Past Simple, also known as Past Indefinite or the preterite, is one of the most commonly used tenses in the English language. In Russian, pronounced [paste simple] - English transcription. It expresses completed actions in the recent and distant past and is the main past tense in English grammar. Below you will study the rules of use, education, consider example sentences with Past Simple in tables.

Small text in Simple Past Tense. Read the mini story carefully and translate.

One summer evening, Rick and Lilly went to the theater. They attended a play. The play started at 18:00. Rick and lilly enjoyed the theater. After the play, they walked together in the park. They walked beside the river. The moon was bright. They talked about their future. When spouses went home, their children were not asleep. They waited for their parents to return. They were excited to hear about the theater! Rick told the children about the play. Then, Lilly put the children to bed. Rick and lilly were very tired. It was an amazing night.

Education rules in Past Simple

Let's take a look at how Past Simple is formed. The sentence structure in Past Indefinite is very simple. The most important thing is to pay attention to irregular verbs, which are used very often.

Formula of education:

For regular verbs, we add the ending - ed to the basic form (want - want ed) or ending - d if it ends with - e(smil e- smile d).

Examples:

- She kissed me in the chick - She kissed me on the cheek.
- Yesterday my sister played her guitar loudly, and the neighbors complained - Yesterday my sister played the guitar loudly and the neighbors complained.
- Joe wanted to go to the museum, but I wanted to go to the club - Joe wanted to go to the museum, but I wanted to go to the club.

Go - went - gone
Eat - ate - eaten
Take - took - taken
Do - did - done
Buy - bought - bought
Read - read - read

The form of the verb is the same for all persons. Only for plural pronouns (you, they, we), but in the past form - were, for others - was... The construction of interrogative and negative sentences in Past Simple with is the same as with.

Example:

- I used to go out very often until I met Jess - I often went for a walk until I met Jess.

3. Events that happened at a specific time in the past, although the time is not mentioned

Such an action is not related to the present:

Example:

- James Dean made one film with Natalie Wood - James Dean directed one film with Natalie Wood. (The action is not related to the present, it happened at a certain time in the past, but the time is not mentioned; it is assumed that we know when it happened).

• Compare the two sentences:

- Do you know Mark? He was my neighbor - Do you know Mark? He was my neighbor. (As you can see, the sentence does not mention the exact time: both speakers know when it was).
- Do you know Mark? He was my neighbor last year - Do you know Mark? He was my neighbor last year. (There is a ‘last year’ time marker in this sentence, saying not sure if the other person knows when he was her neighbor.)

4. Situations that were true in the past

Example:

- I lived with my stepmother as a child - As a child, I lived with my stepmother.
- My grandmother had three brothers - My grandmother had three brothers.

5. Events in chronological order

Example:

- When I arrived home, I took off my shoes then turned on the computer and watched a cartoon - When I got home, I took off my shoes, then turned on the computer and watched the cartoon.

6. A new or discontinuous action that is already taking place, along with the past continuous tense

Example:

- While he was talking about his new song, the doorbell suddenly rang- While he was talking about his new song, suddenly the doorbell rang.

7. Past Simple is used in conditional sentences (the second type is unlikely conditions)

If + past simple + would + infinitive (verb)

Example:

- If I spoke German, I would like to live in Germany - If I spoke German, I would like to live in Germany.

And in sentences with wishes:

- I wish it wasn’t so hot - It's a shame it's so hot.

Companion words (markers) Past Simple

There is no escape from the words of time indicators. Thanks to the words markers, we build sentences, indicate the time when something happened. Using auxiliary words in writing or speaking, we let a person know a specific time in the past.

Yesterday / the day before yesterday / last week (month, a year etc), a week ago, once, when?
2 minutes ago, in 1990, the other day, last Friday, always, often, sometimes, rarely, never.

Examples of constructing sentences with words signals:

- I visited Berlin last week- I visited Berlin last week.
- She went to bed ten minutes ago“She went to bed ten minutes ago.
- I was very depressed the other day- I was very depressed the other day.
- Who robbed a bank yesterday? - Who robbed the bank yesterday?

Past Simple sentence forms

In English, there are three forms of sentences, which are shown in the tables below.

Past Simple Tense (Affirmative sentences)

The scheme of affirmative sentences is shown in the form of a table.

