This document provides information about forming the simple past tense in English. It discusses how regular verbs are formed by adding "-ed" and irregular verb forms must be memorized. It also covers how the simple past is used to talk about completed past actions and narrate sequences of events. Examples are given of affirmative, negative, and interrogative forms. A table lists common regular and irregular verbs and their past tense forms.

1. By:
Nerys M. Millan M.
C.I. 27. 280. 352
Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela.
Ministerio del Poder Popular para la Educación.
Instituto Universitario Politécnico “Santiago Mariño”.
Cód 41. Ingles I. Sección 1B

2. The “Simple Past" is a verb tense in English, and is used
to define complete past actions. Your period of time is not as
important as in Spanish. It is intended to be used in actions that
have already been carried out or completed.
Expressing a sentence in Past Simple means that the
action is not related to the present.
The Continuous Past
describes an action that is in
progress, while the Simple Past
refers to an action that occurs or
interrupts another while it is in
progress.

3.  In the affirmative form sentences are
formed by adding the ending "ed", as
long as they are "regular" verbs. For
"irregular" verbs, there is no pattern so
we will have to study each case
separately, and know the past form of
the verb.
 In its interrogative form as in the
negative it is used as auxiliary "DID"
which is the last form of the verb "TO
DO" and accompanies the main verb in
its infinitive form.
how it is formed...?? P
A
S
T
P
R
E
S
E
N
T

4. → Frequency:
Often, Sometimes, Always…
 I sometimes walked home at
 I often brought my lunch to school.
→ An Indeterminate Time:
The other day, ages ago, a long time
ago…
 People lived in caves a long time ago.
 She played the piano when she was a
child.
→ A Certain Time:
Last week, when I was a child, yesterday
six weeks ago…
 We saw a good film last week.
 Yesterday, I arrived in Geneva.
 She finished her work at seven o'clock
 I went to the theater last night.
Importance Of The Timeline...
The time in which the action is located may be the recent past or a distant past.

5. To be able to form or distinguish a simple past tense, we have to
take into account if the verb used is regular or irregular.
Wash → Washed Finish → Finished Talk → Talked
1- We add -ed to all regular verbs.
2- The verbs that end in -e, we only add a -d.
3- The verbs that end in a consonant -y, change the "y" to "i" and
add -ed (-ied)
Like → Liked Live → Lived
Study → Studied Carry → Carried Try → Tried
4- The verbs that end in a vowel -and, add -
ed.
Play → Played

6. The verbs that end in vowel + consonant (stop, ban, occur, open, offer
...)
Stop → Stopped Plan → Planned Ban → Banned
Occur → Occurred
1- If the accent falls on the vowel of the last
syllable, it is doubled
Play → Played Show → Showed
2- EXCEPT in the verbs that end in "y" and "w"
Offer → Offered Open → Opened
4- If the accent DOES NOT fall on the vowel of the last syllable, it
does not bend.
3- EXCEPT the verbs that end in "l" that double the "l" although the
accent does not fall on the last syllable.
Travel → Travelled Cancel → Cancelled
5- One-syllable verbs with two vowels do not
double the consonant.
Cook → Cooked

7. The term ago is useful for expressing temporal
distance in the past. It is placed after the period of
time in question: a week ago, three years ago, a
minute ago.
Beware:
The "simple past" of English may resemble a
verb tense in your own language and yet its meaning
may be different.

8. The irregular verbs do not add "ED" to the infinitive, but form it with a
word that can be completely different to the infinitive. We will say that these
irregular verbs do use the "S" for the third ones people of singular of the
indicative and use "ING" to form the continuous times.
1- We used the simple past to talk about a concrete action that
began and ended in the past.
 Patrick stayed at home last night.
 Susan worked last Sunday.
 I didn´t go to soccer yesterday.
 Did they walk to school this morning?
2- It is also used for a sequence of finished actions that took place in the
past.
 I received the bad news and immediately called my wife.
 He worked all afternoon and didn’t return home until 10 at night.

