There are many ways to express the past tense in English. Each of them has its own patterns, having comprehended which, you can easily convey the events of the past in English. One of the most "demanded" tenses is the Past Simple.

Here it is very easy to draw a parallel with the Russian language. Everything that we are used to referring to the past expresses Past Simple (Indefinite). That is why it is called simple time, which conveys ordinary actions and single facts.

Education Past Simple in English

As in any tense, all points of contact converge in the form of the verb and the use of the auxiliary verb. In an affirmative sentence, the predicate takes either ending ed (if the verb is correct), or it is used second form (2nd column not regular verbs): V ed or V 2(with all faces the same) . To construct questions or negatives, it is necessary auxiliarydid. In the first case, it takes place before the subject, in the second - after + the particle not. It is important to note that the verb-predicate returns to itself already the primary person, i.e. infinitive without to. How Past Simple is formed is easy to follow using the table.

Not only in colloquial speech, but also often used in writing abbreviated form.

Important nuances

• The first thing I want to note is the verb to be. In principle, it is incorrect, therefore it has a second form (was - singular / were - plural). AT affirmative proposals it is used that way, but the negative and interrogative are formed without did: wasn’t, weren’t. Despite the fact that it is semantic, no auxiliary verb and other semantic verbs with it are used in the paste simple.

We were at home last night. We were at home last night.

I wasn't the best student. — I was not the best student.

Were you in a new club? — Have you been to the new club?

• The pronunciation of the ending ed changes. It all depends on the letters next to each other:

after deaf consonants - [t] - worked

after voiced consonants and vowels [d] - used, enjoyed

after t/d — — studied, landed

• Writing features. The second form of the verb will have to be learned by heart, you can’t run away from this. And with the addition of ed, not everything is easy either. When attaching this ending to a word, sometimes there are some changes that are important to know:

1. If the word ends with "y", and before it goes consonant, then "y" changes to "i" + ed: try-tried, hurry-hurried. But:pl a y-pla y ed.
2. If the verb ends with a letter "e", then when adding ed, one of the "e" disappears: change - changed, dance - danced.
3. If the verb ends in consonant(except c, w, z) or — er, -ur, and in front of her short vowel, then the last letter is doubled: stop - stopped, plan-planned, omit-omitted, occur - occurred.
4. If the last one is « l", then it is also duplicated: travel - travelled, quarel - quarelled.
5. ending with "With", verb in this case t adds and "k": panic - panicked.

Use cases

The Past Simple (Indefinite) rules are pretty easy to understand. And there are not many of them.

1. First of all, I want to highlight single events in the past, facts. So we're emphasizing what happened and just talking about the fact. Bright clues of this time are words such as ago (back), last year / month / week (last year, month, week), yesterday (yesterday), the other day (the other day), in 1998, in questions with when .

Last night my friends celebrated their anniversary. My friends celebrated their anniversary last night.

There wasn't any rain in September. There was no rain in September.

2. Sequentially enumerated events in the past. It is very important that chronological order: for example, got up, washed, had breakfast.

The dog picked up the bone and went away. The dog picked up the bone and ran away.

She woke up, opened the window and switched on the TV. She woke up, opened the window and turned on the TV.

3. Regular, repetitive activities in the past, we will also express in Past Indefinite: seldom, every week, often, always. You will immediately say that these are Present Simple pointers, and how to find out. This is always evident from the context, whether the action refers to the present or the past. Just think about the offer, do not rush when you see the cherished clue.

Every week he took his son out. Every week he took his son for a walk.

When I was a little boy I usually went to bed at 8. - When I was a little boy, I went to bed at 8 o'clock.

Sometimes there is confusion between the last function and the phrase used to do smth (be used to do smth). You can study this construction in detail in the article “Turnover used to”.

More more examples, cases of using this time can be found in the article " Examples Simple.

Time Comparison

The grammar of Past Indefinite Tense is quite simple. You will easily understand education and usage. But when comparing various past tenses, difficulties arise. Let's figure it out.

past simple	Past continuous	past perfect	Past Perfect Continuous	Present Perfect
A single action in the past, a fact, just happened	Long-term action in the past, the exact period when it occurred is indicated	The action ended before the moment or another action in the past, it matters that it ended	The action lasted a certain time period in the past	The action is not just completed, its consequences are visible in the present, and it is they that matter
I wrote a new novel last week.	I was writing a new novel the whole week.	I had written a new novel by New Year.	I had been writing a new novel for a year.	I have written a new novel, and now I go to the editor.
I wrote a new novel last week.	I've been writing a new novel all week.	I wrote a new novel for the New Year.	I have been writing a new novel for a year.	I have written a new novel, and now I am going to the editor.

