Simple Past

Simple Past

The simple past (also called past simple) is a verb tense which is used to show that a completed action took place at a specific time in the past. The simple past is also frequently used to talk about past habits and generalizations.

Simple Past Forms

• The simple past is formed using the verb + ed. In addition, there are many verbs with irregular past forms. Questions are made with did and negative forms are made with did not:

• Affirmative: You called Debbie.

• Question: Did you call Debbie?

• Negative: You did not call Debbie.

Completed Action in the Past

• Use the simple past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind:

• I saw a movie yesterday.

• I didn't see a play yesterday.

• Last year, I traveled to Japan.

• Did you have dinner last night?

• He didn't wash his car

A Series of Completed Actions

• We use the simple past to list a series of completed actions in the past:

• I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.

• He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00.

• Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?

Duration in the Past

• The simple past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc:

• I lived in Brazil for two years.

• Shauna studied Japanese for five years.

• They did not stay at the party the entire time.

• We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.

Habits in the Past

The simple past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as "used to." To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.

Examples:

• I studied French when I was a child.

• He played the violin.

• Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid?

• She worked at the movie theater after school.

• They never went to school, they always skipped class.

Past Facts or Generalizations

• The simple past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true. As we said before, this use of the simple past is quite similar to the expression "used to."

  
  

• She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.

• He didn't like tomatoes before.

• Did you live in Texas when you were a kid?

• People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past.