Past simple tense in English. What is the past tense for?

IN English language, unlike Russian, 16 verb tenses. Most language learners find tenses to be the hardest topic in grammar. But if you know how and when to use them, then there will be no difficulties, and it will be easier to learn English. Consider in this article Past Simple- rules and examples that will help you better understand this time.

When is "Paste Simple" used?

Past Simple, or past simple Tense - simple past repeated or one-time action in the past. It is formed with the help of regular verbs and a change in the root of irregular ones in affirmative sentences. But it also happens that the verb does not change and has the same form in the simple past, perfect past and participle II. Therefore, the form in the past tense must be learned by heart. Distinguishing a correct verb from an incorrect one is very simple - if the verb is not on the list of irregular ones, then it is correct. There are about 200 irregular verbs in English, and each of them has 3 forms - simple past, perfect past and participle II. But there is no need to learn all 200 verbs, since only half of them are in active use.

Each time in English has time markers - these are adverbs indicating when an action occurred. IN Past Simple This:

ago - ago;

last - past;

yesterday - yesterday;

the day before yesterday - the day before yesterday;

the other day - the other day;

In British English, adverbs of time are used at the end of a sentence. It is allowed to use it at the beginning of a sentence, which is undesirable, and it is considered a gross mistake to use it in the middle of a sentence.

V P ast Simple- the past form of the verb do - did, which is used in negative and interrogative sentences.

But this rule does not apply to the verb to be - to be, in which all 3 forms - affirmation, negation and question - are formed using the verb to be itself.

Let's look at examples below Past Simple with translation in the formation of affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences.

affirmative sentences

Affirmative sentences in English in Past Simple generated in 2 ways:

• for regular verbs, the ending - ed is added;

• for the wrong ones, the root itself changes.

How are verbs conjugated in Past Simple? Examples will help to understand this issue.

I called - I called.

You called - You called / a.

He called - He called.

She called - She called.

It called - He / She / it called / la / lo.

We called - We called.

They called - They called.

How the verb to be is used in P ast Simple? Examples of the following sentences will help to understand this issue.

I was a pupil (I was / was a student / student).

You were a pupil (You were / were a student / student).

He was a pupil (He was a student).

She was a pupil (She was a student).

We were a pupil (We were students).

They were a pupil (They were students).

The verb to be is irregular and in Past Simple has 2 forms - was for 1, 2, 3 singular and were - for 1, 2, 3 plural persons.

IN this example there is no sentence with the pronoun it, since it denotes inanimate objects, and they cannot be students. The pronoun it refers to the singular and with it the verb to be has the form was.

It was an interesting film (It was an interesting film).

Negative sentences

Negation is formed with did and particle not. Two options are possible in writing: did not and didn’t, but the latter is more often used.

How is a question formed in P ast cipml? Examples:

I didn't work (I didn't work).

You didn't work (You didn't work).

He didn't work (He didn't work).

She didn't work (She didn't work).

It didn't work (He / She / It didn't work / la / lo).

We didn't work (We didn't work).

They didn't work (They didn't work).

For the verb to be the form in Past Simple will have the following form:

I wasn "t here yesterday (I was not here yesterday).

You weren "t here yesterday. (We weren't here yesterday).

He wasn "t here yesterday (He was not here yesterday).

She wasn "t here yesterday (She was not here yesterday).

It wasn "t here yesterday (He / she was not here yesterday).

We weren "t here yesterday (We weren't here yesterday).

They weren "t here yesterday (They weren't here yesterday).

Interrogative sentences

The question is formed using did according to the following formula:

The formula shown in the picture shows how questions are posed in Past Simple. The examples below will help you better understand and reinforce it.

Did I call? - I called?

Did you call? - You called?

Did he call? -He called?

Did she call? - She called?

Did it call? - Did she/she/it call/la/lo?

Did we call? - Did we call?

Did they call? - Did they call?

If there are so-called Wh-questions in the sentence, then did will be used after them. Let's take a closer look at their use in Paste Simple. Examples:

Did you go to the school yesterday? - Did you go to school yesterday?

Did Henry buy his car two years ago? - Henry bought the car 2 years ago?

When did they call you? - When did they call you?

A variant is possible not only with did, but also didn’t.

Didn't they help you? - They didn't help you?

Didn't Sarah and John go to the birthday party? - Sarah and John didn't go to the birthday party?

Didn't his daughter call him? - His daughter didn't call him?

