🕰️ Past Simple Tense: A Complete Guide

✅ 1. Form

A. Affirmative

Structure: Subject + past form of the verb

To form the past simple of regular verbs, add -ed to the base form. For irregular verbs, use the second column of the verb list, as these verbs do not follow standard spelling rules.

• I walked to school yesterday. ✅ (regular)
• She went to the market. ✅ (irregular)

B. Negative

Structure: Subject + did not / didn’t + base verb

Use "did not" (or "didn’t") followed by the base form of the verb to express a negative statement in the past. Do not use the past form of the verb after "didn't."

• I didn't go to the party.
• He did not play football last weekend.

C. Questions

Yes/No Questions: Did + subject + base verb?
Wh- Questions: Wh-word + did + subject + base verb?

To form questions in the past simple, begin with "Did" followed by the subject and base form of the verb. Use question words (what, where, why, etc.) at the beginning for Wh- questions.

• Did you watch the movie?
• Where did they travel last year?

🧠 2. Meaning and Use

The Past Simple tense is used to describe actions, events, or situations that happened in the past and are no longer happening now. It is one of the most common tenses used in English, especially in storytelling, historical accounts, and when discussing past habits.

• Actions that are completed and happened at a specific time in the past.
• Series of past events in a narrative.
• Regular habits or repeated actions in the past.
• Past facts or general truths no longer true now.

🔹 A. Completed Actions

These are actions that took place and ended in the past. A specific time reference is usually mentioned or implied.

• I visited Thailand in 2019.
• She studied French at university.

🔹 B. Past Habits

We use the past simple to describe habits or routines that happened repeatedly in the past but no longer occur.

• We played outside every day when we were kids.
• He always walked to school.

🔹 C. Stories

The past simple is used for a sequence of actions in a story, usually presented in chronological order to describe what happened.

• He opened the door, looked inside, and screamed.

🔹 D. Past Facts

Sometimes we use the past simple to refer to facts or situations that were true in the past but are no longer true now.

• The capital was once Yangon.
• There were many tigers long ago.

⏰ 3. Common Time Expressions

These time expressions are frequently used with the past simple to show when the action took place:

Time Expression	Example
yesterday	I called her yesterday.
last week / year / night	He arrived last week.
two days ago	They left two days ago.
in 2005	We met in 2005.
on Monday	She finished it on Monday.

📝 4. Spelling Rules for Regular Verbs

Most regular verbs form the past by adding -ed, but some spelling changes are necessary based on the ending letters:

Rule	Example
Add -ed	play → played
Ends in -e → add -d	love → loved
Consonant + y → change to -ied	study → studied
CVC pattern → double consonant + ed	stop → stopped

❗ 5. Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs do not follow a predictable pattern in the past tense. You need to memorize their past forms, as they are frequently used in English.

• go → went
• have → had
• eat → ate
• buy → bought

🧩 6. More Example Sentences

Positive

• I watched a documentary last night.
• He built a sandcastle.

Negative

• I didn’t see the message.
• She didn’t understand the question.

Questions

• Did you read the news?
• Why did he leave so early?

🧠 7. Tips to Remember

• Always use the base verb after "did" in negatives and questions.
• Do not confuse the past form with present perfect (which uses "have/has + past participle").
• Use time expressions like "yesterday," "last year," "in 2005" to make your meaning clear.
• Memorize the most common irregular verbs for better fluency in speaking and writing.