Who? Who?	Form of verb (verb form)	Examples
I (i)		I cleaned the kitchen I drank a glass of wine
He / She / It (he, she, it)	regular verb: verb + ed irregular verb: past form of the verb	He worked in Holland He ate a sandwich She joined the class She found a secret door It opened the window It wrote a song
You (you, you)	regular verb: verb + ed irregular verb: past form of the verb	You washed the floor You went home
We (we)	regular verb: verb + ed irregular verb: past form of the verb	We jumped on the trampoline We drank some water
They (they)	regular verb: verb + ed irregular verb: past form of the verb	They hurt each other They knew about us

Past Simple Tense (Negative sentences)

The negation of Past Simple is formed using the auxiliary verb to do (past form did) and the negative particle not and the semantic verb without the particle to.

Scheme: Subject + did + not + verb + the rest of a sentence

Who? Who?	Form of verb (verb form)	Examples
I (i)	did not + verb	I did not clean the kitchen
He / She / It (he, she, it)	did not + verb	He did not eat a sandwich She did not join the class It did not open the windows
You (you, you)	did not + verb	You did not wash the floor
We (we)	did not + verb	We did not jump on the trampoline
They (they)	did not + verb	They did not hurt each other

Abbreviated negative form:

- We didn’t drink water
- She didn’t need a mechanic

Interrogative form of Past Simple (Interrogative sentences)

Interrogative sentences are built according to the following formula:

(Auxiliary verb) Did + subject + verb + the rest of a sentence

The table contains examples with interrogative sentences.

Verb to do	Who? Who?	Form of verb (verb form)	Examples
Did	I (i)	verb	Did I clean the kitchen?
Did	He / She / It (he, she, it)	verb	Did he eat a sandwich? Did she join the class?
Did	You (you, you)	verb	Did you wash the floor?
Did	We (we)	verb	Did we jump on the trampoline?
Did	They (they)	verb	Did they hurt each other?

Abbreviated negative interrogative sentences:

- Did you not need a doctor?
- Didn’t you need a doctor?

Note:

We do not use the past form of the verb when there is a negation in the sentence.

Compare:

WRONG: I didn’t invited her.
- CORRECT: I didn’t invite her.
- WRONG: Did I invited her?
- CORRECT: Did I invite her?

Rule of writing words with the ending -ed

Regular verbs are usually conjugated by adding an ending - ed... However, there are a few exceptions:

• 1. We have already said that if verb ends with -e, we add at the end of the word - d:

- Danc e- danc ed
- Lov e- lov ed

• 2. The word ends with Consonant + Vowel + Consonant, the last consonant is doubled and added - ed:

- Admit - admi tt ed
- Refer - refe rr ed

• 3. A two-syllable verb ends in Consonant + Vowel + Consonant, we do not double the last consonant when stress stands on the first syllable:

- En ter - entered
- Su ffer - suffered

• 4. The word ends with - y, changes to - i:

- Hurr y- hurr i ed
- Stud y- stud i ed
- Tid y- tid i ed
- Tr y- tr i ed
- Cop y- cop i ed

• 5. The word ends with - l always doubles after a vowel in British but not American:

- Marve ll ing (British)
- Marve l ing (American).

Pronunciation rules for words with the ending -ed

The table shows how to read the ending -ed

[d]	[t]	[ɪd]
Sound [d] pronounced after all vowels and after voiced consonants (except / d /) [z] [b] [v] [m] [n] [ŋ] [l] [g]	Sound [t] pronounced after [k] [p] [f] [s] [ʃ]	Sound [ɪd] pronounced after [d] [t]
prepared, watered, cleaned, ironed, lived, tried, hurried, planned	picked, hopped, dressed, crossed, smashed, slipped	corrected, ended, started, visited, suggested

Differences between Past Simple and Present Perfect

Past simple
Actions that occurred at a specified time in the past; Actions Completed. They talked to me yesterday.	Completed activities that occurred at an unspecified time in the past. My friend has left to Paris. (We do not know when he left; he is in Paris or is still on the way).
Actions in the past that are not related to the present and that happened at a certain time in the past, but the time is not mentioned. I met Michael Jackson. (I will not meet him again - he is dead; the time period is over).	Actions in the past that are related to the present and that happened at a certain point in the past, but the time is not mentioned. I have spoken to Brad Pitt. (Maybe I'll talk to him again; he is alive - the time period is incomplete).

