Past simple tense rules for reading the ending ed. Simple past tense in English
Examples of affirmative sentences with translation into past simple. In the article I have prepared simple sentences, you can practice with children, students of 3rd and senior classes. Also, here I posted interrogative and negative sentences. All examples are from native English speakers.
Simple sentences translated into Past Simple
1. I had a doll. I had a doll.
2. Yesterday was Sunday. Yesterday was Sunday.
3. We listened to fairy tales. We listened to stories.
4. Mark watched cartoons. Mark watched cartoons.
5. My mom cooked a cake. My mom made a cake.
6. My dog was black. My dog was black.
7. We played outside. We played outside.
8. He liked my toys. He liked my toys.
9. They asked a teacher. They asked the teacher.
10. She helped her mom. She helped her mother.
Past Simple sentences with irregular verbs
1. We went to the zoo. We went to the zoo.
2. A cat ate. The cat ate.
3. My mom bought a doll. My mom bought a doll.
4. I took my toy. I took my toy.
5. We drink a lemonade. We drank lemonade.
6. Kate saw a rainbow. Katya saw a rainbow.
7. You draw a nice house. You drew a beautiful house.
8. They made nice flowers. They made beautiful flowers.
9. The dog run after the cat. The dog ran after the cat.
10. He told me his secret. He told me his secret.
Past Simple - sentences for high school with translation
1. I understood what the teacher said. I understood what the teacher said.
2. We had seven lessons on Monday. On Monday we had seven lessons.
3. I was at the gym last Sunday. Last Sunday I was at the gym.
4. I downloaded mp3 files on the Internet. I downloaded mp-3 files from the internet.
5. She spoke English pretty well. She spoke good English.
6. David worked all Saturday. David worked all Saturday.
7. We watched black and white movies. We watched black and white films.
8. They came here for a week. They came here for a week.
9. He traveled around the world. He traveled the world.
10. She created her own company. She created her own company.
1. I learned English. I studied English.
2. He played football. He played football.
3. We washed our hands. We washed our hands.
4. They cleaned my room. They cleaned my room.
5. She cooked spaghetti. She cooked spaghetti.
6. We baked a cake. We baked a cake.
7. I brushed my hair. I combed my hair.
9. He fixed his bike. He fixed his bike.
10. She dried her hair. She washed her hair.
1. I read a book. I read a book.
2. I drew a picture. I drew a picture.
3. I wrote a message. I wrote a letter.
4. I took a nap. I dozed.
5. I rode my bike. I rode a bike.
6. I swam. I swam.
7. I ate ice-cream. I ate ice cream.
8. I drank water. I drank water.
9. I went to the movies. I went to cinema.
10. I read an article. I read the article.
Past Simple examples of interrogative sentences with translation
1. Did she eat sushi? Did she eat sushi?
2. Where were they lost? Where are they lost?
3. What did he create? What did he create?
4. Who ate candies? Who ate the candy?
5. Did you boil the water? Have you boiled the water?
6. Did they usually take the subway to school? Do they usually go to Skoda by subway?
7. Did Mary watch a movie last night? Did Mary watch a movie last night?
8. When did you go to Moscow? When did you go to Moscow?
9. Did she book our flights? She booked us a flight?
10. Did you make a dinner? Have you cooked dinner? I didn't write a letter.
5. You didn't come to my birthday party. You didn't come to my birthday.
6. He didn't chop the onions. He didn't cut the onion.
5. Tom didn't know that. Tom didn't know about it.
7. My father didn't take a taxi to the airport. Father didn't take a taxi to the airport.
8. We didn't live in America. We didn't live in America.
9. Mark and David were not excellent students in high school. Mark and David weren't good students in high school.
10. He didn't eat spicy food when he lived in China. When he lived in China, he didn't eat spicy food.
Today we will look at the last tense related to the Simple group in English grammar— Past Simple Tense. In Easy Speak English for Adults, our students start using this time already at the first level. It is translated into Russian as "simple past tense". From the article you will learn when it is used, how it is formed, how to build negative and interrogative sentences in this tense.
