The past simple

1. The Concept of Past Simple Tense

The Past Simple Tense is used to describe actions or events that happened in the past or have just recently ended.

Examples:

➢ We went shopping yesterday.

➢ He didn’t come to school last week.

Examples of Past Simple Tense

2. Past Simple Tense Formula

Form	Verb “to be”	Regular Verbs
Affirmative	Formula: S + was/were + O S = I/He/She/It (singular) + was S = We/You/They (plural) + were Example 1: My computer was broken yesterday. Example 2: They were in Paris on their summer holiday last year.	Formula: S + V-ed/Virregular + O For regular verbs in the past simple, add the suffix "-ed" to the verb. Some verbs used in the past simple do not follow the regular "-ed" rule. These irregular verbs must be memorized. Example 1: She watched this film yesterday. Example 2: I went to sleep at 11 p.m. last night.
Negative	S + was/were not + Object/Adj For negative sentences, add “not” after the verb “to be.” NOTE: – was not = wasn’t – were not = weren’t Examples: – She wasn’t very happy last night because of having lost money. – We weren’t at home yesterday.	S + did not + V (base form) In the past simple tense, for negative sentences, use the auxiliary verb “did + not” (contracted as “didn’t”), followed by the verb in its base form. Example 1: He didn’t play football last Sunday. Example 2: We didn’t see him at the cinema last night.
Question	Question: Was/Were + S + Object/Adj? Answer: Yes, I/he/she/it + was. – No, I/he/she/it + wasn’t. Yes, we/you/they + were. – No, we/you/they + weren’t. For questions, place the verb “to be” before the subject. Example 1: Was she tired of hearing her customer’s complaints yesterday? Yes, she was./ No, she wasn’t. Example 2: Were they at work yesterday? Yes, they were./ No, they weren’t.	Question: Did + S + V (base form)? For questions in the past simple tense, use the auxiliary verb “did” before the subject, followed by the verb in its base form. Example 1: Did you visit Hanoi Museum with your class last weekend? Yes, I did./ No, I didn’t. Example 2: Did she miss the train yesterday? Yes, she did./ No, she didn’t.

3. Signs of the Past Simple Tense

The Past Simple Tense can be easily recognized by the following signs:

➣ Sentences containing words such as: yesterday, ago, last (week, year, month), in the past, the day before, or with time periods that have passed during the day (today, this morning, this afternoon).

➣ Ago: a certain time in the past (two hours ago: two hours earlier, two weeks ago: two weeks earlier…)

➣ at, on, in… (at 6 o’clock, on Monday, in June,…)

➣ When + a clause in the Past Simple Tense: when (when I was a kid,…)

➣ Commonly used after as if, as though, it’s time, if only, wish, would sooner/rather,… (except in some special cases).

Example 1: Yesterday morning, Tom got up early; then he ate breakfast and went to school.

Example 2: Tom lived in Vietnam for six years, now he lives in Paris.

Example 3: The plane took off two hours ago.

4. Uses of the Past Simple Tense

➣ To describe an action that happened once, several times, or never happened in the past.

Example 1: He visited his parents last weekend.

Example 2: She went home last Friday.

He visited his parents every weekend

➣ To describe actions that happened consecutively in the past.

Example 1: She came home, switched on the computer, and checked her emails.

Example 2: She turned on her computer, read the message on Facebook, and answered it.

She came home, switched on the computer and checked her emails

➣ To describe an action that interrupted another action in progress in the past.

Example 1: When I was having breakfast, the phone suddenly rang.

Example 2: When I was cooking, my parents came.

When I was having breakfast, the phone suddenly rang

➣ Used in Type II conditional sentences.

Example 1: If I had a million USD, I would buy that car.

Example 2: If I were you, I would do it.

If I had a million USD, I would buy that car

5. How to Conjugate Verbs in the Past Simple Tense

➣ Add “-ed” to the verb:

Generally, add “ed” to the verb: Examples: Watch – watched / turn – turned / want – wanted / attach – attached /...

➣ For verbs ending in “e,” add only “d”:

Examples: type – typed / smile – smiled / agree – agreed

➣ For verbs with ONE syllable, ending in ONE consonant, preceded by ONE vowel, double the final consonant and add “-ed.”

Examples: stop – stopped / shop – shopped / tap – tapped /

Exceptions that do not follow this rule: commit – committed / travel – travelled / prefer – preferred