With wh-questions and other questions, the auxiliary verb is used after the question.

When did they go to the office? - When did they go (went) to the office?

Where did they live when he was a small boy? - Where did they live when he was a little boy?

How many questions did you ask? - How many questions did you ask?

In the same way, the verb to be is formed in the form Past Simple. Examples:

Was he at school yesterday? - He was at school yesterday?

Were you in Italy 2 years ago? - You (you) were (were) in Italy two years ago?

Was Peter in the birthday? - Was Peter at the party?

Who was this man with you? - Who was this man with you?

When were you in India? - When did you (you) were (was) in India?

When learning English, there will be no problems with grammar and in particular with Paste Simple. Rules and examples for understanding grammar are the best helpers.

Exercise 1. Put the verbs in the following sentences in the affirmative and negative forms of Past Simple.

1. I (to do) morning exercises.
2. He (to work) at a factory.
3. She (to sleep) after dinner.
4. We (to work) part-time.
5. They (to drink) tea every day.
6. Mike (to be) a student.
7. Helen (to have) a car.
8. You (to be) a good friend.
9. You (to be) good friends.
10. It (to be) difficult to remember everything.

Exercise 2. Open the brackets using the verbs in.

1. Alice (to have) a sister.
2. Her sister's name (to be) Ann.
3. Ann (to be) a student.
4. She (to get) up at seven o'clock.
5. She (to go) to the institute in the morning.
6. Jane (to be) fond of sports.
7. She (to do) her morning exercises every day.
8. For breakfast she (to have) two eggs, a sandwich and a cup of tea.
9. After breakfast she (to go) to the institute.
10. Sometimes she (to take) a bus.
11. It (to take) her an hour and a half to do her homework.
12. She (to speak) English well.
13. Her friends usually (to call) her at about 8 o'clock.
14. Ann (to take) a shower before going to bed.
15. She (to go) to bed at 11 p. m.

Exercise 3. Open the brackets using the verbs in.

1. My working day (to begin) at six o "clock.
2. I (to get) up, (to switch) on the TV and (to brush) my teeth.
3. It (to take) me about twenty minutes.
4. I (to have) breakfast at seven o'clock.
5. I (to leave) home at half past seven.
6. I (to take) a bus to the institute.
7. It usually (to take) me about fifteen minutes to get there.
8. Classes (to begin) at eight.
9. We usually (to have) four classes a day.
10. I (to have) lunch at about 2 o'clock.

Exercise 4. Use the words in brackets to form sentences in . Pay attention to what form the sentence should be in (affirmative or negative).

1) They _____ football at the institute. (to play)
2) She _____ emails. (not / to write)
3) ____ you____ English? (to speak)
4) My mother____ fish. (not/to like)
5) ____ Ann ____ any friends? (to have)
6) His brother _____ in an office. (to work)
7) She___ very fast. (cannot/to read)
8) ____ they ____ the flowers every 3 days? (to water)
9) His wife _____ a motorbike. (not / to ride)
10) ____ Elizabeth_____ coffee? (to drink)

Exercise 5. Insert Past Simple in the required form.

1. I ... a student.
2. My father ... not a shop assistant, he ... a scientist.
3. ... your aunt a nurse? - Yes, she ... .
4. ... they at home? - No, they ... not. They...at school.
5. ... are you an engineer? - Yes, I...
6. ... your friend a photographer? No, she ... not a photographer, she ... a student.
7. ... your brothers at school? - Yes, they ... .
8. ... this her watch? - Yes, it ... .
9. Max ... an office worker.
10. We ... late, sorry!

Exercise 6. Translate into English:

1. She was busy. (to be busy)
2. I was not busy.
3. Were you busy?
4. Were they at home? (to be at home)
5. He was not at home.
6. I didn't know.
7. Did they know?
8. She didn't know.
9. Who knew?
10. Nobody knew.
11. He read English books? (to read English books)
12. They never read. (never / to read)
13. Did she have an apartment? (to have a flat)
14. He had nothing.
15. Who was it?

Right answers:

Exercise 1. 1 - did, 2 - worked, 3 - slept, 4 - worked, 5 - drank, 6 - was, 7 - had, 8 - were, 9 - were, 10 - was.

Exercise 2 , 13 - called, 14 - took, 15 - went.

Exercise 3. 1 - began, 2 - got, switched, brushed, 3 - took, 4 - had, 5 - left, 6 - took, 7 - took, 8 - began, 9 - had, 10 - had.