General Table Past Simple

Types of offers	PAST SIMPLE
Affirmative sentence	I / we / you / they / he / she / it + V - ed/V.2
Negative sentence	I / we / you / they / he / she / it + didn’t+ V
Interrogative sentence (general question)	Did+ I / we / you / they / he / she / it + V…?
Special question	WH + did+ I / we / you / they / he / she / it + V…? WH-why, where, when etc.

Past Simple Exercises & Answers

Do simple past tense exercises to reinforce what you learned.

Exercise 1... Add the ending -ed and spread over the column.

Cry, play, stop, travel, live, empty, destroy, prefer, dance, smile, fry.

Answers... Answers to exercise:

Cry- cried; play - played; stop - stopped; dance - danced; smile - smiled; fry - fried; travel - traveled; empty - emptied; destroy - destroyed; prefer - preferred; live - lived.

Exercise 2... Choose the correct answer.

1. We (went / goed) to Venice on holiday.

2. (Did you went / did you go) by plane?

3. Rick (didn’t came / didn’t come) with us.

4. The car (stoped / stopped).

5. When I arrived he (were not / was not) at home.

6. My husband (catched / caught) the robber.

7. We (did move / moved) to a new house.

8. The man (were / was) nice to me.

9. Manchester City (losed / lost) the final.

10. How much (did you payed / did you pay) for the car?

Answers... Answers to exercise:

1.went
2.did go
3.didn’t come
4.stoped
5.was not
6. caught
7. moved
8.was
9.lost
10.did pay

Exercise 3... Expand the brackets, put the verb in the Past form.

1. My grandpa always (sit) on the same stool.

2. I was robbed and (shoot) in the leg.

3. She (cut) the cabbage with a knife.

4. I (not know) where to hide my money.

5. His brothers (be not) very kind to us.

6. Amanda (carry) her daughter upstairs to bed.

7. They (fly) to Iceland this summer.

8. (you / here) that strange noise?

9.I (not break) this window. It (be) Daisy.

10. I (bring) some sweets.

Answers... Answers to exercise:

1.sat
2.shot
3.cut
4.didn’t know
5.were not, weren’t
6. carried
7. flew
8. Did you here
9.didn’t break, was
10. brought

Do tasks:

Make 5 sentences with interrogative, negative and affirmative Past Simple forms. Share them in the comments.

To consolidate the material, watch the video on the Past Simple topic.

In the article we will analyze the temporal features of the English and Russian languages, namely, we will compare the formation of the past tense in these two languages. We will analyze in detail what is happening in the English language. We will definitely understand how sentences are built, what rules and exceptions exist. The topic is quite logical and simple, if you do not get distracted when explaining.

Past tense in languages

To begin with, the past tense in Russian and English has a fundamental semantic difference. In our language, there is one thing. For us, this is absolutely natural and goes without saying: “ he read the book yesterday», « we phoned two days ago», « by three o'clock I was already ready for the trip», « they walked from four to eight in the evening”Etc. All these actions were performed in the past and have been carried out up to the present moment.

This is enough for us to understand that we are dealing with the past tense. In English, there are four varieties of the past tense. The given examples-sentences are used in different types of past tense forms.

Note: varieties of the past tense

So, to make the picture clearer, let's list the types of the past tense - Past Tenses (translated past - "past, past", tenses - "times"):

1. Past Simple is the past simple.
2. Past Continuous - the past continued.
3. Past Perfect - the past perfect.
4. Past Perfect Continuous - the past perfect in the process.

All these times are past. For clarity of the picture, we will consider the difference in additional specific proposals:

• Past Simple: " He read the book yesterday". It is important for us that the action happened sometime in the past - "yesterday". It doesn't matter here whether it was in the morning or in the evening. The main thing is that the action has taken place.
• Past Continuous: " Yesterday at two o'clock in the afternoon he was reading a book". This time tells us about a certain action at a specific moment in the past, not just "yesterday", but "yesterday at two o'clock in the afternoon." The action took place at a specific moment.
• Past Perfect: " By two o'clock in the afternoon, he had already finished reading the novel.". Here the action took place in the past and was completed before two o'clock. In other words, the action happened before some other action (or time) in the past.
• Finally, Past Perfect Continuous: “ He read the novel yesterday from three to six in the evening". In this time, the emphasis is on performing an action in the past, lasted for a long period and ended up to a certain time in the past.