So let's sum it up. According to the rules of Past Simple (Indefinite), the verb changes its form, and the negative and the question are formed using did. When doing exercises and tests, comparing past simple (indefinite) with other tenses, remember that the first of them tells, informs, lets you know that the action happened sometime in the past. All time frames are a little blurry, the exact time is never given.

The Past Simple, also known as the Past Indefinite or the preterite, is one of the most commonly used tenses in the English language. Pronounced in Russian [paste simple] - English transcription. It expresses completed actions in the recent and distant past and is the main past tense in English grammar. Below you will study the rules of use, education, consider examples of sentences with Past Simple in the tables.

Small text in Simple Past Tense. Read the mini-story carefully and translate.

One summer evening, Rick and Lilly went to the theatre. They attended a play. The play started at 18:00. Rick and Lilly enjoyed the theatre. After the play, they walked together in the park. They walked beside the river. the moon was bright. They talked about their future. When spouses went home, their children were not asleep. They waited for their parents to return. They were excited to hear about the theatre! Rick told the children about the play. Then, Lilly put the children to bed. Rick and Lilly were very tired. It was an amazing night.

Education rules in Past Simple

Let's look at how the Past Simple is formed. The sentence structure in Past Indefinite is very simple. The most important thing is to pay attention to irregular verbs that are used very often.

Education formula:

For regular verbs, we add the ending - ed to the main form (want - want ed) or ending - d if it ends with - e(smil e– smile d).

Examples:

- She kissed me in the chick - She kissed me on the cheek.
— Yesterday my sister played her guitar loudly, and the neighbors complained – My sister was playing her guitar loudly yesterday and the neighbors complained.
- Joe wanted to go to the museum, but I wanted to go to the club - Joe wanted to go to the museum, but I wanted to go to the club.

Go-went-gone
Eat-ate-eaten
Take - took - taken
Do-did-done
Buy-bought-bought
read-read-read

The form of the verb is the same for all persons. Only for plural pronouns (you, they, we), and in the past form - were, for others - was. The construction of interrogative and negative sentences in Past Simple with is the same as with.

example:

— I used to go out very often until I met Jess - I often went for a walk until I met Jess.

3. Events that happened at a specific time in the past, although the time is not mentioned

This action is not related to the present:

example:

— James Dean made one film with Natalie Wood - James Dean made one film with Natalie Wood. (The action is not related to the present, it happened in certain time in the past, but the time is not mentioned; it is assumed that we know when it happened).

• Compare two sentences:

Do you know Mark? He was my neighbor - Do you know Mark? He was my neighbor. (As you can see, the sentence does not mention the exact time: both speakers know when it was).
Do you know Mark? He was my neighbor last year - Do you know Mark? He was my neighbor last year. (This sentence has a time marker 'last year', the speaker is not sure if the speaker knows when he was her neighbor).

4. Situations that were true in the past

example:

— I lived with my stepmother as a child - As a child, I lived with my stepmother.
— My grandmother had three brothers - My grandmother had three brothers.

5. Events in chronological order

example:

—When I arrived home, I took off my shoes then turned on the computer and watched a cartoon - When I got home, I took off my shoes, then turned on the computer and watched a cartoon.

6. A new or interrupting action that is already in progress, along with the past continuous tense

example:

— while he was talking about his new song, the doorbell suddenly rank While he was talking about his new song, suddenly the doorbell rang.

7. Past Simple is used in conditional sentences (the second type is unlikely conditions)

If + past simple + would + infinitive (verb)

example:

— If I spoke German, I would like to live in Germany - If I spoke German, I would like to live in Germany.

And in sentences with wishes:

— I wish it wasn't so hot - It's a pity that it's so hot.

Companion words (markers) Past Simple

There is no escape from the words of time indicators. Thanks to marker words, we build sentences, indicate the time when something happened. Using auxiliary words in written or colloquial speech, we let a person know a specific time in the past.

Yesterday/the day before yesterday/last week (month, a year etc), a week ago, once, when?
2 minutes ago, in 1990, the other day, last Friday, always, often, sometimes, rarely, never.

Examples of constructing sentences with words signals:

— I visited Berlin last week I visited Berlin last week.
— She went to bed ten minutes ago She went to bed ten minutes ago.
— I was very depressed the other day– I was very depressed the other day.
— Who robbed a bank yesterday? Who robbed the bank yesterday?

Past Simple sentence forms

There are three forms of sentences in English, which are shown in the tables below.

Affirmative sentence form Past Simple Tense (Affirmative sentences)

The scheme of affirmative sentences is shown in the form of a table.