Exercise 4. 1 - played, 2 - did not (=didn't) write, 3 - Did (you) speak, 4 - did not (=didn't) like, 5 - Did (Ann) have, 6 - worked , 7 - could not (=couldn't) read, 8 - Did (they) water, 9 - did not (=didn't) ride, 10 - Did (Elizabeth) drink.

Exercise 5 1 - was, 2 - was, was, 3 - Was, was, 4 - Were, were, were, 5 - Were, was, 6 - Was, was, was, 7 - Were, were, 8 - was , was, 9 - was, 10 - were.

Exercise 6. 1 - She was busy, 2 - I was not busy, 3 - Were you busy?, 4 - Were they at home?, 5 - He was not at home, 6 - I didn't know, 7 - Did they know?, 8 - She didn't know, 9 - Who knew?, 10 - No one (=nobody) knew, 11 - Did he read English books?, 12 - They never read, 13 - Did she have a flat ?, 14 – He didn't have anything (=He had nothing), 15 – Who was it?

Past Simple Tense (past simple tense) In a general sense, it refers to an action that took place in the past.

Education Past Simple Tense

There are two types of verbs: regular (regular) and irregular (irregular). past simple correct verbs is formed by adding in all persons the ending - ed to the infinitive form:

to play - played; to like - liked; to start - started.

The ending -ed is pronounced [d], [t] or: played, liked, started.

Rules for education and reading of the ending -ed see appendix Rules for education and reading -ed

past simple wrong verbs are not formed according to the rule, such forms need to be remembered:

to write - wrote; to come - came; to smell-smelt; to drive - driven.

She would usually be happy when she returned home after a long trip - She would usually be happy when she returned home after a long trip.

c) be used to / get used to

I get used to going shopping on Saturday.(cm. )

2. To express the past action that took place in the elapsed period of time.

a) the time of the action can be expressed using yesterday yesterday last week last week an hour ago, the other day, on Monday on Monday, in 2000 during the holidays, etc.:

Mary called me yesterday. Mary called me yesterday.
The other day I met Paul. The other day I met Paul.
Not came at six o "clock. He came at six o'clock.

b) the time of the action can be expressed by a subordinate clause:

The storm began when I left home . The storm started when I left the house.

The variety of tense forms in English makes it possible to describe the action in more detail, but it may also be confusing. The table “Past Simple” tells in detail how the English Simple Past is formed and when it is used.

Basic Rule

Before proceeding to consider the formation of the affirmative, negative and interrogative forms of the English Past Simple, it is necessary to understand how it is translated into Russian and what action it describes. The tense form Past Simple is literally translated as the Simple Past. The term Past refers to the past tense in a broad sense. Simple is an aspect indicating that the described action is normal and occurs regularly. It follows that Past Simple describes ordinary, repetitive actions, facts that happened in the past.

This meaning is also indicated by such marker words as yesterday (yesterday), the day before yesterday (the day before yesterday), two weeks ago (two weeks ago), last year (last year) and others.

Regular verbs

When considering the rule Education Past Simple (Simple Past) new language concepts appear - correct and Irregular Verbs. Regular verbs form the Past Simple with the ending -ed, which is attached to the stem of the verb.

The basic rules and examples of Past Simple with regular verbs are presented in the following table:

Past Simple Tense: subject + verb + -ed (2nd form of regular verbs)
positive form (Affirmative form)	negative form (Negative form)	Interrogative form (Interrogative form)
I closed - I closed	I did not close - I did not close	Did I close? - I closed?
You closed - You (you) closed (and)	You did not close - You (you) did not close (and)	Did you close? - You (you) closed(s)?
He closed - He closed	He did not close - He did not close	Did he close? - He closed?
She closed - She closed	She did not close - She did not close	Did she close? - She closed?
It closed - He (about an animal or inanimate) closed	It did not close - He did not close	Did it close? - He closed?
We closed - We closed	We did not close - We did not close	Did we close? - Are we closed?
They closed - They closed	They did not close - They did not close	Did they close? - they closed?

In a negative sentence, the subject is followed by an auxiliary verb with a negative particle - did not (not). In the question, the word order changes and the auxiliary verb comes first. In both cases, the main verb loses the past tense ending -ed.

Irregular Verbs

There are not so many irregular verbs in English - 470 pieces. Not all of them belong to the daily vocabulary. Many are outdated and not used. But the main thing is different - they need to be known by heart. In order to make a sentence with an irregular verb in Past Simple, you need to look at the second column of the table of irregular verbs.

