Formation of simple pastes in English. When is Past Simple used? How is the affirmative form of the Past Simple formed?

Past Simple - simple past tense in English. It is indeed very simple in formation, even simpler than the simple present -, but its use is complicated by the presence and some features of the pronunciation of regular verbs in the past tense.

Past Simple sometimes also called preterite.

Watch Anna's explanation from Cambridge University Press:

Past Simple is mainly used to describe events in the past that have been completed. Although it also has other uses.

The past form of regular verbs is usually formed by adding -ed at the end, in addition, there are several hundred irregular verbs that have different forms. Most verbs have one past tense form, regardless of the person or number of the noun. That is, there is no need, as in Present Simple add -s for a third party.

Past Simple formation table for the verb “to be”

Past Simple formation table for all other verbs

Past Simple is used with words that can be remembered using an acronym (on, in, last, when, ago, yesterday)

Examples of Past Simple:

She was in London on 2nd of March The party was on Friday Paul was born in September in 1960 They were in Vienna last year I was very happy when I was a child We were at the meeting three weeks ago I was at the cinema yesterday

Features of writing and pronunciation of regular verbs in the Past Simple

According to pronunciation, regular verbs in the past tense can be divided into three groups:

1. If a regular verb ends with a dull sound, then in the past tense it will be read with (t) at the end, for example:

Basic form	Past form, writing	Ending, pronunciation
watch	watched	(t)	(watcht)
dance	danced	(t)	(danct)
laugh	laughed	(t)	(laught)
wash	washed	(t)	(washt)

2. If the correct verb ends in -t or -d, then in the past it is read with -id at the end:

Basic form	Past form, writing	Ending, pronunciation	Past form, pronunciation
start	started	(id)	(startid)
want	wanted	(id)	(wantid)
land	landed	(id)	(landid)
paint	painted	(id)	(paintid)

3. A regular verb ends with a vowel sound or a voiced consonant sound, then in the past it is read with -d at the end:

Basic form	Past form, writing	Ending, pronunciation	Past form, pronunciation
play	played	(d)	(playd)
clean	cleaned	(d)	(cleand)
study	studied	(d)	(study)
close	closed	(d)	(closd)

Exercise - Song Rihanna Diamonds

Listen to the song and find all the verbs in the past tense.

This infographic shows the basic information about the Past Simple. Read more below.

Past Simple education scheme: rules and examples

Let's look at how sentences with the Past Simple are formed in the affirmative, negative and interrogative forms.

Most verbs form the past simple form using the ending – ed, have special forms of the past tense. Let's take the example of the regular verb to visit- visit.

Examples:

Last week Dana invited me to her birthday party – Last week Dana invited me to celebrate her birthday.

I completed the course on Monday – I finished the course on Monday.

2. Past Simple in negative form: I didn’t visit

Negation is constructed using an auxiliary verb in the past tense form - did and particles not. The semantic verb is used in the initial form. In colloquial speech did not reduced to didn't’ t.

Examples:

Igor didn't meet me at the airport – Igor did not meet me at the airport.

We didn't order this meal – We did not order this dish.

3. Past Simple in interrogative form: Did I visit?

The interrogative form is also constructed using did- it is placed before . The semantic verb itself is used in the initial form (without endings).

Examples:

Did you go to school yesterday? – Did you go to school yesterday?

Did they feed your cat? – Did they feed your cat?

Meaning of Past Simple: When is the past simple used?

In most cases, the Past Simple denotes an action that happened at some point in the past. Unlike, it does not denote an ongoing, ongoing action. Let's look at the basic meanings of the past simple tense.

An action that happened in the past (base case).

Action in the past, usually accompanied by clarifications like yesterday(yesterday), last week(last week) in 2011(in 2011), about two hours ago(about two hours ago) and so on.

This could be an action that happened at a certain moment:

I returned from the meeting an hour ago. – I returned from the meeting an hour ago.

We arrived to London at seven thirty-two PM. “We arrived in London at seven thirty-two in the evening.

At an approximate time in the past:

Karen purchased new car yesterday. – Karen bought a new car yesterday.

We met in 2011. – We met in 2011.

