Simple Past Tense

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What Is the Simple Past Tense?

The simple past tense is used to describe a completed activity that happened in the past. In other words, the activity started in the past and ended in the past. For example:

• John baked a cake.
• They painted the fence.

Forming the Simple Past Tense

If you're dealing with a regular verb, the simple past tense is formed like this:

• jump > jumped
• paint > painted

However, there are some spelling rules.

Spelling Rules

If a verb of one syllable ends [consonant-vowel-consonant], double the final consonant and add "ed":

• chat > chatted
• stop > stopped

If the final consonant is w, x, or y, don't double it:

• sew > sewed
• play > played
• fix > fixed

If last syllable of a longer verb is stressed and ends [consonant-vowel-consonant], double the last consonant and add "ed":

• incur > incurred
• prefer > preferred

If the first syllable of a longer verb is stressed and the verb ends [consonant-vowel-consonant], just add "ed":

• open > opened
• enter > entered
• swallow > swallowed

If the verb ends "e", just add "d":

• thrive > thrived
• guzzle > guzzled

If the verb ends [consonant + "y"], change the "y" to an "i" and add "ed":

• cry > cried
• fry > fried

Forming the Simple Past Tense of Irregular Verbs

If it's an irregular verb, the simple past tense is formed in all sorts of different ways. Here are some examples:

• break > broke
• catch > caught
• find > found
• see > saw

You just have to learn them. Read more about irregular verbs (includes a list of the most common irregular verbs).

Real-life Examples of the Simple Past Tense

Here are some real-life examples of the simple past tense:

• I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free. (Italian sculptor Michelangelo)
• I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn't work that way so I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.

Using the Simple Past Tense

When making a statement, you can use the following word order:

• The Martians landed near the aqueduct.
• The burglar used the fire escape.

The Negative Version

If you need the negative version, you can use the following word order:

• The Martians did not land near the aqueduct.
(We could have used "didn't" instead of "did not.")
• The burglar did not use the fire escape.

The Question Version

If you need to ask a question, you can use the following word order for a yes/no question:

• Did the Martians land near the aqueduct?
• Did the burglar use the fire escape?

You can use the following word order for a question-word question:

• Why did the Martians land near the aqueduct?
• When did the burglar use the fire escape?

You can use the following word order for a choice question:

• Did the Martians land near the aqueduct or the town?
• Did the burglar use the fire escape or the stairs?

The Simple Past Tense with Time Expressions

The simple past tense is often seen with a time expression explaining when the activity took place or how long it lasted.

Examples of "when an activity took place":

• On Tuesday last week, the Martians landed near the aqueduct.
("On Tuesday last week" tells you when it happened. It's called an adverbial phrase of time. Other examples are"Yesterday," "Last year," "Before breakfast,". They are really common. When any adverb appears at the front of a sentence, it is usual to follow it with a comma. A comma is not usually used when the adverbial phrase appears at the back of a sentence. NB: This is not a strict rule. Use a comma if it helps your reader.)

Read more about commas with adverbial phrases.

• The Martians landed near the aqueduct on Tuesday last week.
(Note: No comma)
• Just before he was caught, the burglar considered using the fire escape.
("Just before he was caught" tells you when the activity took place.)

Examples of "how long an activity took":

• For the whole of June, the council inspected the drains.
("For the whole of June" tells you how long the activity took.)
• Her daughter hid under the bed for three hours.
(Using "for" is a common way of describing how long an activity lasted.)

Infographic for the Simple Past Tense

Interactive Verb Conjugation Tables

The tables below show all 12 tenses so you can see the simple past tense among the other tenses. (You can change the verb by clicking one of the green buttons.)

Top 10 Regular Verbs

want look use work start try ask need talk help

Top 10 Irregular Verbs

see say go come know get give become find think

All 4 Past Tenses

Person	Simple Past	Past Progressive Tense	Past Perfect Tense	Past Perfect Progressive Tense
I you he/she/it we you they	past tense past tense past tense past tense past tense past tense The simple past tense is for a completed activity that happened in the past.	was present participle were present participle was present participle were present participle were present participle were present participle The past progressive tense is for an ongoing activity in the past. Often, it is used to set the scene for another action.	had past participle had past participle had past participle had past participle had past participle had past participle The past perfect tense is for emphasizing that an action was completed before another took place.	had been present participle had been present participle had been present participle had been present participle had been present participle had been present participle The past perfect progressive tense is for showing that an ongoing action in the past has ended.

All 4 Present Tenses

Person	Simple Present	Present Progressive Tense	Present Perfect Tense	Present Perfect Progressive Tense
I you he/she/it we you they	base form base form 3rd pers sing present base form base form base form The simple present tense is mostly for a fact or a habit.	am present participle are present participle is present participle are present participle are present participle are present participle The present progressive tense is for an ongoing action in the present.	have past participle have past participle has past participle have past participle have past participle have past participle The present perfect tense is for an action that began in the past. (Often, the action continues into the present.)	have been present participle have been present participle has been present participle have been present participle have been present participle have been present participle The present perfect progressive tense is for a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present (or finished very recently).

All 4 Future Tenses

Person	Simple Future	Future Progressive Tense	Future Perfect Tense	Future Perfect Progressive Tense
I you he/she/it we you they	will base form will base form will base form will base form will base form will base form The simple future tense is for an action that will occur in the future.	will be present participle will be present participle will be present participle will be present participle will be present participle will be present participle The future progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will occur in the future.	will have past participle will have past participle will have past participle will have past participle will have past participle will have past participle The future perfect tense is for an action that will have been completed at some point in the future.	will have been present participle will have been present participle will have been present participle will have been present participle will have been present participle will have been present participle The future perfect progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future.

Video Lesson

Are you a visual learner? Do you prefer video to text? Here is a list of all our grammar videos.

The Other Past Tenses

The simple past tense is one of four past tenses. This table shows all four of the past tenses:

The 4 Past Tenses	Example
simple past tense	I went
past progressive tense	I was going
past perfect tense	I had gone
past perfect progressive tense	I had been going

Printable Test