When we use the Past Simple
We use the simple past tense when we say:
1. About events or actions that occurred in the past and the time for which has expired. That is, the action or event is completed.
(he bought a car last year, they went on vacation last month, the meeting was last week)
2. About events or actions in the past that were repeated regularly, but do not occur now.
(she did dance at school, we went to the gym last year)
3. About events in the past that happened one after the other.
(they met, walked in the park, went to the cinema)
Bonus! Difficulties with English times? in Moscow and find out how easy it is to master tenses and start speaking English in 1 month!
How is the affirmative form of Past Simple formed?
When forming Past Simple, we always look at the verb, as it will change. There are two types of verbs in English: right and wrong.
Depending on the verb, the past tense is formed as follows:
- if the verb is correct, we add ending -ed(cook - cooked);
- if the verb is irregular, we put it in second form (see-saw).
There is no rule by which one can determine the correct or irregular verb in front of us. The only way to find out is to look it up in a dictionary or memorize it.
The same is true for forms of irregular verbs. They must be memorized or looked up in a dictionary. The Past Simple education scheme is as follows:
The person in question + a regular verb with the ending ed or the 2nd form of an irregular verb.
| I | |
| You | |
| We | worked |
| They | slept |
| She | went |
| He | |
| It |
For example
I went to the cinema yesterday.
I went to the cinema yesterday.
She moved last year.
She moved last year.
They married three years ago.
They got married three years ago.
Verb ending -ed in Past Simple
There are several nuances when adding the ending -ed to regular verbs.
- If the verb ends with -e, then the verb is added only -d:
change e- chang ed- change;
clos e-clos ed- close.
- If the verb ends into a consonant, in front of which stressed vowel, then the consonant is doubled:
sto p- sto pped- stop;
ba n-ba nned- forbid.
Exceptions: verbs ending in -x and -w:
fi x- fi xed- fix;
flo w- flo wed- flow.
Note: in British English, when the verb ends in -l, it is doubled no matter where the accent falls:
travel l- travel lled- travel.
American version:
travel l- travel led- travel.
- If the verb ends with -y and preceded by a consonant, y changes to i +ed:
cr y-cr ied- cry;
tr y-tr ied- try.
Important: if -u is preceded by a vowel, then the ending -ed is added without change letters:
sta y-sta yes- stay;
pla y-pla yes- play.
Companion words Past Simple
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These are hint words that help determine that we have a simple past tense:
- yesterday,
- last week / month / year,
- in 1989 (2000, 2012 etc.) year,
- two (three, four, etc.) days/month/years ago.
Examples
I saw him five days ago.
I saw him five days ago.
She watched this film yesterday.
She watched this movie yesterday.
They lived in England in 1999.
They lived in England in 1999.
Negative sentences in Past Simple
Negation is formed with auxiliary verb did(this is the auxiliary verb do, but in the past form) and particles not. In this case, the semantic verb is used in the initial form.
The combination did + not will be our particle " not". For example, he did not participate in the exhibition, they did not go to the club yesterday.
The scheme for constructing a negative sentence in Past Simple is as follows:
The one in question + did + not + verb in the initial form.
| I | |||
| You | |||
| We | work | ||
| They | did | not | sleep |
| She | go | ||
| He | |||
| It |
Important point: the auxiliary verb did already shows that the sentence is in the past tense, so verb in a sentence(run / jump / work) we do not put in the past tense, but use the initial form. That is, we do not put it in the 2nd form and do not add the ending ed.
Why is it necessary to show 2 times that this is the past tense?
Did not swim yesterday.
He didn't swim yesterday.
NOT: He did not swam yesterday.
For example
They did not work last summer.
They didn't work last summer.
She did not run yesterday.
She didn't run yesterday.
What abbreviation can be used?
We can reduce the negative particle not as follows.
Did + not = didn't
We didn't win this battle.
We have not won this battle.
Interrogative sentences in Past Simple
The construction of questions in Past Simple is the same as in other tenses of this group (Simple). To ask a question, you need to put the auxiliary verb did in the first place in the sentence. The semantic verb, as well as in negation, is not put in the past tense, but is used initial form. You don't need to add -ed endings.