Or simply in the past, without specifying the time:

I lost my phone. – I lost my phone.

He won.- He won.

An action repeated in the past.

In this case, there is tense in the sentence, otherwise it would be unclear what is meant. For example: last summer- last summer, every evening- every evening.

Last summer I spent a lot of time in the country – Last summer I spent a lot of time outside the city (that is, I visited the country from time to time).

She visited us almost every evening – She visited us almost every evening.

In the meaning of “a repeated action in the past”, instead of the past simple tense, the following is often used:

I used to spend a lot of time in country – I (often) spent a lot of time outside the city.

She used to visit us almost every evening – She visited us almost every evening.

Consecutive past actions.

When recounting events, we often use the simple past tense:

Harry woke up, took a shower and made breakfast. – Harry woke up, took a shower and cooked breakfast.

She closed her eyes and smiled. “She closed her eyes and smiled.

Past Simple video tutorial and exercises

The Past Simple topic is discussed in detail in the video lesson on Puzzle English. After watching the video, you can also do strengthening exercises.

Past Simple is used to express action in the past tense. The formation of the affirmative form depends on whether the verb is regular or not. Irregular verbs have 3 forms that you will need to learn. If the verb belongs to this category, then the 2nd form of the verb is taken, or V2: I woke up - I woke up, we made - we did, he sang - he sang.

Regular verbs are formed by adding the ending –ed to the verb stem: they laughed - they laughed, I typed - I typed, she cleaned - she cleaned.

Negative form

The Past Simple is formed in a negative form using the auxiliary verb to do in the Past Indefinite and the particle not, to which the infinitive of the semantic verb is added.

He did not write. - He didn’t write.

We didn't make. - We didn't.

They didn't clean. “They didn’t clean up.”

Please note

The last example shows a shortened form of negation; it is also reflected in spoken language.

Question form

To ask a question, you just need to move did to the beginning of the sentence; the order of the remaining words remains the same.

Did he write? Did we make? Did they clean?

Passive design

In the passive voice, the auxiliary to be is placed before the main verb in the 3rd form or a verb ending in –ed in the Past Simple. The table includes the formulas of the two collaterals for comparison.

Active and passive voice in Past Indefinite

Cases of use

Find out what options there are for using the Past Simple. The rules state that given time denotes events that happened in the past. However, Past Simple Tense can be in the context of either past or present tense. It is used in the following cases.

To express a one-time action

The event happened once in the past. Often the time of the action is indicated, usually it refers to the past tense, but the Simple Past Tense also occurs with such adverbs of time as: tonight, this morning, today, etc.

I just passed exams two months ago. – I passed the exams only two months ago.

I saw her in the school this morning. – I saw her at school this morning.

The time of action can be implied in a situation by mentioning the place of events or other accompanying circumstances, which can be expressed in Past Indefinite. The rules do not specify such options - you need to pay attention to the context itself.

She ate chocolate hearts in Paris. – She ate chocolate hearts in Paris.

He called me at breakfast to tell the latest news. “He called me at breakfast to tell me the latest news.

There are cases when mentioning time or place is not necessary, because... the speaker and the listener understand what event is being discussed.

I didn`t understand what he said. – I didn’t understand what he said.

He didn`t mean to hurt her feelings. “He didn’t want to offend her.”

Question in Past Indefinite.

To express events that happened during a certain period

In this case, the action itself has already ended, the period during which it took place is indicated. A period of time is usually indicated using an adverbial phrase with the prepositions for, during and expressions synonymous with them.

We discussed for 5 days. – We argued for 5 days.

Last year I traveled to Brazil during my summer holidays. – Last year during the summer holidays I went to Brazil.

To express sequential events

Such examples may appear in the narrative.

I came there very early, then I cleaned the place and prepared everything. “I got there very early, then cleaned up and got everything ready.

Actions in this case can be either one-time or take an entire period of time. In the latter case, prepositional phrases for, from...to, during or phrases all night, all day, etc. can be used in the phrase.

To indicate a repetitive action

In this case, as a rule, frequency adverbs are also used: never, now, often, for weeks, again, sometimes, etc.

You often reminded me of him. – You often reminded me of him.

