slug: past-simple title: Past Simple group: tenses order: 5 summary: A completed action at a specific point in the past. formula: S + V-ed/V2
When to use it
Past simple describes an action that started and finished at a specific time in the past. The time is either stated or clearly understood from context.
We visited Hanoi last summer.
Common signal words: yesterday, last week, in 2010, ago, when I was young.
Form
| Subject | Affirmative | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| I / You / He / She / It / We / They | worked | did not work | did you work? |
The past simple form is the same for all subjects — no -s for third person. Regular verbs add -ed to the base. Irregular verbs have a unique past form (e.g., go → went, see → saw, eat → ate). Negatives and questions always use did + the base verb.
Examples
- She called me at 9 o'clock last night.
- They did not finish the project on time.
- Did he enjoy the film?
Common mistakes
- Using the past participle instead of the simple past form in affirmative sentences: "I seen him" should be "I saw him".
- Using present perfect when a specific past time is given: "I have visited her yesterday" should be "I visited her yesterday".