Did + the person in question + the initial form of the verb.
| I | ||
| you | ||
| they | work? | |
| Did | we | sleep? |
| he | go? | |
| she | ||
| it |
Statement
He called me last week.
He called me last week.
They bought a new car.
They bought a new car.
Question
Did he call you last week?
Did he call you last week?
Did they buy a new car?
Did they buy a new car?
Short positive answer contains the auxiliary verb did, which replaces the action itself.
Yes, he did.
Yes, he called.
Yes, they did.
Yes, they bought.
Full positive response constructed as an affirmative sentence.
Yes, he called me last week.
Yes, he called me last week.
Yes, they bought a new car.
Yes, they bought a new car.
Short no answer contains the auxiliary verb did and the negative particle not.
No, he did not.
No, he didn't call.
No, they did not.
No, they didn't buy.
Full negative answer constructed as a negative sentence.
No, he did not call me last week.
No, he didn't call me last week.
No, they did not buy a new car.
No, they didn't buy a new car.
Special questions in Past Simple
When we ask a question with the following question words:
- what,
- when,
- where,
- which,
Interrogative word + did + the one in question + the verb in the initial form?
| I | |||
| When | you | ||
| Where | they | work? | |
| What | did | we | meet? |
| why | she | buy? | |
| he | |||
| it |
Let's look at examples.
Why did you steal this thing?
Why did you steal this thing?
When did she sell her phone?
When did she sell her phone?
What did they buy?
What did they buy?
So, we have analyzed the simple past tense, which is actually not so simple. If you have any questions, ask them in the comments below the article.
Also, if you haven't already done so, I advise you to read about other times of the Simple group:
Now let's move on to practice.
Exercise to consolidate Past Simple
Translate the following sentences into English:
1. He built his house in 1997.
2. They went to a concert last month.
3. Did you give her a present yesterday? Yes, I gave her a present yesterday.
4. We didn't see each other last week.
5. My friend broke her phone last year.
6. The children didn't go to camp last summer.
7. Why did he move?
8. Did you go camping last weekend? No, we didn't go.
Write your answers in the comments, and I will definitely check them.
The Past Simple is used to express an action in the past. The formation of the affirmative form depends on whether the verb is correct or not. Irregular verbs have 3 forms that you will need to learn. If the verb belongs to this category, then the 2nd form of the verb is taken or V2: I woke up - I woke up, we made - we did, he sang - he sang.
Regular verbs are formed by adding the ending -ed to the stem of the verb: they laughed - they laughed, I typed - I typed, she cleaned - she cleaned.
negative form
Past Simple's education negative form occurs with the help of the auxiliary verb to do in Past Indefinite and the particle not, to which the infinitive of the semantic verb is added.
He did not write. - He didn't write.
We did not make. - We did not.
They didn't clean. - They didn't clean up.note
The last sample shows an abbreviated form of negation, it is also reflected in oral speech.
Interrogative form
To ask a question, you just need to move did to the beginning of the sentence, the order of the rest of the words remains the same.
Did he write? Did we make? Did they clean?
Passive design
In the passive voice, the main verb in the 3rd form or the verb with the ending -ed is preceded by an auxiliary to be in the Past Simple. The table includes formulas for two voices for comparison.
Active and passive voice in Past Indefinite
Use cases
Explore the options for using the Past Simple. The rules say that this tense denotes events that happened in the past. However, Past Simple Tense can be both in the context of the past and the present. It is used in the following cases.
To express a one-time action
The event happened once in the past. Often, the time of the action is indicated, usually it refers to the past tense, but the simple past tense also occurs with such adverbs of time as: tonight, this morning, today, etc.
I only passed exams two months ago. I passed my exams only two months ago.
I saw her in the school this morning. I saw her at school this morning.
The time of action can be implied in a situation by mentioning the place of events or other concomitant circumstances that can be expressed in Past Indefinite. The rules do not specify such options - you need to pay attention to the context itself.
She ate chocolate hearts in Paris. She ate chocolate hearts in Paris.
He called me at breakfast to tell the last news. He called me at breakfast to tell me the latest news.
There are cases when mentioning the time or place is not necessary, because. the speaker and the listener understand what the event is about.