Sometimes he found this story too good to be true. “Sometimes he thought the story was too good to be true.”

To express constant action

In this case, the subject is given a general characteristic.

She wore her hair in a high ponytail. - She wore a high ponytail.

Please note

The verb wear can be used not only with clothes, in English you can also “wear” hair, i.e. hairstyle

He lived in Spain for 6 years and still didn’t speak Spanish quite well. – He lived in Spain for 6 years and still didn’t speak Spanish very well.

Instead of Past Continuous

To express events taking place in at the moment in the past. Past long time is not used with stative verbs and is replaced in these cases by the Past Simple. Example sentences will help you better understand what is being said.

At that moment he wanted her to tell the truth. “At that moment he wanted her to tell the truth.

Also, the replacement of the Continuous by the Simple can occur with certain non-finite verbs. They can express thought processes, perceptions, feelings, emotions: remember, shine, gleam, lie, think, trust, etc. And substitution is also relevant in cases where events are treated as facts, and attention is focused specifically on the circumstances, under which they occurred.

He talked very fast, as if he had no time at all. “He spoke so quickly, as if he had no time at all.”

The street lights went off, but the moon gleamed and he could see her window. “The street lights went out, but the moon was shining and he could see her window.

Future tense event viewed from the past

This use of tense occurs in indirect speech and dependent structures. It can be found in concessive clauses, as well as tense and condition; in this case, the main clause may contain Future-in-the-Past or modal verbs.

She would, if she thought it effective, lie to him. “She could have lied if she thought it would do any good.”

Do the exercises in the Past Simple - describe everything you see in the picture using the tense you have learned.

Exercises Past Simple.

Remember that often, when using this tense, it is the very fact of the action that is important to the speaker and the conversation is not focused on the event as an ongoing process.

Watch the video lesson to reinforce the material:

Past Simple is called the simple past tense, but for many it is such a dark forest that they do not know how to approach it. We are sure this is not about you, but still... Why do we (or rather, the English) need this Past Simple Tense? Past Simple (otherwise, Past Indefinite) is pronounced like past simple. Past Rules simple simple: we will soon learn when the past simple is used, how the past simple is formed, why it is necessary to use the Past Simple, rules and examples of the functioning of this tense in the text. Imagine the situation: you are telling a friend what you did last summer. And we went there, and we were there, and we saw that. How can I tell all this in English? You can’t build barricades out of perfect forms, right? That's what it's for Time Past Simple.

Past Simple Tense: rules of use in English

So, let's take a closer look at the Past Simple - when is this tense used?

An action that you (or someone else) has performed regularly in the past. How often is not important. At least every minute, at least once in a millennium. The main thing is that the action was repeated from time to time in the past. Like here: He often visited us (often visited), when we lived there.
A constant sign of an object or a characteristic of a person in the past. What was this object or person once like? For example: Jane looked much better (looked much better), when I saw her last time.
A chain of sequential actions in the past. Often found in fairy tales like “grandmother for grandfather, grandfather for turnip,” i.e. where the actions of the characters are described step by step. A chain of simple actions occurs in our everyday life. Take a look: I entered the hall, switched on the light, opened the wardrobe, and then quickly closed it. He entered, turned on the light, opened the closet - these are sequential actions, very little time passed between them. There is no point in complicating the sentence and trying to convey this chain of actions in any other way than Past Simple.
One-time action in the past. Yes, yes, this is just about how you went to a resort 10 years ago, and now share your memories. Something that once happened some time ago (no matter yesterday or 140 years ago) is conveyed through the Past Simple.

Pitfall:

What to do with cultural heritage? For example, Shakespeare wrote such and such a work in such and such a year. We are using the results of Shakespeare’s work, and we are doing it now - in this case Past Simple is often confused with the present perfect, which describes the result in the present. However, the simple paste rule here is quite strict. Any invention, any work once written is a fact in the past. And the facts, especially indicating exact date, - the sphere of the Simple tense group.

Past Simple: education

How is the Past Simple formed? And it's very simple. It's not called simple for nothing. Past Simple, formation: V2 (second form of the verb). Do you remember that all English verbs can be divided into regular and irregular?