Who? Who?	Form of verb (verb form)	Examples (examples)
I (I)		I cleaned the kitchen I drank a glass of wine
He/She/It (he, she, it)	regular verb: verb + ed irregular verb: past form of the verb	He worked in Holland He ate a sandwich She joined the class She found a secret door It opened window It wrote a song
You (you, you)	regular verb: verb + ed irregular verb: past form of the verb	You washed the floor You went home
We (we)	regular verb: verb + ed irregular verb: past form of the verb	We jumped on the trampoline We drank some water
They (they)	regular verb: verb + ed irregular verb: past form of the verb	They hurt each other They knew about us

Negative sentence form Past Simple Tense (Negative sentences)

The negation of the Past Simple is formed using the auxiliary verb to do (past form did) and the negative particle not and the semantic verb without the particle to.

Scheme: Subject + did + not + verb + the rest of a sentence

Who? Who?	Form of verb (verb form)	Examples (examples)
I (I)	did not + verb	I did not clean the kitchen
He/She/It (he, she, it)	did not + verb	He did not eat a sandwich She did not join the class It did not open windows
You (you, you)	did not + verb	You did not wash the floor
We (we)	did not + verb	We did not jump on the trampoline
They (they)	did not + verb	They did not hurt each other

Shortened negative form:

— We didn't drink water
— She didn't need a mechanic

Interrogative sentence form Past Simple (Interrogative sentences)

Interrogative sentences are built according to the following formula:

(Auxiliary verb) Did + subject + verb + the rest of a sentence

The table shows examples with interrogative sentences.

verb to do	Who? Who?	Form of verb (verb form)	Examples (examples)
Did	I (I)	verb	Did I clean the kitchen?
Did	He/She/It (he, she, it)	verb	Did he eat a sandwich? Did she join the class?
Did	You (you, you)	verb	Did you wash the floor?
Did	We (we)	verb	Did we jump on the trampoline?
Did	They (they)	verb	Did they hurt each other?

Abbreviated negative-interrogative sentences:

Did you not need a doctor?
— Didn't you need a doctor?

Note:

We don't use the past verb when the sentence is negated.

Compare:

WRONG: I didn't invite her.
- CORRECT: I didn't invite her.
- WRONG: Did I invite her?
- CORRECT: Did I invite her?

The rule for writing words with the ending -ed

Regular verbs are usually conjugated by adding an ending - ed. However, there are a few exceptions:

• 1. We said earlier, if the verb ends in -e, we add at the end of the word - d:

— Danc e– dance ed
— Lov e– lov ed

• 2. The word ends with a Consonant + Vowel + Consonant, the last consonant is doubled and added - ed:

- Admit - admi tt ed
-Refer-refe rr ed

• 3. Two-syllable verb ends with Consonant + Vowel + Consonant, we do not double the last consonant when the stress is stands on the first syllable:

- Enter - entered
Suffer-suffered

• 4. Word ends with - y, changes to - i:

— Hurr y– hurr i ed
— Stud y– stud i ed
— Tid y– tid i ed
— Tr y– tr i ed
—Cop y- cop i ed

• 5. Word ends with - l always doubles after a vowel in British but not in American:

— Marve ll ing (British)
— Marve l ing (American).

Pronunciation rules for words ending in -ed

The table shows how to read the ending -ed

[d]	[t]	[ɪd]
Sound [d] pronounced after all vowels and after voiced consonants (except /d/) [z] [b] [v] [m] [n] [ŋ] [l] [g]	Sound [t] pronounced after [k] [p] [f] [s] [ʃ]	Sound [ɪd] pronounced after [d] [t]
prepared, watered, cleaned, ironed, lived, tried, hurried, planned	picked, hopped, dressed, crossed, smashed, slipped	corrected, ended, started, visited, suggested

Differences between Past Simple and Present Perfect

past simple
Actions that happened at a specified time in the past; actions completed. They talked to me yesterday.	Completed actions that happened at an unspecified time in the past. my friend has left to Paris. (We do not know when he left; he is in Paris or still on his way).
Actions in the past that are not related to the present and that happened at a specific time in the past, but the time is not mentioned. I met Michael Jackson. (I won't see him again - he's dead; the time period is over).	Actions in the past that are related to the present and that happened in certain moment in the past, but the time is not mentioned. I have spoken to Brad Pitt. (Perhaps I will talk to him again; he is alive - the time period has not ended).

Common Table Past Simple

Offer types	PAST SIMPLE
Affirmative sentence	I/we/you/they/he/she/it + V - ed/V.2
Negative sentence	I/we/you/they/he/she/it + didn't+V
Interrogative sentence (general question)	Did+ I/we/you/they/he/she/it + V…?
Special question	WH+ did+ I/we/you/they/he/she/it + V…? WH-why, where, when, etc.

