Past Simple Tense

Quick example:

• I was sleepy.
• He didn't learn any Italian when he was in Italy two year ago.
• I went to the cinema, bought popcorn and watched a movie.

We use the Past Simple to talk about actions that happened at a specific time in the past. The actions can be short or long. There can be a few actions happening one ofter another.

Use

1. Events in the past that are now finished
2. Situation in the past
3. A series of actions in the past

USE 1: Past actions that are now finished

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The first use of the Past Simple to express actions that happened at a specific time in the past. The actions can be short [1] or long [2].

Examples:

• John cut his finger last week. [1]
• I went to college 3 years ago. [2]
• He ate the dinner 1 hour ago. [1]
• I slept well last night. [2]

USE 2: Situation in the past

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Another use of this tense is talk about situations in the past.

Examples:

• If we had gone by taxi, we wouldn't have been late.
• If Mary had studied harder, she would have passed the exam.

USE 3: A series of actions in the past

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The Past Simple can also be used with a few actions in the past happening one after another.

Examples:

• He entered a room, lit a cigarette and smiled at the guests.

Form

Forming a sentence in the Past Simple is easy. To form a declarative sentence, all you need is the subject of the sentence (e.g. I, you, he, a dog) and the past form of your verb (e.g. was, talked, swam). Questions and negative sentences are only a little more difficult, because they require an auxiliary verb.

Declarative Sentences

Subject	+	Verb + ED or an irregular verb form
e.g. I/a dog etc.		e.g. worked/went/made

I saw two colorful fishes in the lake yesterday (Use 1)

Examples		Use
	He entered the room, lit a cigarette and smiled at the guests.	(Use 3)
	Mary tried the soup but it was too hot to eat.	(Use 1)
	I lived in New York for 10 years (I don't live there anymore).	(Use 2)
	They saw us playing football.	(Use 1)
	He married a woman who lived in the same village. (Use 1)	(Use 3)
	I ate the cake yesterday.	(Use 1)
	I have eaten the cake yesterday.

Time Expressions

Common time expressions (time adverbials) in the Past Simple are:

• yesterday
• the other day
• just now
• the day before yesterday

Questions

Auxiliary verb	+	Subject	+	Verb in the present form
did		e.g. I/a dog etc.		e.g. work/go/make

Examples		Use
	How long did he work there?	(Use 1)
	Did the telephone ring?	(Use 1)
	Did you see that?	(Use 1)

Negative Sentences

Subject	+	Auxiliary verb + not	+	Verb in the past form
e.g. I/a dog etc.		didn't		e.g. worked/went/made

Examples		Use
	He didn't learn any Italian when he was in Italy two year ago.	(Use 1)
	I wasn't at my grandma's when you came.	(Use 1)
	He didn't get any good grades when he attended school.	(Use 3)