At first glance, it is somewhat confusing and difficult. But when studying the specific time and with the necessary training, everything becomes clear.

We are now specifically interested in Past Simple (paste simple) in English... We will consider it.

Past Simple: use cases

Time Past Simple (past simple) in English characterizes the actions that were performed sometime in the past. Usually, such sentences contain certain words (perhaps they are simply implied): yesterday or two hours ago, last week or last Friday, last year or month, a couple of years or five years ago, and so on.

Actions that took place in the past and follow each other also characterize this time. For example: " She woke up, took a shower, packed up, had breakfast and went to work.».

This tense is also used when the usual actions in the past, but no longer relevant now, are meant: “ In my distant childhood, I often liked to visit my grandmother.».

Now let's move on to the construction of sentences and touch on the ones defined in Past Simple ( paste simple) rules.

Affirmative (declarative) sentences in Past Simple

So, in order to build an affirmative sentence in Past Simple, you need to know the following: there are regular and irregular verbs in English. Let's figure it out:

• Regular verbs are those that obey certain laws of the language, for example, the rule of forming the past tense. For all correct, one might say, "obedient" verbs, it is single and obligatory: k (without a particle to) to form a form in the past tense, the ending “ -ed" or " -d”.
• Irregular verbs are, in simple terms, "naughty" verbs that do not obey the general principle of the formation of the verb form in Past Simple (past simple). The rules do not apply here - exceptions work, which must be remembered! The difficulty is that there are many irregular verbs. They are all reflected in special grammatical tables in textbooks or in ordinary English-Russian dictionaries. Two more forms are given next to the irregular verb. We will be interested in the second form (or the second column in the tables of textbooks).

Remember the word order when constructing sentences. At the initial stage, try to start with the subject, followed by the predicate, and only then - all the others.This is not necessary, but desirable, since observing this point will help develop the habit of not losing significant parts of the statement and knowing exactly where to start building a phrase.

Negative and interrogative sentences in Past Simple

To build negative and interrogative sentences in Past Simple in English, you need to know that there is an auxiliary verb did... This is a helper verb. He helps to build negative and interrogative statements.

In a negative sentence, first (in the first place) is the subject, then the verb did with negation not(in abbreviated form - didn’t), then - the predicate in the initial form without to and the rest of the proposal.

When constructing a question, the word order is as follows: first, if there is one, the interrogative word, then the helper verb did, then - the subject, the predicate, in the initial form without to, and the rest of the sentence. The example in the table proposed in the article shows this more clearly.

For a complete understanding and consolidation of the knowledge gained, it is necessary to perform in.This can be a variety of tasks: put the verb in the desired form, translate a sentence from Russian into English, insert a suitable verb from the proposed ones, etc. The main thing is to perform them with awareness, in this case it is very easy will build his speech in the past tense.

The article reflects a complete table in Past Simple. Disassemble it again in detail and carefully. Two accents - regular / irregular verbs and the auxiliary did.

Note: types of simple Simple (simple) time

It must be repeated that if you grasp the principle of the use of tenses in English, and it is original and simple, then the entire type of time table in English will become understandable and transparent.

For example, simple in translation - " simple". There are three Simple tense in English: Present Simple, Past Simple, Future Simple (present simple and past simple, as well as future simple), that is, the present simple, past simple and future simple tense. Each of these types of time is characterized by its own structure of sentences and its own characteristics, which is presented in the table.

It will also be extremely useful to perform exercises for comparing and constructing sentences in this line of the Simple direction (for example, paste simple and future simple, present simple and future simple). And the more practice the better!

We hope this article was useful and informative for you.

This is one of the most commonly used tenses of the English language. Its second name is Indefinite (undefined). Past Simple describes events, facts and incidents that happened in the past.

The simple past refers to a group of tenses that express temporal uncertainty.

What is Past Simple used for?

• before (before);
• as soon as (as soon as);
• untill (not yet);
• after (after);
• when (when).

