Past Simple
Past Simple Exercises with Answers (A1).
What Is the Past Simple?
We use the past simple for something that happened and finished in the past. It is not true now.
A finished action
One thing happened, and it is over.
- Maria visited her grandmother on Sunday.
- Carlos bought a new bike last week.
A finished situation
Something was true in the past, but it is different now.
- Tom worked in a shop in 2020. Now he studies at university.
- Sofia lived in Madrid for two years.
We often use a time word to say when something happened, like yesterday, last night, or in 2020. You will find more time words in a later panel.
Past Simple: Spelling and Form of Regular Verbs
Regular verbs make the past simple with -ed. The spelling changes a little depending on the verb.
Spelling rules
| Rule | Verb | Past simple |
|---|---|---|
| Add -ed | work | worked |
| Verb ends in -e, add -d | like | liked |
| Consonant + y → -ied | study | studied |
| One vowel + one consonant, double the consonant + -ed | stop | stopped |
Form
Positive: I worked yesterday.
Negative: I didn't work yesterday.
Question: Did you work yesterday? Yes, I did. No, I didn't.
The past simple is the same for every person. I, you, he, she, we and they all use worked. Only the question and negative use did or didn't plus the base form of the verb.
Past Simple Pronunciation: /t/, /d/, /ɪd/ Endings
Regular past simple verbs end in -ed, but we do not say "-ed" the same way every time. There are three sounds: /t/, /d/, and /ɪd/. Press "Listen" to hear each word.
/t/ after a quiet sound
We say /t/ after a quiet sound, like k, p, s, or sh.
| Verb | Past simple | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| walk | walked | |
| work | worked | |
| watch | watched | |
| wash | washed | |
| help | helped |
/d/ after most other sounds
We say /d/ after most other sounds, like a vowel, or n, v, and l.
| Verb | Past simple | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| play | played | |
| live | lived | |
| open | opened | |
| listen | listened | |
| call | called |
/ɪd/ after t or d
We say /ɪd/ only after the letters t or d. This adds a new syllable.
| Verb | Past simple | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| want | wanted | |
| need | needed | |
| start | started | |
| wait | waited | |
| visit | visited |
Notice: "want" has one syllable, but "wanted" has two: want-ed. That extra syllable only happens with the /ɪd/ sound.
Listen buttons use your browser's own voice. Turn your sound on.
Past Simple: Irregular Verbs
Some verbs do not add -ed. They change into a new word. We call these irregular verbs, and we learn them one by one.
Common irregular verbs
| Base form | Past simple |
|---|---|
| go | went |
| have | had |
| see | saw |
| eat | ate |
| get | got |
| do | did |
| make | made |
| buy | bought |
| take | took |
| come | came |
Examples
- Carlos went to the market yesterday.
- Sofia had a big breakfast this morning.
- David saw his friend at the park.
- Emma made a cake for the party.
In negatives and questions, we still use did or didn't, and the verb goes back to its base form. She didn't have time yesterday. Did you see the movie? Never add -ed to an irregular verb, and never keep the past form after did or didn't.
Past Simple: Negatives and Questions
Negative
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| subject + didn't + base form | Emma didn't cook dinner last night. Laura didn't read the book. |
Yes/No questions and short answers
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Did Michael buy a new phone last week? | Yes, he did. No, he didn't. |
Wh-questions
We can also ask for more information with a question word first.
- Where did James go on vacation?
- What did you eat for breakfast?
Remember the word order: question word (if there is one), then did, then the subject, then the base form of the verb. This is the same for regular and irregular verbs, so did they arrive and did they go follow the same pattern.
Past Simple Time Expressions
These time words tell us when something happened. We usually put them at the end of the sentence.
| Group | Time expressions |
|---|---|
| yesterday | yesterday, yesterday morning, yesterday afternoon |
| last | last night, last week, last month, last summer |
| ago / in | three days ago, a year ago, in 2020 |
We say last week, NOT "the last week."
Examples
- Ana called her mother last night.
- They went shopping three days ago.
- I started my new job last month.
Past Simple: Common Mistakes
Check your sentences for these common mistakes.
Forgetting or misspelling -ed
| Not correct | Correct | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| ✗ Yesterday I walk to school. | ✓ Yesterday I walked to school. | Do not forget -ed on regular verbs. |
| ✗ She studyed English. | ✓ She studied English. | A consonant plus y changes to ied, not yed. |
Irregular verbs
| Not correct | Correct | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| ✗ He goed to the party. | ✓ He went to the party. | Irregular verbs do not take -ed. They change completely. |
Did + verb form
| Not correct | Correct | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| ✗ Did you went to the market? | ✓ Did you go to the market? | After did, the verb goes back to its base form, not the past form. |
Syllable count
| Not correct | Correct | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| ✗ "Wanted" said with one syllable | ✓ "Wanted" said with two syllables: want-ed | Verbs ending in t or d get an extra syllable in the past simple. |