Everything you need to use the simple past correctly: the formula, when to use it, signal words, common mistakes and exercises with answers.
Actions completed at a specific time in the past. Affirmative: S + V2 (past form); Negative: S + did not (didn't) + V; Interrogative: Did + S + V? Signal words: yesterday, last week/month/year, ago, in 2020, when, then/after that.
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | S + V2 (past form) All subjects + V2 (past form) | She worked late yesterday. Regular: verb + ed (worked). Irregular: a form of its own (went, saw, ate) |
| Negative | S + did not (didn't) + V All subjects + did not | She didn't work yesterday. After 'did not' the verb goes back to its base form |
| Interrogative | Did + S + V? Did + all subjects | Did she work yesterday? Short answers: Yes, she did. / No, she didn't. |
Describes an action that began and ended at a definite time in the past.
Describes a series of completed actions in order.
Describes a habit or state that was true in the past but is no longer.
| Word | Example | Note |
|---|---|---|
| yesterday | I saw her yesterday. | |
| last week/month/year | We travelled to Japan last year. | |
| ago | She left two hours ago. | Always comes after the length of time: 2 days ago |
| in 2020 | He graduated in 2020. | |
| when | When I arrived, she had already left. | Usually opens a time clause |
| then/after that | I ate dinner, then I watched TV. |
Fill in the blank, then open the answer to check it.
Options: goes · has gone · was going · went
went. "Yesterday" marks a specific past time, so the past simple. Go → went, an irregular verb.
Options: ate · eated · eaten
ate. "Last night" is a specific time, so the past simple. Eat → ate, an irregular verb.
Options: are paying · has been paying · paid · pays
paid. "last night" is a time that ended in the past, so this sentence uses the Past Simple. The verb returns to the past form: pay → paid.
Options: had travelled · travelled · will be travelling · will travel
travelled. "last week" is a period of time that ended in the past, so this sentence uses the Past Simple. The verb returns to the past form: travel → traveled.
Options: fell · has fallen · have fallen · were falling
fell. "two days ago" is a time that ended in the past, so this sentence uses the Past Simple. The verb returns to the past form: fall → fell.
Options: is watching · was watching · watched · were watching
watched. "yesterday" is a time that ended in the past, so this sentence uses the Past Simple. The verb returns to the past form: watch → watched.
Options: fight · fought · has fought · have fought
fought. "last year" is a period of time that ended in the past, so this sentence uses the Simple Past tense. The verb returns to the past form: fight → fought.
Options: are loving · love · loved · was loving
loved. "last night" is a time that ended in the past, so this sentence uses the Past Simple. The verb returns to the past form: love → loved.
Options: has waited · is waiting · waited · will wait
waited. "last week" is a period of time that ended in the past, so this sentence uses the Past Simple. Verb returns to past form: wait → waited.
Options: ate · eats · has been eating · will have eaten
ate. "two days ago" is a time that ended in the past, so this sentence uses the Past Simple. The verb returns to the past form: eat → ate.
Options: has sat · sat · sit · sits
sat. "yesterday" is a time that ended in the past, so this sentence uses the Past Simple. The verb returns to the past form: sit → sat.
Options: has visited · have been showing · showed · will be showing
showed. "last year" is a period of time that ended in the past, so this sentence uses the Simple Past tense. The verb returns to the past form: show → shown.
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