Past Simple Exercises

Past Simple Tense - Form and Use

The Past Simple tense is used to talk about actions or events that started and finished in the past. It is one of the most common tenses for describing things that are no longer happening.

To form the Past Simple, use:

• regular verbs with -ed
• irregular verbs with their own unique past forms

Example (regular verb): She visited her grandmother last weekend.
Example (irregular verb): They went to the park yesterday.

Past Simple with Regular Verbs: Rules and Examples

• Add -ed to most verbs: play → played
• If the verb ends in e, just add d: like → liked
• If the verb ends in a consonant + y, change y to i and add ed: carry → carried

Past Simple with Irregular Verbs

Some verbs don’t follow the -ed rule. You must memorize them. Here are a few common ones:

How to Make Negative Sentences in Past Simple

Use did not (didn’t) + the base form of the verb.

• I didn’t watch TV last night.
• She didn’t go to school yesterday.

How to Ask Questions in the Past Simple

Use Did + subject + base form of the verb:

• Did you play football?
• Did they visit London last year?

Use question words (What, Where, When, etc.) before Did for WH- questions:

Where did you go last weekend?

Signal Words for the Past Simple Tense

Certain words often show that the Past Simple should be used:

• yesterday
• last night / week / year
• in 2020
• two days ago

Common Mistakes with the Past Simple (A1 Tips)

• ⛔ I didn't went to school. → ✅ I didn’t go to school.
• ⛔ Did you saw her? → ✅ Did you see her?

Remember: when using did or didn’t, always use the base form of the verb!