I didn't understand what he said. “I didn't understand what he said.
He didn't mean to hurt her feelings. He didn't mean to offend her.
Question in Past Indefinite.
To express events that happened in a certain period
At the same time, the action itself has already ended, the period during which it took place is indicated. A period of time is usually indicated using adverbial phrases with the prepositions for, during and expressions synonymous with them.
Wed argue for 5 days. We argued for 5 days.
Last year I traveled to Brazil during my summer holidays. – Last year during the summer holidays I went to Brazil.
To Express Successive Events
Such examples can be found in the narrative.
I came there very early, then I cleaned the place and prepared everything. I got there very early, then cleaned up and got everything ready.
Actions in this case can be both one-time and take the entire period of time. In the latter case, the prepositional phrases for, from...to, during or the phrases all night, all day, etc. can be used in the phrase.
To indicate a repetitive action
In this case, as a rule, the circumstances of frequency are also used: never, now, often, for weeks, again, sometimes, etc.
You often reminded me of him. You often reminded me of him.
Sometimes he found this story too good to be true. “Sometimes he thought the story was too good to be true.
To express permanent action
In this case, the subject is given a general characteristic.
She wore her hair in a high ponytail. She wore a high ponytail.
note
The verb wear can be used not only with clothes, in English you can also “wear” hair, i.e. hairstyle.
He lived in Spain for 6 years and still didn't speak Spanish quite well. He lived in Spain for 6 years and still didn't speak Spanish very well.
Instead of Past Continuous
To express events happening at the moment in the past. Past long time is not used with state verbs and is replaced in these cases by Past Simple. Example sentences will help you better understand what is being said.
At that moment he wanted her to tell the truth. At that moment, he wanted her to tell the truth.
Also, the replacement of Continuous by Simple can occur with certain indefinite verbs. They can express thought processes, perception, feelings, emotions: remember, shine, gleam, lie, think, trust, etc. And substitution is also relevant in cases where events are treated as facts, and attention is focused precisely on circumstances, in which they occurred.
He talked very fast, as if he had no time at all. He spoke so fast as if he didn't have time at all.
The street lights went off, but the moon gleamed and he could see her window. The street lights went out, but the moon was shining and he could see her window.
The future time event is viewed from the past
This use of time is found in indirect speech and dependent structures. It can be found in concessions subordinate clauses, as well as time and conditions; at the same time, Future-in-the-Past or modal verbs can be in the main clause.
She would, if she thought it effective, lie to him. “She could lie if she thought it would be of any use.
Do the exercises in Past Simple - describe everything you see in the picture using the time you have learned.
Exercises Past Simple.
Remember that often, when using this tense, it is the very fact of the action that is important to the speaker and the conversation is not focused on the event as a continuing process.
Watch the video tutorial to consolidate the material:
past simple (Past Indefinite) is formed by converting the semantic verb into the past tense. If the action is expressed regular verb, then the ending -ed is added to its first form. If an irregular verb is used, then the second irregular verb form from the table of irregular verbs is applied. If the desired verb is not there, then it is correct and you can add an ending to it -ed. The past tense form of the verb is the same for all singular and plural persons (except for the verb to be).
- She worked abroad. She has worked abroad.
- My uncle lived here.“My uncle lived here.
- Harry wrote a lot of books. Harry has written many books.
- She was angry yesterday. She was angry yesterday.
- We were young and reckless. We were young and careless.
was- used when the subject is expressed by a noun or pronoun in the singular ( I, he, she, it).
Were- when talking about a lot of people or things ( we, they) or with the pronoun you(you, you, polite you).
- Ann was cleaning the house while Mark was washing their car. Ann was cleaning the house when Mark was washing their car.
- Kate was drawing and Paul was doing his hometask. Kate was painting and Paul was doing his homework.
Time markers
past simple is used if the question " when did it happen?» you can give a clear, but not exact, time answer. If the moment in time when the action took place is not known, then this is the time of the Perfect group. If the exact, specific moment at which the action was performed is known, then this is Past Continuous.