Examples:

• As soon as John graduated from the college, he found an appropriate work - Once John graduated from college, he found a suitable job.
• She was surprised when I saw her - She was surprised when I saw her.

As you can see from the examples, Past Simple is used in both parts.

Past Simple Rules

In most cases, to form a simple past, you need to add a particle "Ed" to the initial form of the verb. Irregular verbs have their own forms. There are spelling peculiarities of the spelling of verbs with the ending "Ed".

Let's consider the basic rules of writing:

• If the verb ends in -y and before -y, there is a consonant letter, then when writing -y is replaced by -i-.Example: try- tr ied ( try - tried).
• If before -y there is a vowel, then no changes occur (stay - stay ed stay-stayed).
• If the verb has one closed syllable (slap slap - slapped slap).
• Verbs consisting of several syllables (two or more) have a consonant at the end, and in front of it a short vowel letter, then the last consonant should be doubled (with the stress falling on the last syllable). Example: (submit-submitted-submit - gave up).
• If the verb ends with a consonant letter L (trave l travel - traveled traveled).

Education Past Simple

When forming this tense, one should start from whether the verb is correct, or belongs to the category of irregular verbs.

First, we will consider the rules for the formation of the simple past tense of regular verbs.

It is necessary to form the second form of the verb. It is formed by adding the ending - ed to the verb (for irregulars, there is its own form). There are no changes in the faces.

Affirmative sentences

Consider examples of the formation of an affirmative form:

• I played - I played.
• You played
• He (she, it) played - He (she) played.
• We played - We played.
• They played - They played.

Interrogative sentences

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Past Simple with irregular verbs

• I was not a student.
• You were not a doctor.
• He was not a boy.
• It was not a hen.
• We were not happy.
• They were not upset.

Interrogative form:

• Was I a student?
• Were you a doctor?
• Was he an engineer?
• Were you happy?
• Were they upset?

There are abbreviations for negative forms.to be:

• Wasn’t
• Weren’t

Past simple exercises with answers

• Exercise 1

Open parentheses in a sentence in the correct form:

1. John (to visit) his grandparents last Saturday.
2. She (to cook) a tasty breakfast yesterday.
3. Beth (to go) to sleep at 11 p.m.
4. What (he \ to do) last Monday?
5. Alice (to stay) in her mothers' flat the day before yesterday?
6. The performance of the song (to be) very good, we really (to enjoy) it.
7. My father usually (to take) a bus to the job.
8. I (not / to / speak) Italian five years ago.

• Exercise 2

Choose the correct form of the verb to be:

1. Chef (to be) angry becauseshe (to be) late.
2. Their family (to live) on the fifth floor and they (to be) very friendly.
3. (To be) Alexander a clerk?
4. It (to be) cold enough to sit on the bench outside.
5. (To be) the supper tasty?
6. Tom (to be) at the bathroom when I (to call) him.
7. We (to be) so busy at work.
8. My parents (to be) upset because I (to fail) my exams last week /

• Exercise 3

Expand the brackets to the correct shape:

1. We (to see) how she (to go out) of the supermarket.
2. My grandfather (to work) in this corporation when he (to be) 25.
3. He (to become) King of England in 1899.
4. The prank was funny but no one (to laugh).
5. What exactly (they / to watch)?
6. She (to take) children home yesterday at six o'clock.
7. He (not / to / add) salt in the soup. It (to be) insipid.

• Exercise 4

Put verbs in the past tense, not forgetting about the presence of regular and irregular verbs:

• 1 begin __________
• change __________
• cycle __________
• hear __________
• practice __________
• awake __________
• like __________
• broadcast __________
• shout __________
• seek __________

• Exercise 5

Past Simple Tense- the past simple tense, one of the main tenses of the English language, which is studied at the level elementary and on subsequent levels is considered in comparison with other times. To understand the more difficult times, you need to thoroughly know and be able to use the Past Simple time. Today we will talk in detail about the education and use of this time.

Past Simple Time: Education and Consumption.

Learning Past Simple is a milestone in language learning. Possession of the past tense instantly expands the range of topics for conversation, gives more freedom in expressing thoughts. On the other hand, Past Simple opens up the opportunity for you to explore other, more complex past tenses. You are getting to know new verb forms that you probably haven't used before, which is undoubtedly a huge step forward.