Exercises and answers for Past Simple

Do past simple exercises to reinforce what you have learned.

Exercise 1. Add the ending -ed and distribute to the column.

Cry, play, stop, travel, live, empty, destroy, prefer, dance, smile, fry.

Answers. Answers to the exercise:

Cry-cried; play - played; stop - stopped; dance - danced; smile - smiled; fry - fried; travel - travelled; empty - emptied; destroy - destroyed; prefer - preferred; live - lived.

Exercise 2. Choose the correct answer.

1. We (went/goed) to Venice on holiday.

2. (Did you go/did you go) by plane?

3. Rick (didn't came/didn't come) with us.

4. The car (stopped/stopped).

5. When I arrived he (were not / was not) at home.

6. My husband (catched/caught) the robber.

7. We (did move/moved) to a new house.

8. The man(were/was) nice to me.

9. Manchester City (losed/lost) the final.

10. how much(did you pay/did you pay) for the car?

Answers. Answers to the exercise:

1. went
2.did go
3. didn't come
4. stopped
5. was not
6. caught
7. moved
8. was
9. lost
10.did pay

Exercise 3. Open the brackets, put the verb in the past form.

1. My grandpa always (sit) on the same stool.

2. I was robbed and (shoot) in the leg.

3. She (cut) the cabbage with a knife.

4. I (not know) where to hide my money.

5. His brothers (be not) very kind to us.

6. Amanda (carry) her daughter upstairs to bed.

7. They (fly) to Iceland this summer.

8.(you/here) that strange noise?

9. I (not break) this window. It (be) Daisy.

10. I (bring) some sweets.

Answers. Answers to the exercise:

1. sat
2 shot
3.cut
4. didn't know
5. were not, weren't
6. carried
7. flew
8. Did you here
9. didn't break, was
10. brought

Do the tasks:

Make 5 sentences with interrogative, negative and affirmative forms of Past Simple. Share them in the comments.

To consolidate the material, watch a video on the topic Past Simple.

In English, unlike Russian, there are 16 verb tenses. Most language learners find tenses to be the hardest topic in grammar. But if you know how and when to use them, then there will be no difficulties, and it will be easier to learn English. Consider in this article Past Simple- rules and examples that will help you better understand this time.

When is "Paste Simple" used?

Past Simple, or Past simple tense- simple past repeated or single action in the past. It is formed with the help of regular verbs and a change in the root of irregular ones in affirmative sentences. But it also happens that the verb does not change and has the same form in the simple past, perfect past and participle II. Therefore, the form in the past tense must be learned by heart. Distinguishing a correct verb from an incorrect one is very simple - if the verb is not on the list of irregular ones, then it is correct. There are about 200 irregular verbs in English, and each of them has 3 forms - simple past, perfect past and participle II. But there is no need to learn all 200 verbs, since only half of them are in active use.

Each time in English has time markers - these are adverbs indicating when an action occurred. AT Past Simple this is:

ago - ago;

last - past;

yesterday - yesterday;

the day before yesterday - the day before yesterday;

the other day - the other day;

In British English, adverbs of time are used at the end of a sentence. It is allowed to use it at the beginning of a sentence, which is undesirable, and it is considered a gross mistake to use it in the middle of a sentence.

V P ast Simple- the past form of the verb do - did, which is used in negative and interrogative sentences.

But this rule does not apply to the verb to be - to be, in which all 3 forms - affirmation, negation and question - are formed using the verb to be itself.

Let's look at examples below Past Simple with translation in the formation of affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences.

affirmative sentences

Affirmative sentences in English in Past Simple generated in 2 ways:

• for regular verbs, the ending - ed is added;

• for the wrong ones, the root itself changes.

How are verbs conjugated in Past Simple? Examples will help to understand this issue.

I called - I called.

You called - You called / a.

He called - He called.

She called - She called.

It called - He / She / it called / la / lo.

We called - We called.

They called - They called.

How the verb to be is used in P ast Simple? Examples of the following sentences will help to understand this issue.

I was a pupil (I was / was a student / student).

You were a pupil (You were / were a student / student).

He was a pupil (He was a student).

She was a pupil (She was a student).

We were a pupil (We were students).

They were a pupil (They were students).

The verb to be is irregular and in Past Simple has 2 forms - was for 1, 2, 3 singular and were - for 1, 2, 3 plural persons.

AT this example there is no sentence with the pronoun it, since it denotes inanimate objects, and they cannot be students. The pronoun it refers to singular and with it the verb to be has the form was.

It was an interesting film (It was an interesting film).

Negative sentences

Negation is formed with did and particle not. Two options are possible in writing: did not and didn’t, but the latter is more often used.

