Simple Past Tense

Notes
1. Use the simple past tense to talk about actions, states, or
situations that are now finished.
Now
Past

Future
He was a poet
.

Basho lived in the seventeenth

century.
He was a poet.
He wrote haiku.
He didnt stay at one place.
Where did he travel?
2. You can use the simple past tense with time expressions that
refer to the past. Some examples of the past expressions are last
week, by 1681, in the seventeenth century, 300 years ago.
By 1681, he had many students.
He lived in the seventeenth
century.
He died more that 300 years ago.

3. REMEMBER! The simple past tense of regular verbs is formed by adding d

or ed.

Base form

Simple past

live

lived

join

joined

travel

traveled

want

wanted

study

studied

hop

hopped

prefer

preferred

Be careful! There are often spelling changes when you add d or ed to the ve

4. Many common English verbs are irregular. Their past tense is not formed
by adding d or ed.

Base form

Simple past

be

was / were

build

built

choose

chose

have

had

get

got

go

went

Affirmative Statements

Subject

Be

was

You

were

He
She
It

was

We
You
They

were

famous.

Yes / no questions

Be not

Subject

Was

Were

you

Was

he
she
it

Were

we
you
they

famous?

Wh- questions
Whword

Where
When
Why

Be

Subject

was

were

you

was

he
she
it

were

we
you
they

famous?

SIMPLE PAST TENSE: REGULAR AND IRREGULAR VERBS

Affirmative Statements

Subject

Verb

I
You
He
She
It
We
You
They

moved
traveled

to Japan.

came*
left*

in 1684.

*come (came) and leave (left) are irregular verbs.

Negative Statements

Subject
I
You
He
She
It
We
You
They

Did not

Base form of
verb
move
travel

to Japan.

come
leave

in 1683.

didnt

Yes / no questions

Did

Subject

Did

I
You
He
She
It
We
You
They

Base form
of verb
move
travel

to
Japan?

come
leave

in 1683?

Short answers
Affirmative
you
I
Yes,

he
she
it

did.

you
we
they
Negative
you
I
No,

he
she
it
you
we
they

didnt

Wh- questions

Wh- word

When
Why

Did

Subject

did

I
you
he
she
it
we
you
they

Base form of
verb
move
travel

come?
leave?

to
Japan?