Considering the importance of mastering Past Simple time, a lot of time is devoted to it in the classroom.

When studying any time, we must know how to build a statement and how to use this time, what actions it conveys.

Let's start with the statements.

Statement always starts with a subject followed by a semantic verb. In the statement in Past simple the semantic verb is put in the second form (V2):

I lived in Moscow ten years ago. - I lived in Moscow ten years ago.

He wrote a letter yesterday. - He wrote a letter yesterday.

They came to see us last weekend. “They came to visit us last weekend.

What is the second form of the verb?

This is the form of the verb that is used in the Past Simple tense to convey the past action. You probably know that all verbs are divided by correct and wrong... Let's talk about regular verbs. They are called correct because they always form the second (and third) forms according to the rule. To form the second form of regular verbs, the ending must be added to the verb ED:

Help - helped
look - looked
work - worked

When adding the ending ED to a verb, its pronunciation and spelling may change, so a number of rules should be remembered.

There are not many of these rules, but you need to understand them well, as now you form the basis for your further study. Therefore, we have dedicated a separate ED ending, which discusses all the features of its use, pronunciation and spelling rules. Be sure to explore! In the same article, we will consider them briefly.

Pronunciation rules for words with the ending ED.

/ id /	/ t /	/ d /
Only after sounds / t / and / d /	After the voiceless and hissing / p /, / h /, / s /, / k /, / f /, / tʃ /, / ʃ /	After all other sounds (voiced and vowels)

Rules for writing words with the ending ED.

Let's move on to writing ED verbs. There are some simple rules:

	If the verb ends in a dumb E, then when adding the ending we add only D	close - closed dance - danced live - lived
	If the verb ends in a closed stressed syllable, then when the ending is added, the final consonant is doubled * letters X and W at the end of a word are not doubled	admit- admitted beg - begged permit- permitted fix-fixed row - rowed
	If a verb ends in Y with a consonant in front of it, then Y changes to I and ED is added	apply - applied copy - copied dry - dried
	If there is a vowel before the Y at the end of a word, then the ending is added unchanged:	enjoy - enjoyed obey - obeyed play - played
	If a verb ends in L and is preceded by a short vowel, then the final consonant is doubled * in AmE the letter L is not doubled at the end of a word before a short vowel	travel - traveled quarrel - quarrelled
	If the verb ends in R in a stressed syllable, the final R is doubled	occur - occurred prefer - preferred star- starred

If the verb is irregular, then you need to refer to the table of irregular verbs and look at the second column. Irregular verb tables are usually found at the end of textbooks. It can be difficult to remember irregular verbs. How to facilitate this task, read in.

The second form of the verb is used only in statements.

V denials and questions(except for the question to the subject), not the second form is used, but the first... The only exception is the subject question, where we do not change the word order and use the second form.

Negation is formed with the auxiliary verb DID and the negative particle NOT. Particle Auxiliary Verb NOT is placed before the semantic verb in the first form. Colloquially, DID NOT is abbreviated to DIDN "T :

Subject

DIDN "T

V1

I didn’t close the door. - I didn't close the door.

He didn’t answer the question. - He did not answer the question.

We didn "t go on holiday last year. - We did not go on vacation last year.

General issues are formed using the auxiliary verb DID, which is placed before the subject, followed by a semantic verb in the first form:

DID

Subject

V1

?

Did you understand the rule? - Do you understand the rule?

Did she find a job? - She got a job?

Did they go to Europe? - Did they go to Europe?

For building information issue in front of the auxiliary verb we put the necessary interrogative word:

WHAT WHEN WHY etc.

DID

Subject

V1

?

What did you do yesterday? - What did you do yesterday?

When did she sell her car? - When did she sell her car?

Why did they leave? - Why did they leave?

V question to the subject(Who? Who?) Does not use the auxiliary DID verb, but uses direct word order (as in the statement):

Who

V2

?

Who phoned you yesterday? - Who called you yesterday?

Who repaired the car? - Who fixed the car?

Who told them about it? - Who told them about it?

Consuming Past Simple time.

Now that you know how to form the Past Simple time, let's look at the use cases of this time in English:

1. Past Simple is an action that happened in the past and has nothing to do with the present, a fact about the past:

I went to the movies yesterday. - I went to the cinema yesterday.

