Past
Simple
I worked, she went, they didn't see — completed actions in the past. Learn the forms, then practise.
Show rules
Regular and irregular verbs
Regular verbs add -ed to the base form:
| spelling rule | example |
|---|---|
| most verbs: + -ed | work → worked, play → played |
| ending in -e: + d | live → lived, like → liked |
| short vowel + consonant: double the consonant | stop → stopped, plan → planned |
| consonant + -y: -y → -ied | study → studied, try → tried |
Irregular verbs must be memorised:
| base | past simple |
|---|---|
| be | was / were |
| do | did |
| go | went |
| have | had |
| see | saw |
| make | made |
| take | took |
| say | said |
| tell | told |
| know | knew |
| think | thought |
| write | wrote |
| begin | began |
| put | put (same form) |
| read | read (same spelling) |
was / were
- was — I, he, she, it
- were — you, we, they
I was at home. They were at the cinema.
With there is / there are in the past, the verb agrees with the noun:
There was a noise. — There were several people in the room.
Positive, negative and question
| example | |
|---|---|
| positive | I stayed with a friend. · She learned the song. |
| negative | I didn't stay with her. · She didn't learn the song. |
| question | Did you stay with her? · Did she learn the song? |
Watch out: after didn't or Did, use the base form, not the past form:
❌ I didn't went. → ✅ I didn't go.
❌ Did you saw him? → ✅ Did you see him?
For was/were, no auxiliary in negatives and questions: I wasn't there. Were you at home?
When to use the past simple
- a single completed action: I called her at six.
- repeated actions in the past: She phoned her family every day.
- a series of actions in order: We arrived, took a taxi and went to the square.
- a situation that finished in the past: She lived in Berlin from 2010 to 2020.
Time markers
| example | |
|---|---|
| ago (after the time) | three weeks ago, a long time ago |
| for + period | The film lasted for three hours. |
| last + week / month / year | I saw him last Friday. |
| in + year | She moved to Paris in 1891. |
| when / after + past simple | When they arrived, they explored the city. |
Common mistakes
| ❌ | ✅ |
|---|---|
| I didn't went to school. | I didn't go to school. |
| Did you saw him? | Did you see him? |
| There was many people. | There were many people. |
| He goed to the cinema. | He went to the cinema. |
| I met her before three weeks. | I met her three weeks ago. |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you form the past simple in English?
Regular verbs add -ed: work → worked, play → played. Some have spelling changes: stop → stopped (double consonant), study → studied (-y → -ied), live → lived (just -d). Irregular verbs must be memorised: go → went, see → saw, have → had, take → took, write → wrote.
Why is 'didn't went' wrong?
After 'didn't' (and 'did' in questions), use the base form of the verb, not the past form. Say 'I didn't go', 'Did you go?' — not 'I didn't went' or 'Did you went?'. The auxiliary 'did' already carries the past meaning.
When do you use was and when were?
'Was' goes with I, he, she, it: 'I was at home', 'She was tired'. 'Were' goes with you, we, they: 'You were right', 'They were happy'. With 'there is/are' in the past, the verb agrees with the noun: 'There was a noise', 'There were many people'.
How do you use ago, for and last with the past simple?
'Ago' goes after a period of time: 'three weeks ago', 'a long time ago'. 'For' shows duration: 'The film lasted for three hours'. 'Last' refers to the most recent finished week/month/year: 'last Friday', 'last summer'. All of these naturally pair with the past simple.