Use did + subject + base verb.
Did she go to school yesterday?
Did they watch the movie last night?
Negatives: Use did not (didn’t) + base verb.
She did not (didn’t) like the food.
They didn’t play football.
π° Time Expressions
The Past Simple often uses time expressions to tell when the action happened. These words help to specify the time clearly:
yesterday
last week
two days ago
in 2015
when I was a child
Examples:
β³ I went to the park yesterday.
π She had a party last weekend.
π¨βπ« He studied French when he was in school.
π Examples of Regular and Irregular Verbs
Regular Verbs:
π I baked a cake yesterday.
π They played football after school.
π₯ We watched a movie last night.
Irregular Verbs:
β She flew to Paris last summer.
π He ate an apple during lunch.
π I saw a shooting star last night.
π©βοΏ½ When Do We Use the Past Simple?
π Completed actions at a specific time in the past.
He visited his grandparents last week.
π Past habits or repeated actions.
I walked to school every day when I was young.
πΆ Past states that are no longer true.
She lived in London two years ago.
π‘ Tips for Remembering the Past Simple
π Regular verbs: Just add -ed.
π Irregular verbs: Practice and memorize them! They donβt follow the rules.
π° Use time expressions: Add words like yesterday, last year, or ago to show it happened in the past.
English Grammar Quiz 2.2.8
Β© Konstantinos Mylonas