Past Simple tense. English grammar with exercises. English Simple past tense examples. Free eBook and Free printable PDF
English Past Simple tense
English Past Simple tense
With most verbs, the past tense is formed by adding –ed:
| called | liked | wanted | worked |
English Past Tense Verb List
There are a lot of irregular past tense forms in English. Here are the most common irregular verbs in English, with their past tense forms:
| Base form | Past tense |
|---|---|
| be begin break bring buy build choose come cost cut do draw drive eat feel find get give go have hear hold keep know leave lead let lie lose make mean meet pay put run say sell send set sit speak spend stand take teach tell think understand wear win write | was/were began broke brought bought built chose came cost cut did drew drove ate felt found got gave went had heard held kept knew left led let lay lost made meant met paid put ran said sold sent set sat spoke spent stood took taught told thought understood wore won wrote |
When to use the past simple
We use the past tense to talk about:
-something that happened once in the past:
I met my husband in 1998.
We went to Italy for our holidays.
They got home very late early night.-something that happened several times in the past:
When I was a boy, I biked to school every day.
We swam a lot while we were on holiday.
They always enjoyed visiting their friends.-something that was true for some time in the past:
I lived in the Netherlands for ten years.
He enjoyed being a student.
She played a lot of soccer when she was younger.-we often use expressions with ago with the past simple:
I met my husband a long time ago.
Past simple questions and negatives
We use did to make questions with the past simple:
Did she play tennis when she was younger?
Did you live abroad?
When did you meet your wife?
Where did you go for your holidays?But questions with who often don’t use did:
Who discovered penicillin?
Who wrote Pride and Prejudice?We use didn’t (did not) to make negatives with the past simple:
They didn’t go to Italy this year.
We didn’t get home until very late last night.
I didn’t see you yesterday.
Past Simple tense: exercises
EXERCISE 1
Complete the sentences by using the appropriate form of the Simple Past.
Where …………………………… you ……………………… (go) last night?
We ……………………… (be) very tired, so we ……………………… (not go) out for dinner.
We ……………………… (stay) at home and ……………………… (watch) a movie on TV.
Who ……………………… (be) at the party with Sara last Sunday?
When …………………… your parents ……………………… (arrive)?
They …………………… (arrive) around half past 10 at the central station, then they ………………………… (take) the metro and ……………………… (visit) the town centre.
‘What ………………………… (happen) to Julie? She ……………………… (not be) at school yesterday.’ ‘Maybe she …………………… (have) a cold.’
When you ……………………… (be) a child, where ……………………… you ………………… (live)?
………………………… your friends …………………… (have) a good time in Mexico last summer?
There ……………………… (not be) any wine at home, and so my mother …………………… (go) to the supermarket to buy a bottle.
Yesterday Peter …………………………… (not do) his homework and this morning his teacher …………………………… (be) angry with him.
‘When …………………… your parents ……………………… (be born)?’ ‘My father ……………………… (be born) in 1954 and my mother in 1955.
Poor Michael! His wife ……………………… (die) last January. It ……………………… (be) a real shock for him and he …………………………… (go mad).
When her brother ……………………… (be) 6 years old, he ………………………… (be afraid) of the dark.
‘Oh, Gina! What a beautiful dress you’re wearing today! When …………………… you ……………………… (buy) it?’
‘Well, I ………………………………… (not buy) it! It ………………………… (be) a present for my birthday!’
I think William is sick. Last night he …………………………… (not have) dinner and before going to bed he …………………………… (take) an aspirin.
PAST SIMPLE WITH COULD
Could can be used to express a person’s ability in the past.
It is combined with the past simple to describe what a person was or was not able to do at a certain time in their life.
E.g. When I was 10 years old, I couldn’t drive a car.
When I was 6 years old, I could ride a bicycle.
EXERCISE 1.
Complete the following situations using could or couldn’t to express what you were or were not able to do when you were young.
e.g. When I was 15 years old I could play tennis very well.
1 year old (not speak)
5 years old (run) faster than my brother.
10 years old (build) model aeroplanes all by myself.
3 years old (not tie) my shoelace.
17 years old (eat) three hamburgers for dinner.
years old (not jump) over a puddle.
EXERCISE 2.
Use your imagination to answer the following questions.
What could/couldn’t you do when you were 4 years old?
What could/couldn’t you do when you were 15 years old?
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