How is a question formed in P ast cipml? Examples:

I didn't work (I didn't work).

You didn't work (You didn't work).

He didn't work (He didn't work).

She didn't work (She didn't work).

It didn't work (He / She / It didn't work / la / lo).

We didn't work (We didn't work).

They didn't work (They didn't work).

For the verb to be the form in Past Simple will have the following form:

I wasn "t here yesterday (I was not here yesterday).

You weren "t here yesterday. (We weren't here yesterday).

He wasn "t here yesterday (He was not here yesterday).

She wasn "t here yesterday (She was not here yesterday).

It wasn "t here yesterday (He / she was not here yesterday).

We weren "t here yesterday (We weren't here yesterday).

They weren "t here yesterday (They weren't here yesterday).

Interrogative sentences

The question is formed using did according to the following formula:

The formula shown in the picture shows how questions are posed in Past Simple. The examples below will help you better understand and reinforce it.

Did I call? - I called?

Did you call? - You called?

Did he call? -He called?

Did she call? - She called?

Did it call? - Did she/she/it call/la/lo?

Did we call? - Did we call?

Did they call? - Did they call?

If there are so-called Wh-questions in the sentence, then did will be used after them. Let's take a closer look at their use in Paste Simple. Examples:

Did you go to the school yesterday? - Did you go to school yesterday?

Did Henry buy his car two years ago? - Henry bought the car 2 years ago?

When did they call you? - When did they call you?

A variant is possible not only with did, but also didn’t.

Didn't they help you? - They didn't help you?

Didn't Sarah and John go to the birthday party? - Sarah and John didn't go to the birthday party?

Didn't his daughter call him? - His daughter didn't call him?

With wh-questions and other questions, the auxiliary verb is used after the question.

When did they go to the office? - When did they go (went) to the office?

Where did they live when he was a small boy? - Where did they live when he was a little boy?

How many questions did you ask? - How many questions did you ask?

In the same way, the verb to be is formed in the form Past Simple. Examples:

Was he at school yesterday? - He was at school yesterday?

Were you in Italy 2 years ago? - You (you) were (were) in Italy two years ago?

Was Peter in the birthday? - Was Peter at the party?

Who was this man with you? - Who was this man with you?

When were you in India? - When did you (you) were (was) in India?

When learning English, there will be no problems with grammar and in particular with Paste Simple. Rules and examples for understanding grammar are the best helpers.

Hello! Today we continue to get acquainted with the temporary forms of the English language. We have the simple past tense (indefinite) in line, namely - past time Simple, or as it is also called Past Indefenite. Our goal is to learn how to conjugate affirmative, interrogative and negative verbs in the Past Simple Tense, as well as to figure out when to use the Past Simple.

First, let's define what Past Simple Tense is. So, Past Simple Tense expresses actions or states that took place at some time in the past. At the same time, their duration, completeness, precedence in relation to another action, etc. are not indicated, i.e., the action is expressed as a fact.

The Past Simple tense is a tense form that is used to describe events that happened in the past. This tense is typical of both written and spoken language. Rules for the formation of the past tense in English

Rules for the formation of Past Simple Tense

And now let's move on to the main thing - the rules for the formation of Past Simple Tense in English.

Affirmative Past Simple Tense

Auxiliary verbs are not required to form the affirmative form of Past Simple Tense.

Regular verbs form the affirmative form of the Past Simple Tense by adding an ending -ed to the stem of the infinitive without a particle to. This applies to all persons, singular and plural.

Rules for pronunciation of the ending - ed:

1. after voiceless consonants, except for t → [t]
to work - worked
to help - helped

2. after voiced consonants, except for d, and after vowels → [d]
to answer [ˈɑːnsə] - answered [ˈɑːnsəd]
to open [ˈəʊpən] - opened [ˈəʊpənd]

3. after consonants t and d → [ɪd]
to land - landed [ˈlændɪd]
to want - wanted [ˈwɒntɪd]

Rules for adding the ending -ed:

1. If the verb ends in mute - e, then - e missed.
to hop e− hoped
to blam e— blamed

2. If the verb ends in -y, and before -y there is a consonant, then -y changes to -i.
to tr y— tr i ed to cr y— cr i ed

If before -y is a vowel, no change occurs.
to pla y— played

3. If a one-syllable verb ends in a consonant with a preceding short vowel, then the final consonant is doubled.
to sto p— sto pp ed

4. If a verb consisting of several syllables ends in a consonant with a preceding stressed vowel, then the final consonant is doubled.
to prefer r— prefe rr ed to permi t— permi tt ed

5. In similar cases final consonant l doubles before both stressed and unstressed vowels.
to travel l— travel ll ed to compe l— compe ll ed

to walk

• I walk ed in the forest.
• you walk ed in the forest.
• He/ She/ It walk ed in the forest.
• We walk ed in the forest.
• you walk ed in the forest.
• they walk ed in the forest.