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Past Simple Tense: Subjects + 2nd Irregular Verb
positive form (Affirmative form)	negative form (Negative form)	Interrogative form (Interrogative form)
I slept - I slept	I didn't sleep - I didn't sleep	Did I sleep? - I was asleep?
You slept - You (you) slept (and)	You didn't sleep - You (you) did not sleep (and)	Did you sleep? - Did you sleep?
He slept - He slept	He didn't sleep - He didn't sleep	Did he sleep? - He slept?
She slept - She slept	She didn't sleep - She didn't sleep	Did she sleep? - She slept?
It slept - He (it) slept	It didn't sleep - He didn't sleep	Did it sleep? - He slept?
We slept - We slept	We didn't sleep - We didn't sleep	Did we sleep? - We sleep?
They slept - They slept	They didn't sleep - They didn't sleep	Did they sleep? - They slept?

What have we learned?

The basic rules and examples of Past Simple in the table help to organize the received theoretical knowledge on the topic. It presents examples of the formation of affirmative, negative and interrogative forms, which, on occasion, can serve as an excellent "cheat sheet".

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Here you can take a lesson on the topic: Simple past tense in English. Regular and irregular verbs. past simple. Regular and Irregular verbs.

In this lesson, we'll get to know regular and irregular verbs in English and how to use them in sentences simple past tense. These verbs are in most cases integral part past tense.

To express thoughts in the past, the English often resort to the verbs was and were. Well, what if the main action is expressed by another verb, for example, swim, or play? In such cases, knowledge of regular and irregular English verbs is required. We will consider each category of verbs separately:

Regular verbs(Regular verbs) is a special group of English verbs that easily form the past tense by adding the suffix -ed to the infinitive (the regular form of the verb). Here are some examples of such verbs:

talk - talked (talk - spoke)
jump - jumped (jump - jumped)
check - checked (check - checked)
look - looked (look - looked)
stay - stayed (stop - stayed)
ask - asked (ask - asked)
show -showed (show - showed)
work - worked (work - worked)

Regular verbs ending in -ed do not change for person or number. Consider the example of the verb walk (to walk, walk):

I walked - I walked
you walked - you walked / you walked
he walked - he walked
she walked - she walked
it walked - he / she walked / walked (inanimate)
we walked - we walked
they walked - they walked

I. There are some spelling rules when adding the ending -ed.

1. So, for example, if the verb is already ends with a letter-e , then only -d is added to it. For example:

Change - changed (change - changed)
arrive - arrived (arrive - arrived)
smoke - smoked (smoke - smoked)

2. If the verb ends with letter -y, then the ending, with rare exceptions, changes to -ied. For example:

study - studied (teach - taught)
tidy - tidied (clean up - cleaned up)
try - tried (try - tried)

The exception is the verbs: play - played (play), stay - stayed (stop), enjoy - enjoyed (enjoy).

3. In some short verbs(in 1 syllable) when adding the ending -ed the consonant is doubled. This rule applies to verbs that end in one vowel and one consonant letters. For example:

stop - stop ped (stop - stopped)
rob - rob bed (rob - robbed)

II. Regarding regular English verbs, there are also several reading rules.

1. So, for example, in verbs, ending in a voiceless consonant(f, k, p, t), the ending -ed reads softly, like /t/. For example:

walk ed /wɔ:kt/
look ed /lukt/
jump ed /dʒʌmpt/
ask ed /a:skt/

2. In verbs, ending in voiced and all other sounds, the ending -ed is pronounced loudly, like /d/. For example:

play ed /pleid/
show ed /ʃəud/
arriv ed /ə "raivd /
chang ed /tʃeindʒd/

3. The pronunciation of the verb ending -ed changes slightly when verbs end in /t/ or /d/. Then the ending is pronounced /id/ . For example:

decid ed / di "saidid /
wait ed /"waitid /
land ed /"lændid /
fad ed / "feidid /

Now consider regular verbs in affirmative sentences. Here are some examples:

Miriam waited for Adam for several hours. Miriam has been waiting for Adam for several hours.
She walked towards the river. She walked towards the river.
They changed their mind. - They changed their mind.
The woman carried a heavy bag. The woman was carrying a heavy bag.
When I arrived the party was over. When I arrived, the party was over.
The plane landed near the village. - The plane landed near the village.
The car stopped next to my house. - The car stopped near my house.
Children played hide-and-seek. - The children were playing hide-and-seek.
We stayed at my grandmother "s. - We stayed at my grandmother's.
I looked around but there was none. I looked around, but there was no one.
He studied German at school. - He studied German at school.

