Past Simple is one of the twelve core English tenses. It's the tense for completed actions at a specific, finished time in the past — the backbone of storytelling and describing what already happened.
When to use past simple
Completed actions at a specific past time
A single finished action, often with a time marker.
A sequence of past events (storytelling)
Describing events in the order they happened.
Past habits or states (general, no longer true)
Something that was regularly true in the past but isn't now — often interchangeable with "used to."
Facts that were true only in the past
A state that has since changed.
Structure & formula
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Subject + past form of verb (regular: -ed; irregular: unique form) | She worked late. / They went home. |
| Negative | Subject + did not (didn't) + base verb | She didn't work yesterday. |
| Yes/No question | Did + subject + base verb? | Did she work yesterday? |
| WH question | WH word + did + subject + base verb? | Where did she work? |
Signal words & time expressions
These words often (though not always) signal that past simple is the right choice:
yesterday, last week/month/year, in 2020, ago, when I was young, then
Common mistakes
| Incorrect | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| She goed to the party. | She went to the party. | "Go" is an irregular verb — its past form is "went," not "goed." |
| Did she went there? | Did she go there? | After "did," the main verb stays in its base form — "go," not "went." |
| I have visited Paris last year. | I visited Paris last year. | A specific finished past time ("last year") needs past simple, not present perfect. |
Quick practice
Complete each sentence with the correct form.
- I _____ (watch) a great film last night.
- She _____ (not / go) to the meeting yesterday.
- _____ you _____ (see) the news this morning?
- They _____ (buy) a new car last month.
- He _____ (be) a teacher for ten years before he retired.
Quick summary
FAQs
How do I know if a verb is regular or irregular?
Regular verbs add "-ed" (worked, played). Irregular verbs change form unpredictably (go → went, see → saw, buy → bought) and simply need to be memorised — there's a fairly short, common list worth learning by heart.
What's the difference between past simple and present perfect?
Past simple states exactly when something happened (a finished, specific time). Present perfect connects a past action to now, without stating exactly when — see our Present Perfect guide.
The past simple has a passive form too — The bridge was built in 1990. See how every tense changes in active and passive voice.