Irregular verbs form Past Simple Tense not according to general rule, but with the help of the II main form of irregular verbs, which is also the same for all singular and plural persons. You can find a table of irregular verbs in the article Irregular verbs in English. Verb to be, in this case, is an exception, and we will return to it later. List of irregular verbs to understand in Past Simple Tense in the affirmative form:

• I understood the question.
• You understood the question.
• He/She/It understood the question.
• We understood the question.
• You understood the question.
• They understood the question.

Interrogative form Past Simple Tense

The interrogative form for both regular and irregular verbs in English is formed using the auxiliary verb did (Past Simple from to do) and the infinitive form of the main verb.

To form an interrogative form Past Simple auxiliary verb did is put first, followed by the subject, and the subject is followed by the infinitive of the main verb.

Regular Verb Conjugation Example to walk

• Did I walk in the forest?
• Did you walk in the forest?
• Did he/ she/ it walk in the forest?
• Did we walk in the forest?
• Did you walk in the forest?
• Did they walk in the forest?

Irregular verb conjugation example to understand in Past Simple Tense in interrogative form:

• Did I understand the question?
• Did
• Did he/ she/ it understand the question?
• Did do we understand the question?
• Did do you understand the question?
• Did do they understand the question?

Negative Past Simple Tense

Negative form in English, also formed with an auxiliary verb did, but already in combination with a negative particle not. So, the subject is put first, followed by the auxiliary verb did + negative particle not, and finally the infinitive of the main verb.

Auxiliary did usually merges into one with a particle not:
did not didn't

Regular Verb Conjugation Example to walk

• I did not (didn"t) walk in the forest.
• You did not (didn"t) walk in the forest.
• He/She/It did not (didn"t) walk in the forest.
• We did not (didn"t) walk in the forest.
• You did not (didn"t) walk in the forest.
• They did not (didn"t) walk in the forest.

Irregular verb conjugation example to understand in Past Simple Tense in negative form:

• I did not (didn"t) understand the question.
• You did not (didn"t) understand the question.
• He/She/It did not (didn"t) understand the question.
• We did not (didn"t) understand the question.
• You did not (didn"t) understand the question.
• They did not (didn"t) understand the question.

And now, in order to make it easier for you to navigate with the Past Simple Tense construction, let's summarize all these rules in tables.

Conjugation table of regular verbs

Number	Face	affirmative form	Interrogative form	negative form
Unit h.	1 2 3	I walk ed you walk ed He/ She/ It walk ed	Did I walk? Did you walk? Did he/ she/ it walk?	I did not (didn"t) walk You did not (didn"t) walk He/She/It did not (didn"t) walk
Mn. h.	1 2 3	We walk ed you walk ed they walk ed	Did we walk? Did you walk? Did they walk?	We did not (didn"t) walk You did not (didn"t) walk They did not (didn"t) walk

Irregular verb conjugation table

Number	Face	affirmative form	Interrogative form	negative form
Unit h.	1 2 3	I understood You understood He/She/It understood	Did I understand? Did do you understand? Did he/ she/ it understand?	I did not (didn"t) understand You did not (didn"t) understand He/She/It did not (didn"t) understand
Mn. h.	1 2 3	We understood You understood They understood	Did do we understand? Did do you understand? Did they understand?	We did not (didn"t) understand You did not (didn"t) understand They did not (didn"t) understand

And now, as promised, we return to the verb exception to be. This verb acts as an auxiliary and forms interrogative and negative forms without did.

Verb conjugation table to be

Number	Face	affirmative form	Interrogative form	negative form
Unit h.	1 2 3	I was You were He/She/It was	was I? Were you? was he/she/it?	I was not (wasn "t) You were not (weren "t) He/She/It was not (wasn "t)
Mn. h.	1 2 3	We were You were They were	Were we? Were you? Were they?	We were not (weren "t) You were not (weren "t) They were not (weren "t)

Past Simple Tense is used

1. When expressing facts that happened in the past that are not related to the present. Most often, the relation of an action or state to certain period in the past tense it becomes clear from the context (the content of the sentence or neighboring sentences).

• I read this book in London - I read this book in London. (The circumstance in London indirectly indicates the time of the action.)
• I called for help, but no one answered - I called for help, but no one answered (The verbs called, answered express a sequence of actions.)
• I'm sorry I was out when you called - I'm sorry, I was absent when you called. (The relative clause when you called indicates the time.)