As can be seen from the examples, the place of subjects and verbs in affirmative sentences is fixed, and the remaining members of sentences can be used depending on the context. When reading the examples, pay attention to the spelling of regular verbs and their pronunciation.

As opposed to regular verbs, English also has whole line irregular verbs, which do not obey the rule of adding the ending -ed, but are formed completely unexpectedly and in different ways. For example:

find - found (find - found)
take - took (take - took)
sleep - slept (sleep - slept)
fight - fought (fight - fought)
get - got (receive - received)
give - gave (give - gave)
buy - bought (buy - bought)
catch - caught (catch - caught)
lose - lost (lose - lost) and many others.

Here you can find the complete
In the simple past tense, verbs from the second column (Past Simple) are used.

In affirmative sentences, irregular verbs are used in the same way as regular ones. The sentence order is fixed: Subject (Subject) - Predicate (Predicate) - Addition (Object) - Circumstance (Adverbial modifier). Let's look at examples:

He lost his key a day ago. - He lost his key a day ago.
Simon took my phone number yesterday. Simon took my phone number yesterday.
I gave her a birthday present. - I gave her a birthday present.
They slept for eight hours last night. They slept eight hours last night.

To form negative and interrogative sentences with regular and irregular verbs (except to be and modal verbs) the auxiliary verb did is required.

So, for example, in interrogative sentences put in the first place auxiliary verb did, then the subject and the verb, but already in its original form (infinitive), since the auxiliary verb did takes over the function of the past tense. Let's look at a few examples:

(+) Her watch stopped working. - Her watch stopped working.
(?) Did her watch stop working? Has her watch stopped working?

(+) He caught a big fish. - He caught big fish.
(?) Did he catch a big fish? - Did he catch a big fish?

(+) They played cards in the evening. - They played cards in the evening.
(?) Did they play cards in the evening? - Did they play cards in the evening?

(+) Mr.Right found a purse with money. - Mr. Wright found a wallet with money.
(?) Did Mr.Right find a purse money? - Did Mr. Wright find a wallet with money?

(+) His father called him yesterday. - His father called him yesterday.
(?) Did his father call him yesterday? - Did his father call him yesterday?

As you can see from the examples, the auxiliary verb did does not change for persons or numbers, as, for example, the verbs do and does, was and were. Also, these questions are classified as general, and require short answers, which, unlike Russian "yes" and "no", depend largely on the question itself and auxiliary verb. Let's take a closer look:

Did you leave early last night? -Yes, I did. -No, I didn't. - Did you leave early last night? -Yes. -No.
Did they like the cake? -Yes, they did. -No, they didn't. - Did they like the cake? -Yes. -No.
Did their children break the remote control? -Yes, they did. -No, they didn't. - Did their children break the remote control? -Yes. -No.

Special questions with regular and irregular verbs are formed in the same order as common ones, but with the addition question word at the beginning. For example:

Where did you find the map? - Where did you find the map?
Why did they call us last night? Why did they call us last night?
Who did you invite to the party? - Who did you invite to the party?
What did she cook fro dinner? - What did she cook for dinner?

Negative sentences with regular and irregular verbs are also formed using the auxiliary verb did , and the negative particle "not". The main verbs in such sentences remain in their original form, i.e. in infinitive. Let's look at examples:

(+) He wanted us to go. - He wanted us to leave.
(-) He didn't (did not) want us to go. - He didn't want us to leave.

(+) They enjoyed the concert. - They liked the concert.
(-) They didn't enjoy the concert. - They didn't like the concert.

(+) Albert promised me something. - Albert promised me something.
(-) Albert didn't promise me anything. - Albert didn't promise me anything.

(+) My friend paid t he fine. - My friend paid the fine.
(-) My friend didn't pay the fine. - My friend didn't pay the fine.

(+) It broke after all. - And yet it broke.
(-) It didn't break after all. - And yet it didn't break.

As can be seen from the examples, the word did can be combined with the particle not, and then the abbreviated form is obtained - didn "t.

Thus, we examined regular and irregular verbs in English, and also got acquainted with their use in affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences. The category of regular verbs does not require targeted memorization, but it is recommended to learn irregular verbs several times a day and try to use them in your sentences.