- yesterday - yesterday
- the day before yesterday - the day before yesterday
- just now - just now
- the other day - one of these days
- last week - last week
- last month - last month
- last year - last year
- last decade - in the last decade
- last century - in the last century
- an hour ago
- three hours ago
- two weeks ago
- in 1992 - in 1992
- at 6 o "clock - at 6 o'clock
Past Simple (Indefinite) - past indefinite time
Past Simple (Past Indefinite) - simple indefinite tense in English, most often used to denote an action that happened in the past and is already completed. Below is the formula and rules for the formation of Past Simple and indicator words, examples of its use in declarative, negative and interrogative sentences, and situations in which the simple indefinite tense is used in English.
Education Past Simple
AT affirmative proposal Past Simple is formed by adding -ed to verbs or using their second form (also called Past Simple) if the verb is irregular.
Affirmative (declarative) sentence using Past Simple:
I played football yesterday. — I played football yesterday (action completed yesterday).
I thought about that. - I thought about it (action completed).
A negative sentence is formed by using the verb did (2nd form of the verb do) and adding the share not after it. At the same time, did and not can be merged into one word didn't. Formula:
Noun + did + not + verb
An example of a negative sentence:
I did not play with my dog yeasterday. I didn't play with my dog yesterday.
I did not smoke five years ago. I didn't smoke five years ago.
For creating interrogative sentence in Past Simple, you must use the following formula:
Did + noun + verb
An example of an interrogative sentence:
Did you play football yesterday? — Did you play football yesterday?
Did you go to the cinema five days ago? Did you go to the cinema five days ago?
___________________________
Pointer words Past Simple
Auxiliary words are often used with Past Simple to make it easier to distinguish between simple indefinite tenses. There are such pointers:
- yesterday = yesterday
- the day before yesterday = the day before yesterday
- (Three days, five days, five years ...) ago = three days ago, five days ago, five years ago, etc.
- last (week, month, year, weekend ...) = last week, last month, last year, etc.
- in (1999, 2010, June, April ...) = in June, April, etc.
- when ... = when ....
___________________________
Cases in which Past Simple is used
Here we come to the most important thing, namely, the cases of using a simple indefinite tense. After all, it is not enough to know the rules of education of any time, you need to be able to use them. The following rules and examples of its use in different occasions help you learn how to use it in conversation and writing.
I use case: completed an action in the past 
Completed Action in the Past
Past Simple in this case is used to emphasize that the action took place in the past and ended in the past. In this case, marker words are often used. examples:
I saw a movie yesterday. — I saw the film yesterday.
I did not see a play yesterday. I didn't see the play yesterday.
Last year, I traveled to Japan. — Last year I traveled to Japan.
Use case II: a series of completed actions 
A Series of Completed Actions
Past Simple is used to refer to actions in the past that went one after another. examples:
I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim. — I finished my work, walked to the beach and found a good place to swim.
He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00. He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00 and met the others at 10:00.
Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs? “Did you add flour, pour it into the milk, and then add the eggs?”
III use case: an action that lasted some time in the past 
Duration in Past
Another case where the simple indefinite past tense is used may be to emphasize that the action took place in the past some time. Usually in such cases, expressions for two years, for two months, all day, all year and others are used. examples:
I lived in Brazil for two years. — I lived in Brazil for two years.
Shauna studied Japanese for five years. Shona has been learning Japanese for five years.
They sat at the beach all day. They sat on the beach all day.
Use Case IV: Past Habits 
Habits in the Past
Past Simple can be used when you want to show that you had some kind of habit in the past that you have already gotten rid of. In this case, Past Simple replaces the used to expression. It is also common to use the word when. examples:
I studied French when I was a child. — I learned French when I was a child.
He did not play the piano. He didn't play the piano.
Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid? Did you play musical instruments when you were a child?
V use case: facts that were relevant in the past or generalizations 
Past Facts or Generalizations
In this case, Past Simple is used to describe facts in the past or a generalization. As with the 4th use case, the meaning is very close to the meaning of the sentences in which used to occurs. examples:
She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing. She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.
He didn't like tomatoes before. He used to not like tomatoes.
People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past. — In the past, people paid much more to call from mobile phones.