Past Simple: rules for forming the simple past of irregular verbs

Irregular verbs live their own lives: they have three forms, all three need to be known by heart. To get the Past Simple, we use the second form (V2) of the irregular verb.

For example:

Buy - bought - bought Read - read - read Cut - cut - cut Lie - lay - lain A list of irregular verbs is at the end of any dictionary or reference book. Ideally, this list should migrate from the reference book to your head. Fortunately, there are not many irregular verbs. Relatively. But all other verbs that are not on the list of irregular verbs are called regular. And everything is very easy with them. Past Simple: rules for forming the simple past of regular verbs Regular verbs in the Past Simple take on the ending -ed or -d. We add it to the stem of the infinitive.

For example:

To kick - he kicked (kick - he kicked) To look - he looked (look - he looked)

If the stem of the infinitive already ends in e, then only -d is added:

To dance - he danced (to dance - he danced) To invite - he invited (to invite - he invited) That's all! After all, it’s not for nothing that the Past Simple is called simple, right? But there are also some pitfalls.

Nuance No. 1

If a word ends with the letter y, then it must be changed to i and only then added the ending -ed. We do this manipulation only and exclusively when y is preceded by a consonant.

Compare:

To fly - he flied To obey - he obeyed In the case of obey before y - the vowel e. Well, let’s put the ending -ed and be glad that you don’t need to change anything!

Nuance No. 2

Did you like it? Then here's your second point. If the verb ends with the combination: short vowel sound + consonant letter, then the consonant is usually doubled. To plan - he planned This is necessary in order to save closed syllable. After all, if we do not double the n in the word planned, we will get an open syllable, and in an open syllable it is read differently. The end result will be a completely different word! Therefore, do not forget to double the consonant where necessary. But look at these examples: To fear - he feared To look - he looked There is no need to double anything here, because the consonants are not preceded by short vowels; nothing can affect their pronunciation. In British English, the l is always doubled at the end of a word: To quarrel - we quarreled But in American English such a metamorphosis does not occur. To quarrel - we quarrel How to correctly read verbs ending in -ed If putting a verb into the Past Simple is relatively easy, sometimes reading it is not very easy. Try not to neglect correct pronunciation, otherwise it will be very difficult for a foreigner to understand you.

What about questions and denials?

To form a question or negative, we need auxiliary verb do. Without it, alas, neither a question can be made nor a denial can be formed. The auxiliary verb do in the Past Simple will have the form did. In a negative sentence, did is placed after the subject and takes on the negative particle not.

Negation in Past Simple: rule of formation

Subject + did not + predicate (infinitive) Tom did not eat porridge. Didn't = didn't. Didn't is a shortened form of did not. In spoken language you are most likely to hear this form. Tom did not eat porridge = Tom didn’t eat porridge. Mark did not come yesterday = Mark didn’t come yesterday

Question in Past Simple: rule of formation

In a question, did will appear in the first position. The pattern of a general question in the past simple would be: DID + subject + predicate (infinitive)? Did Tom eat porridge? The answer to this question can be complete, but is usually short: - Yes, he did. / No, he didn’t.

< strong>Pitfall: A very common mistake when forming questions and negations in the Past Simple: using V2 instead of the infinitive. We have clearly understood how simple paste is formed - with the help -ed endings(for regular verbs) and V2 for irregular ones. Having understood this, we begin to put the second form of the verb everywhere, but in questions and negations this is superfluous! The auxiliary verb do has already taken over the functions of the past simple and turned into did (remember that do is an irregular verb: do-did-done. Accordingly, its V2 is did). Did ALREADY shows the past simple tense. There is simply no need to do any additional manipulations with the semantic verb (predicate)! Did already take care of everything!

