Table of Contents
The simple past tense in English shows something that already happened. For lots of verbs, you add ‘ed’ or ‘d’ to make this tense. But some verbs change in different ways when you use them in the past.
Also Check: Simple Present Tense
Definition of Simple Past Tense
The ‘simple past tense’ is a form of a verb that talks about something that happened before now and is not happening anymore. It’s often made by adding -ed to the verb. It refers to things in the past. It’s also used to describe actions, behaviors, or situations that were common or existed before the present time.
Structure of the Simple Past Tense
Understanding the simple past tense structure becomes easier when you break down how it’s used in positive, negative, asking questions, and negative questions. Check out the table below to get a clearer idea.
| Positive | Negative | Interrogative | Negative Interrogative |
| Subject + Verb in the past form (base form of the verb + ed/d for regular verbs or past tense form of the irregular verbs) | Subject + Didn’t + Verb in the base form | Did + Subject + Verb in the base form | Didn’t + Subject + Verb in the base form |
| Example: You spoke really well.
I had my breakfast. |
Example: You did not speak really well.
I did not have my breakfast. |
Example: Did you speak really well?
Did I have my breakfast? |
Example: Didn’t you speak really well?
Didn’t I have my breakfast? |
Some Rules When Using the Simple Past Tense
hanging regular verbs in a sentence is pretty straightforward. With most regular verbs, you just add ‘-ed’ to turn them into past tense. If the verb ends with an ‘e’, you simply add ‘-d’. For example, ‘reach’ becomes ‘reached’, ‘kick’ becomes ‘kicked’, ‘walk’ turns into ‘walked’, ‘confess’ changes to ‘confessed’, and ‘work’ shifts to ‘worked’.
Also check: Present Continuous Tense
Some verbs stay the same in both present and past tense. Words like ‘cut’, ‘put’, ‘hurt’, ‘set’, and ‘hit’ don’t switch up their spelling when talking about the past.
Yet, some verbs take a different route in the past tense. These irregular verbs don’t follow a set rule, so they have their own unique past tense forms.
Simple Past Tense Formula
When you’re talking about something that happened before, use the second form of the verb (V2) after the person or thing doing the action. Keep it simple: start with who or what, then the action in the past, and what happened. For example: “I went to school yesterday.” On June 6th, 2023.
How to Form the Simple Past Tense – Examples
To show you how we use the simple past tense, here are some examples.
Talking about something that happened before:
- Yesterday evening, we went to the park.
- I completely forgot about the meeting.
- Manu opened the door for the guests.
Describing something that was true in the past:
- Karthik used to play tennis when he was in school.
- Miss Holly was a guest lecturer at our college.
- Santana loved reading fantasy novels when she was younger.
Referring to actions that occurred multiple times:
- I worked as an academic counselor for six months.
- Every time we met, we had fun playing Pictionary.
- Until I started high school, my father dropped me off at school every day.
Simple Past Tense FAQs
What is simple past tense and example?
Simple past tense talks about actions that happened in the past. For example, She walked to the store.
What is the simple past tense lesson?
The lesson teaches how to talk about past events in a simple way using verbs, like played, ate, or went.
What is the rule for simple past tense?
Add -ed to regular verbs for past actions, like talked, walked, or played.
What is the formula of simple tense?
For regular verbs, its the base form + -ed, while irregular verbs have unique past forms like ate for eat.
What are the rules for past present simple?
The past simple talks about finished past actions, while the present simple discusses current or habitual actions.
What are the rules of simple tenses?
Simple tenses simplify actions—past, present, or future—using basic verb forms like go, goes, or went.
How many rules are there in past tense?
Theres a main rule for regular verbs (add -ed) and irregular verbs have specific past forms; its about understanding these differences.