9. Be Was Were
Do Did Did
Have Had Had
3- Repeated actions or actions that we usually perform in the past, just like our
imperfect past.
We always travelled to Florida for vacation when we were
4- We use it for narrations or actions from long periods in the past, like our
imperfect past tense.
 I lived for many years in a trailer park.
 He didn´t eat chocolate for 2 years.
5- To talk about generalities or past events.
I played the piano when I was a child.

10. Interrogative Affirmative Negative
Did I walk? I walked I didn't walk
Did you walk? You walked You didn't walk
Did he walk? He walked He didn't walk
Did we walk? We walked We didn't walk
Did they walk? They walked They didn't walk
I was in Japan last year
She had a headache
yesterday.
We did our homework last
night.
Affirmative
The negative and interrogative forms of the
"simple past" of the verb "do" as an ordinary
verb, is used as auxiliary "do", e.g. We did not
do our homework last night.
The negative form of the verb "have" in "simple
past" is usually constructed using the auxiliary
"do", although sometimes only not or the
contraction "not" is added.
The interrogative form of the verb "have" in
"simple past" usually uses the auxiliary "do".
Negative and Interrogative

11.  They weren't in Rio last summer.
 We didn't have any money.
 We didn't have time to visit the Eiffel
Tower.
 We didn't do our exercises this
morning.
 Were they in Iceland last January?
 Did you have a bicycle when you were
young?
 Did you do much climbing in
Switzerland?
To Go
 He went to a club last night.
 Did he go to the cinema last night?
 He didn't go to bed early last night.
To Give
 We gave her a doll for her birthday.
 They didn't give John their new
address.
 Did Barry give you my passport?
To Come
 My parents came to visit me last July.
 We didn't come because it was raining.
 Did he come to your party last week?

12. Act Acted
Add Added
Ask Asked
Answer Answered
Arrive Arrived
Brush Brushed
Belong Belonged
Beg Begged
Belive Belived
Close Closed
Cook Cooked
Call Called
Change Changed
Clean Cleaned
Cry Cried
Dance Danced
Dress Dressed
Die Died
Dry Dried
Enjoy Enjoyed
Explain Explained
Follow Followed
Finish Finished
Help Helped
Hope Hoped
Happen Happened
Imagine Imagined
Kiss Kissed
Kill Killed
Laugh Laughged
Like Liked
Look Looked
Miss Missed
Marry Married
Open Opened
Play Played
Prefer Prefered
Promise Promised
Rain Rained
Remember Remembered
Smile Smiled
Study Studied
Smoke Smoked
Stop Stopped
Talk Talked
Thank Thanked
Touch Touched
Use Used
Visit Visited
Wait Waited
Want Wanted
Walk Walked
Wash Washed
Wath Wathed
Wish Wished
Work Worked
Regular Verbs

13. Be Was/Were
Beat Beat
Begin Began
Bend Bent
Bite Bit
Blow Blew
Break Broke
Bring Brought
Build Built
Buy Bought
Catch Caught
Choose Chose
Come Came
Cost Cost
Do Did
Draw Drew
Dream Dreamed
Drive Drove
Drink Drank
Eat Ate
Beat Beat
Leave Left
Lend Lent
Let Let
Lose Lost
Make Made
Mean Meant
Meet Met
Pay Paid
Read Read
Ring Rang
Rise Rose
Run Ran
Say Said
See Saw
Sell Sold
Send Sent
Show Showed
Shut Shut
Sing Sang
Sit Sat
Sleep Slept
Speak Spoke
Spend Spent
Stand Stood
Swim Swam
Take Took
Teach Taught
Tell Told
Think Thought
Throw Therew
Wake Woke
Wear Wore
Win Won
Write Wrote
Fall Fell
Feel Felt
Fight Fought
Find Found
Fly Flew
Forget Forgot
Forgive Forgave
Get Got
Give Gave
Go Went
Grow Grew
Have Had
Hear Heard
Hide Hid
Hit Hit
Hold Held
Keep Kept
Know Knew
Learn Learned
Beat Beat
Irregular Verbs

14. The End