Special questions

These are questions that begin with a special question word. Question words: What what? Where where? Who's who? Why why? When when? Whom to whom? How how? Special questions are not as difficult as they seem. If the structure of a simple question looks like this: DID + subject + predicate (infinitive)? Then the scheme of a special question looks like this: Question word + DID + subject + predicate (infinitive)? We simply put a question word at position zero - that’s all! The rest of the word order remains unchanged. The English language would not be English if there were not some exception here. It exists. With the question words Who (who?) and What? (what?), if we ask a question to the subject, this scheme does not work. True, it is even simpler. We simply put who or what in place of the subject! That's all! The predicate remains in the past simple. In practice it looks like this: Mary ate ice-cream yesterday. (Mary ate ice cream yesterday.) Who ate ice-cream yesterday? (Who ate ice cream yesterday?) Important: This scheme with who only works when we ask a question to the subject. If we ask a question to a direct object, then the scheme will be standard. Compare: Tom saw Mary two days ago. Who saw Mary two days ago? The question is asked to the subject (Tom). Who is in first position, no auxiliary verb is required. Let's move on. Let's first ask a general question (the answer to which will be “yes” or “no”): Did Tom see Mary two days ago? (put did first) And now special question with who, but not to the subject, but to the direct object (Mary): Who did Tom see two days ago? Since we are not asking the question to the subject, it means, like any interrogative word, who appears in the zero position, did remains in the first position and further according to the standard scheme.)

Past Simple Markers

Markers are our assistants, clue words that help us understand when we need the Past Simple. If we notice such a word in a sentence, this is a very eloquent hint that we need to use the simple past tense.

Okay, we know the markers, but where to put them in a sentence? After all, the structure of an English sentence is quite rigid... Markers containing the words last, every, ago, as a rule, are placed in last place in the sentence: I met Helen three months ago. Emma spent three weeks in Paris last year. Markers often, never, usually, rarely, always and similar ones usually come before the verb: I never saw you working. Tom and I always spent holidays together. Important: If the predicate is not an action verb, but a verb to be, then these markers are placed after it: John was often tired. Marker yesterday can occur at the beginning of a sentence or at the end: Yesterday I bought a new fur coat. I bought a new fur coat yesterday. But sometimes In general, he can stand wherever he wants. Or rather, where you want: I went to Paris sometimes, but always felt uncomfortable there. Sometimes I went to Paris, but always felt uncomfortable there. What to do if there are no bullets in the sentence? How we work with English sentence? First of all, we look at the markers. If you have an ago or last marker, then already at the stage of your first acquaintance with the sentence, without even translating it, you understand what tense you need to use: Past Simple. If there are no obvious markers in the sentence, then we move on to the next stage: translating the sentence. And here you may notice some clues.

For example:

Year indication: in 1956, in 2007. My grandpa died in 2007. Month indication: in August, in September. I caught a cold in January. The word during- for some time. Attention: during can only be used with nouns denoting a certain time period! During summer, during the weekend, during our meeting. Mary was in London during the winter. Marker for. You need to be more careful with this marker. This is one of the most striking pointers to present time Perfect. However, if the action has already completed and there is no connection with the present, then for clearly indicates the Past Simple. Compare: I have lived here for 13 years. I lived here for 13 years. (And I still live or am about to leave.) I lived in London for 13 years, but then moved to New York. I lived in London for 13 years and then moved to New York. (No connection with the present; I lived once and then moved). Clarification with when I pierced my tongue when I was 16. This is a fact of biography from the past. Which means Past Simple. If the emphasis is not on the fact, but on the process, then a different tense, Past Continuous, will be used: I was eating when my mom called me. Emphasis on the process - I was eating when my mother called me. Pay attention to the second part of the sentence: when my mom called me. Here we use the past simple again. Why? Because a shorter action or an action that interrupts the process (expressed in this case through the Past Continuous) requires the use of the Past Simple. Translate the sentence correctly and see how the semantic accents are placed! Past Simple is primarily a fact in the past. If an action used to happen regularly, but is no longer happening now, the construction used to + infinitive is used. Using this expression, we can designate habits of the past that we do not have now, or qualities and properties that are now absent. Take a look: I used to be good at drawing, but now I cannot draw even a straight line. I used to draw well, but now I can’t even draw a straight line. The translation of sentences of this type can begin with the words “once upon a time” or “remembered”. She used to be so pretty! I remember she was so pretty! As a synonym used to we can use would + infinitive- but only to indicate actions in the past, not characteristics! My mom would bake the best cookies, when I was a child. Now you know everything about the Past Simple tense and can express your thoughts with ease. To make your English even more beautiful, read our other articles about the rules and nuances of English grammar.