Very often in sentences in Past Simple Tense there are circumstances of time:

• yesterday - yesterday
• last night - last night
• last week - last week
• last month - last month
• last year - last year
• last summer - last summer
• the other day - on another day
• in 1945 - in 1945

As well as phrases with adverbs ago:

• five minutes ago
• an hour ago
• two years ago

• Where did you travel last year? Where did you travel last year?
• I was born in 1982— I was born in 1982.
• They were here ten minutes ago They were here ten minutes ago.

Interrogative adverbs when and how can also indicate the past tense.

• how did it happen? - How did it happen?
• When did you begin your studies? - When did you start your studies?

2. When expressing ordinary or repetitive actions in the past that are not related to the present:

• Last summer I often swam in pool - Last summer I often swam in the pool.
• When you were ill I went to see you every other day - When you were sick, I visited you every day.

Note that you can also use the construction to express repeated actions in the past. used + infinitive.

• We used to see each other very often when I was young - We saw each other very often when I was young.

used + infinitive it is also used when expressing a habitual or long-term action in the past (usually distant).

• In his childhood he used to be capricious - As a child, he was capricious.

3. When expressing a property or action that characterized the subject in the past.

• She was very thin when she was a small girl - She was very thin when she was a little girl.

4. In additional subordinate clauses in indirect speech, provided that the verb in the main clause is in Past Simple Tense.

• Not said he lived in Moscow - He said that he lives in Moscow.
• I told him I wasn't there - I told him that I was not there.

The past simple tense (Past Simple Tense) is not particularly difficult. The most difficult thing is to learn the II form of all irregular verbs, which I advise you to do. You can't do without knowing these forms! Good luck in learning English!

Past Simple Tense- the past simple tense, one of the main tenses of the English language, which is studied at the level elementary and at subsequent levels is considered in comparison with other times. To understand more complex tenses, you need to thoroughly know and be able to use Past Simple time. Today we will talk in detail about the formation and use of this tense.

Time Past Simple: education and use.

Learning Past Simple is a kind of milestone in learning a language. Ownership of the past tense instantly expands the range of topics for conversation, gives more freedom in expressing thoughts. On the other hand, Past Simple opens up an opportunity for you to explore other, more complex past tenses. You are introduced to new forms of verbs that you most likely have not used before, which is undoubtedly a huge step forward.

Given the importance of mastering Past Simple time, a lot of time is devoted to him in the classroom.

When studying any tense, we must know how to build a statement and how to use this tense, what actions it conveys.

Let's start with statements.

Statement always starts with a subject followed by semantic verb. In a statement in past simple the semantic verb is put in the second form (V2):

I lived in Moscow ten years ago. - I lived in Moscow ten years ago.

He wrote a letter yesterday. - He wrote a letter yesterday.

They came see us last weekend. They came to visit us last weekend.

What is the second form of the verb?

This is the form of the verb that is used in the Past Simple tense to convey the past action. You probably know that all verbs are divisible into correct and wrong. Let's talk about regular verbs. That is why they are called correct because they always form the second (and third) forms according to the rule. To form the second form of regular verbs, you need to add the ending to the verb ED:

Help - helped
look - looked
work - worked

When adding the ending ED to a verb, its pronunciation and spelling can change, so there are a number of rules to remember.

There are not many of these rules, but you need to get a good grasp of them, as you are now forming the basis for your further study. Therefore, we have devoted a separate ending to ED, which discusses all the features of its use, the rules of pronunciation and spelling. Be sure to study! In this article, we will review them briefly.

Rules for pronunciation of words with the ending ED.

/id/	/t/	/d/
Only after the sounds /t/ and /d/	After voiceless and hissing /p/, /h/, /s/, /k/, /f/, /tʃ/, /ʃ/	After all other sounds (voiced and voiced)

Rules for writing words with the ending ED.

Let's move on to writing verbs with the ending ED. There are a few simple rules:

	If the verb ends in silent E, then when adding the ending, we add only D	close - closed dance - danced live - lived
	If the verb ends in a closed stressed syllable, then when adding an ending, the final consonant is doubled * letters X and W at the end of a word are not doubled	admit- admitted beg - begged permit- permitted fix-fixed row - rowed
	If the verb ends in Y preceded by a consonant, change Y to I and add ED	apply - applied copy - copied dry - dry
	If there is a vowel before Y at the end of the word, then the ending is added unchanged:	enjoy-enjoyed obey - obeyed play-played
	If a verb ends in L preceded by a short vowel, the final consonant is doubled * in AmE, the letter L is not doubled before a short vowel at the end of a word	travel - traveled quarrel - quarrelled
	If a verb ends in R in a stressed syllable, the final R is doubled	occur - occurred prefer - preferred star- starred

If the verb is irregular, then you need to refer to the table of irregular verbs and look into the second column. Tables of irregular verbs are usually present at the end of textbooks. Remembering irregular verbs can be difficult. How to facilitate this task, read in.

