Past Simple Tense

Past Simple Was/Were

easy

Practice to be in past simple (was/were, wasn't/weren't)

20 questions·10 min

Irregular Verbs - Part 1

easy

Learn 20 common irregular verbs (go, see, make, come)

20 questions·12 min

Irregular Verbs - Part 2

medium

Practice 20 more irregular verbs (buy, bring, think, teach)

20 questions·12 min

Irregular Verbs - Part 3

medium

Learn less common but important verbs (wear, grow, choose)

20 questions·15 min

Irregular Verbs - Part 4

hard

Master challenging irregular verbs with tricky patterns

20 questions·15 min

Negative Sentences

easy

Form negative statements with didn't + base verb

20 questions·10 min

Questions with Was/Were

easy

Form questions with was/were (no Did needed)

20 questions·10 min

Questions with Did

medium

Create questions using Did + subject + base verb

20 questions·12 min

Was/Were vs Did - Part 1

easy

Master the crucial difference: was/were for states, did for actions

20 questions·12 min

Was/Were vs Did - Part 2

medium

Practice harder contexts with emotions, opinions, and descriptions

20 questions·15 min

Was/Were vs Did - Part 3

medium

Master realistic conversations and narrative contexts

20 questions·15 min

Was/Were vs Did - Part 4

hard

Master formal language, edge cases, and complex structures

20 questions·18 min

Time Expressions

medium

Use yesterday, last week, ago, and other time markers

20 questions·15 min

Mixed Practice (Easy)

easy

Review all forms with simple, clear contexts

20 questions·12 min

Mixed Practice (Intermediate)

medium

Challenge yourself with varied contexts and forms

20 questions·18 min

Mixed Practice (Advanced)

hard

Master complex sentences and subtle uses

20 questions·20 min

Past Simple Final Test

hard

Comprehensive test covering all aspects of past simple

30 questions·25 min

What is the past simple tense in English?

The past simple tense describes completed actions at a specific time in the past. Form it using verb + -ed for regular verbs (worked, played) or special forms for irregular verbs (went, saw). According to Krámský's corpus research, past simple accounts for 19.7% of all verbs in spoken English, making it the second most common tense after present simple.

✓ Positive

Subject + verb-ed / past form

"She worked yesterday"

✗ Negative

Subject + didn't + base verb

"She didn't work"

? Question

Did + subject + base verb?

"Did she work?"

Past Simple Quick Reference - Formation rules and examples

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When do you use the past simple tense?

Use past simple for five main situations: completed actions at a specific time ("I visited Paris last year"), sequences of past events ("I woke up, ate breakfast, and left"), past habits ("I walked to school as a child"), past states ("She was happy"), and narratives/stories. In fiction writing, past simple dominates at 57.6% of all verbs according to corpus research by Biber et al.

Completed Actions at a Specific Time

I visited Paris last summer. She finished the project yesterday.

Sequences of Past Events

I woke up, ate breakfast, and left for work. First she called, then she visited.

Past Habits (no longer true)

I walked to school every day when I was young. We always visited grandma on Sundays.

Stories and Narratives

Once upon a time, there lived a king. The detective entered the room and looked around.

Historical Facts

World War II ended in 1945. Shakespeare wrote 37 plays.

Past Simple Uses - When to use past simple tense

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How do you form past simple sentences?

For regular verbs, add -ed to the base form (work → worked, play → played). For irregular verbs, use the special past form (go → went, see → saw). In negatives and questions, use didn't/Did + base verb. Unlike present simple, past simple is the same for all subjects: I worked, he worked, they worked. No -s ending needed!

Form	Structure	Example
Positive (regular)	Subject + verb-ed	She worked yesterday
Positive (irregular)	Subject + past form	She went home
Negative	Subject + didn't + base verb	She didn't work
Question	Did + subject + base verb?	Did she work?

Past Simple Formation - How to form sentences

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What are irregular verbs in past simple?

Irregular verbs don't follow the regular -ed pattern. They have unique past forms that must be memorized: go → went, see → saw, make → made. While irregular verbs represent only 3% of all English verbs by type, they account for 70% of verb usage according to Biber et al. (1999). The 12 most common English verbs are all irregular, and the top 50 irregular verbs cover 87% of irregular verb use.

Base Form	Past Simple	Example
go	went	I went to the cinema
see	saw	She saw the movie
make	made	He made dinner
have	had	We had a great time
do	did	They did their homework
say	said	She said hello

Study tip: Focus on the most common irregular verbs first. Research shows ESL learners actually use irregular past tense verbs more accurately than regular ones in speech, likely because high-frequency verbs get more practice.

What are the spelling rules for regular past simple verbs?

Most regular verbs simply add -ed (work → worked). For verbs ending in -e, just add -d (live → lived). For verbs ending in consonant + y, change y to -ied (study → studied). For short verbs ending in consonant-vowel-consonant, double the final consonant (stop → stopped). Verbs ending in vowel + y just add -ed (play → played).

Verb Ending	Rule	Examples
Most verbs	Add -ed	work → worked, play → played
Ending in -e	Add -d	live → lived, dance → danced
Consonant + y	Change y to -ied	study → studied, try → tried
CVC (short verbs)	Double final consonant + -ed	stop → stopped, plan → planned
Vowel + y	Add -ed	play → played, stay → stayed

What is the difference between was/were and did?

Use was/were for states, descriptions, and the verb "to be" (She was tired, They were happy). Use did for action verbs (Did you eat? I didn't work). Never combine them: say "Was she tired?" not "Did she was tired?" This distinction causes significant confusion for learners, particularly those whose native languages don't distinguish action verbs from state verbs this way.

Was/Were (states)	Did (actions)
Was she tired? (state)	Did she work? (action)
They were happy (description)	They didn't play (action)
The movie was great (opinion)	Did you enjoy it? (action)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

✗"Did she was tired?"→"Was she tired?"
✗"She didn't was happy"→"She wasn't happy"
✗"Were you go there?"→"Did you go there?"

What are the most common past simple mistakes?

The most common past simple errors are: using -ed with irregular verbs (goed → went), using past form after did/didn't (did you went? → did you go?), confusing was/were and did, and forgetting irregular forms entirely. Research by Dulay and Burt (1974) shows learners often apply regular -ed rules to irregular verbs as part of natural language development.

Using -ed with irregular verbs

✗ "I goed to the store"→✓ "I went to the store"

Using past form after did/didn't

✗ "Did you went?"→✓ "Did you go?"

Confusing was/were and did

✗ "Did she was happy?"→✓ "Was she happy?"

Using didn't + past form

✗ "She didn't went"→✓ "She didn't go"

Forgetting irregular forms

✗ "I thinked about it"→✓ "I thought about it"

Sources

Statistics and research cited on this page:

•
Krámský (1969) - Corpus analysis finding past simple accounts for 19.7% of spoken English verbs (22.4% in speech, 57.6% in fiction).Via Ginseng English
•
Biber et al. (1999) - Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English. Found irregular verbs represent 3% of verb types but 70% of verb tokens in usage.
•
Dulay & Burt (1974) - Research on developmental errors showing learners apply regular -ed rules to irregular verbs as part of natural language acquisition.
•
ESL-Lounge Research - The most common 50 irregular verbs cover 87% of irregular verb use in English.Source

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