The Simple Past Tense, sometimes called the “Preterite”, is used to talk about a completed action in a time before now. The Simple Past Tense is the basic form of past tense in English. The time of action can be in the recent past or the distant past and action duration is not important.

SIMPLE PAST FORM   

S(Subject) + V_{2 (The second state of the verb) + O(Object)}

For Positive Sentences;

S(Subject) + V_{2(The second state of the verb) + O(Object)}

FOR EXAMPLE

• I came to the home immediately.
• Jane Austen began to write the novel in her teenage years.

For Negative Sentences;

S(Subject) + did not (didn’t) + V_{1(The bare infinitive)}

FOR EXAMPLE

• She went shopping yesterday, but she didn’t buy anything.
• I didn’t get up very early yesterday.

For Question Sentences;

DID + S(Subject) + V_{1(The bare infinitive)}

FOR EXAMPLE

• Did the manager call me yesterday ?
• Did you go to the school two weeks ago ?

You can find the Simple Past form of the verbs in the next pages.  

TIME EXPRESSIONS FREQUENTLY USED IN SIMPLE PAST TENSE 

yesterday

ago

last week / year  / month …

then

in 1998 / in the 14th century …

at the time

at that time

previously

in ancient times

in antiquity

when

whenever

while

after

before

until

as soon as

the moment

immediately after

soon after

frequency adverbs ( always / never / sometimes … )

the other day

that day

The verbs are divided into two according to their process in the Simple Past Tense.

THE VERBS

TO BE , TO HAVE, TO DO

 THE REGULAR VERBS

FOR EXAMPLE

• Last Monday, all the staff started a new training programme.
• He smoked two packets of cigarattes a day when he was young.
• They studied hard for the exam together.

THE IRREGULAR VERBS   

• It’s (high) time / It’s about time you studied for your exam.  

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