She graduated from University last year. - She graduated from the university last year.

They moved to the USA three years ago. - They moved to America three years ago.

2. Past Simple is used if the action was regularly repeated in the past or was habitual, but no longer repeated:

When I was a child, we often went fishing with my father. - When I was a child, we often went fishing with my dad.

She attended gym three times a week to keep fit. - She went to the gym three times a week to keep fit.

They sold fruit and vegetables. “They sold fruits and vegetables.

The USED TO construct and the WOULD modal verb are also used to express regular actions in the past. You can read more about their use.

3. Actions that have taken place in a row, one after another in the past:

I entered the room and greeted everybody. - I entered the room and greeted.

He turned on the TV and sat in his armchair. He turned on the TV and sat down in his chair.

We bought some bread and left the shop. - We bought bread and left the store.

4. When we talk about historical events and figures:

Columbus discovered America. - Columbus discovered America.

The First World War began in 1914. - The First World War began in 1914.

Admiral Nelson defeated the French in the Battle of Trafalgar. - Admiral Nelson defeated the French at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Any time is perceived better if you remember its pointers.

Typical Past Simple time indicators include: yesterday(yesterday), as well as combinations that include words last(past, last) and ago(ago):

Last week - last week
last month - last month
last year - last year
an hour - an hour ago
two days ago - two days ago
three weeks ago - three weeks ago

In addition, prepositions of tense can be used in, on, at and others, if the context makes it clear that the action took place in the past:

We had breakfast at 8 o "clock. - We had breakfast at eight o'clock.

Their first lesson was on Tuesday. - Their first lesson was on Tuesday.

He got married in 2000. - He got married in 2000.

Typical mistakes when using Past Simple time:

- incorrect pronunciation of the endings of regular verbs.

You can correct this error by doing the endings reading exercises. Pronounce the endings clearly. Don't try to speak quickly until you pronounce the endings without deafening them.

- adding ED to irregular verbs or using an irregular form of an irregular verb.

You will most likely be understood, but it is best to avoid this mistake. Read more texts in Past Simple, underline regular and irregular verbs with different colors. You can make examples with irregular verbs and give them to familiar teachers to check or.

Many people forget to put DID in front of the subject in questions, or use the second form of the verb in questions and statements.

This problem is relevant for all times. In this situation, only practice will help.

If you are learning English on your own, then you can try this method: write down all the formulas (affirmations, negations, general and informational questions) on the margins of the page, then choose sentences from the texts in Past Simple and form all forms, writing them down opposite the formulas. At first, you will often look at the hint, then less and less, and in the end you will remember everything to automatism. Tested by experience!)

Past Simple is often confused with other tenses. In particular, it is and. It is important to understand the differences here. Read about the differences in the use of tenses in our next articles: and.

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Time Past simple- simple past tense. It shows the action that took place in the past. The study of the past tense forms of the verb in English always begins with Past simple because it is basic. If you understand the structure of this tense, it will be easy for you to deal with the rest of the tenses in the past tense. After studying the material, you will learn in what cases time is used. Past simple, get acquainted with the rules of education Past simple and with many other nuances of using time Past simple shown in individual examples.

Eating Methods - Past Simple Time

Past Simple Education Rules

Affirmative form

V Past simple 3-person verbs, singular (he, she, it) agree with the action verb in the same way as the rest of the pronouns (I, we, you, they).

Regular / Irregular Verbs

Participle II is the Past Participle of an English verb.

All English verbs are divided into regular verbs, to which the ending is added -ed, and irregular, the forms of which must be remembered.

How to correctly add the ending -ed to regular verbs:

Pronunciation ending -ed

Note that the pronunciation of the ending is ed depends on the sound that precedes it, not on the letter!

Past Participle irregular verbs you can

negative form

In negative form, all semantic verbs after didn’t stand in their original form, without ending -ed and Past Participle.

Interrogative form (general question)

In general questions, all semantic verbs after did Past Participle.

Interrogative form (special question)

In special questions (questions starting with an interrogative word), all semantic verbs after did also stand in their original form, without Past Participle... Special questions have the same structure as general questions, only at the beginning you must definitely put the question word you need.