A2

Past
simple
Samantha Chi & Deysi Duarte
Past simple What is it? 3

Structures of past simple 4

Verbs 5

Pronunciation of regular verbs 6

Irregular verbs 7

Past time expressions 8

Examples of past simple 9

Practice exercises 10

References 11
W h a t i s i t
¿

The past simple expresses a completed past action.

We use the past tense to talk about:
1.something that happened once in the past:
We went to Spain for our holidays.
They got home very late last night.
2.something that happened several times in the
past:
When I was a boy, I walked a mile to school every day.
They always enjoyed visiting their friends.
3. something that was true for some time in the past:
He enjoyed being a student.
She played a lot of tennis when she was younger.
4. we often use expressions with ago with the past
simple:
The movie ended five minutes ago.
The form of the Past simple is the same for all people:

Affirmative sentence:
Subject + verb in past + object/ complement
He played football last Sunday.

Negative sentence:
Subject + did + not + verb in base form + object/ complement
She didn’t sleep early yesterday.

Interrogative sentence:
Did + subject + verb in base form + object / complement + ?
Did you go to work yesterday?
 There are two types of verbs: regular and irregular.

The normal rule is to add -ed or –d:

Work Worked Start Started Live Lived

Some short verbs with only one syllable

double the consonant:
Stop Stopped Plan Planned

Verbs ending in a consonant + -y,

change the -y to ied

Study Studied Carry Carried But….

Play Played Enjoy Enjoyed

 Pronunciation of
regular verbs

There are three different ways to pronounce the 'ed'

ending of regular verbs in the simple past tense:
/ Id / , /t/ or /d/

The pronunciation
depends on the sound
at the end of the
infinitive of the main
A voiced verb and whether it is
sound is one voiced or not.
that vibrates
in your
throat when
you say it.

/Id / /d/ /t/

Infinitives that end Infinitives that end in Infinitives that end in
in the sounds a voiced sound. an unvoiced sound.
/t/ or /d/.

Needed Lived Shopped

Hated Chilled Picked
Dated Enjoyed Wished
Seated Tried Crunched
Base form Past tense Base form Past tense

be was/were let let

begin began lie lay
break broke lose lost
bring brought make made
buy bought mean meant
build built meet met
choose chose pay paid
come came put put
cost cost run ran
cut cut say said
do did sell sold
draw drew send sent
drive drove set set
eat ate sit sat
feel felt speak spoke
find found spend spent
get got stand stood
give gave take took
go went teach taught
have had tell told
hear heard think thought
hold held understand understood
keep kept wear wore
know knew win won
leave left write wrote
lead led
 Past time expressions
You always use the simple past
when you say when something
happened, so it is associated with
certain past time expressions.

Frequency: often, sometimes and always.

I sometimes walked home at lunchtime.
I often brought my lunch to school.

A definite point in time: last week/night, yesterday, six

weeks ago, etc.
We saw a good film last week.
Yesterday, I arrived in Geneva.
She finished her work at seven o'clock.
I went to the theatre last night.

An indefinite point in time: the other day, ages ago, a

long time ago, etc.
People lived in caves a long time ago.
 Examples of past
simple
 I was in Japan last year.

 She had a headache yesterday.

 We did our homework last night.

 We didn't have any money.

 We didn't have time to visit the Eiffel

Tower.
 We didn't do our exercises this morning.

 Did you have a bicycle when you were

young?

 Did he go to the cinema last night?

 Did he come to your party last week?

 Practice Exercises
Instructions: Make the past simple, positive, negative or
question.

1. We _____________(not/use) the computer last night.

2. She _____________(get on) the bus in the centre of the

city.

3. What time_____________(he/get up) yesterday?

4. We_____________(wake up) very late.

5. _____________(she/make) good coffee?

6. I_____________(not/watch) TV.

7. What time _____________(the film/start)?

8. He_____________(not/study) for the exam.

9. She _____________(read) the newspaper yesterday.

You can check your answers

7 did the film start 8 didn’t/did not study 9 read
4 woke up 5 Did she make 6 didn’t/did not watch Answer key: 1 didn’t/did not use 2 got on 3 did he get up
 References
 BBC. (2020). Grammar challenge. BBC learning English. Retrieved
from:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1
413_gramchallenge26/

 British Council. (2020). Past simple. Learn English. Retrieved from:

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-grammar-
reference/past-simple

 Soars, J. and Soars Liz. (2012) New Headway Pre-intermediate

Student’s Book Fourth edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

 English Grammar online. (2020). Exercise on Simple Past.

Retrieved from: https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-
up/grammar/simple-past/exercises?05

 Perfect English Grammar. (2020). Past Simple (or Simple Past).

 Retrieved from: https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/past-
simple-exercise-8.html