The second form of the verb is used only in statements.

AT negatives and questions(except for the question to the subject) it is not the second form that is used, but first. The only exception is the question to the subject, where we do not change the word order and use the second form.

Negation is formed using the auxiliary verb DID and the negative particle NOT . Auxiliary verb with particle NOT is placed before the semantic verb in the first form. Colloquially, DID NOT is shortened to DIDN"T :

subject

DIDN"T

V1

I didn't close the door. - I didn't close the door.

He didn't answer the question. - He didn't answer the question.

We didn't go on holiday last year. We didn't go on vacation last year.

General issues are formed using the auxiliary verb DID, which is placed before the subject, followed by the semantic verb in the first form:

DID

subject

V1

?

Did you understand the rule? - Did you understand the rule?

Did she find a job? - Did she find a job?

Did they go to Europe? - Did they go to Europe?

For building information question Before the auxiliary verb we put the necessary interrogative word:

WHAT WHEN WHY etc.

DID

subject

V1

?

What did you do yesterday? - What did you do yesterday?

When did she sell her car? - When did she sell her car?

why did they leave? - Why did they leave?

AT question to the subject(Who? Who?) does not use the auxiliary verb DID, but uses direct word order (as in the statement):

WHO

V2

?

Who phoned you yesterday? - Who called you yesterday?

Who repaired the car? - Who fixed the car?

Who told them about it? - Who told them about it?

Use of Past Simple tense.

Now that you know how to form the Past Simple, let's look at the use cases of this tense in English:

1. Past Simple is an action that happened in the past and is not related to the present, a fact about the past:

I went to the movies yesterday. - I went to the cinema yesterday.

She graduated from University last year. - She graduated from the university last year.

They moved to the USA three years ago. - They moved to America three years ago.

2. Past Simple is used if the action was regularly repeated in the past or was habitual, but is no longer repeated:

When I was a child, we often went fishing with my father. - When I was a child, we often went fishing with my dad.

She attended gym three times a week to keep fit. – She went to the gym three times a week to keep fit.

They sold fruits and vegetables. They were selling fruits and vegetables.

To express regular actions in the past, the USED TO construction and the modal verb WOULD are also used. You can read more about their use.

3. Actions that happened in a row, one after another in the past:

I entered the room and greeted everybody. - I entered the room and said hello.

He turned on the TV and sat in his armchair. He turned on the TV and sat down in his chair.

We bought some bread and left the shop. We bought bread and left the store.

4. When we talk about historical events and figures:

Columbus discovered America. - Columbus discovered America.

The First World War began in 1914. - First World War started in 1914.

Admiral Nelson defeated the French in the Battle of Trafalgar. - Admiral Nelson defeated the French at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Any time is perceived better if you remember its pointers.

Typical Past Simple time indicators include: yesterday(yesterday), as well as combinations that include the words last(past, last) and ago(ago):

Last week - last week
last month - last month
last year - last year
an hour ago
two days ago
three weeks ago - three weeks ago

Also, prepositions of time can be used. in, on, at and others, if it is clear from the context that the action happened in the past:

We had breakfast at 8 o "clock. - We had breakfast at eight o'clock.

Their first lesson was on Tuesday. - Their first lesson was on Tuesday.

He got married in 2000. - He got married in 2000.

Typical mistakes when using Past Simple time:

- incorrect pronunciation of the endings of regular verbs.

You can correct this mistake by doing exercises on reading the endings. Pronounce the endings clearly. Do not try to speak quickly until you can say the endings without deafening them.

- adding ED to irregular verbs or using the wrong form of an irregular verb.

You are likely to be understood, but it is better to avoid this mistake. Read more lyrics in Past Simple, underline in them different colors regular and irregular verbs. You can make examples with irregular verbs and give them to familiar teachers for verification or.

Many people forget to put DID before the subject in questions, or use the second form of the verb in questions and statements.

This problem is relevant for all time. In this situation, only practice will help.

If you are learning English on your own, you can try this method: write down all the formulas (statements, negations, general and informational questions) in the margins of the page, then choose sentences from the texts in Past Simple and form all forms, writing them opposite the formulas. At first, you will often look at the hint, then less and less, and in the end you will remember everything to automatism. Proven by experience!

Past Simple is often confused with other tenses. In particular, this and . It is important to understand the differences here. Read about the differences in the use of tenses in our next articles: and.

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