Level: beginner
With most verbs, the past tense is formed by adding –ed:
| called | liked | wanted | worked |
But 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 |
We use the past tense to talk about:
- something that happened once in the past:
I met my wife in 1983.
We went to Spain for our holidays.
They got home very late last night.
- something that happened several times in the past:
When I was a boy, I walked a mile 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 abroad for ten years.
He enjoyed being a student.
She played a lot of tennis when she was younger.
- we often use expressions with ago with the past simple:
I met my wife a long time ago.
- Past simple 1
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- Past simple 2
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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 Don Quixote?
- Past simple questions 1
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- Past simple questions 2
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We use didn't (did not) to make negatives with the past simple:
They didn't go to Spain this year.
We didn't get home until very late last night.
I didn't see you yesterday.
- Past simple negatives 1
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- Past simple negatives 2
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Level: intermediate
Past simple and hypotheses
We can also use the past simple to refer to the present or future in hypotheses (when we imagine something). See these pages:
Hello Sandy,
It's the same question, but asks about the past instead of the present. Unless the other person says more -- for example, "when you were a child" or "when you studied at university", it's difficult to know which time in the past they mean.
Does that make sense?
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi,
I have another question. This article states one of the uses of the simple past tense as being "something that was true for some time in the past". I have two queries concerning this.
Firstly, does "something" refer to an event (i.e. an action or state/situation)?
Secondly, may I know if this explanation of the simple past tense (i.e. "something that was true for some time in the past") means the same as "something that took place over a complete period of time in the past"?
Thirdly, some examples that I can think of that fit this explanation of "something that was true for some time in the past" include sentences as follows. May I know if my understanding is correct?
I lived in China for two years.
Tom studied German for five years.
They sat in class all day.
They stayed at the party the entire time.
We talked on the phone for fifty minutes.
Regards,
Tim
Hello Tim,
Yes, 'something' could refer to a state or an action/event.
The past simple is not limited in duration. It can describe something which happens in a microsecond or something which lasts for millions of years. However, the action is seen as a unitary block in the sense that it is not interrupted (the contrast here is with the past continuous).
All of your examples are fine.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi, what about my second question: may I know if this explanation of the simple past tense (i.e. "something that was true for some time in the past") means the same as "something that took place over a complete period of time in the past"?
Hi again Tim,
Yes, that seems to be a reformulation of the same idea.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi,
This article, like many others you have on your website, are about the grammar tenses of british english, correct? While I know there are some differences between british and american english, such as in terms of speeling of certain words, I wish to know whether there are any differences between british and american english in terms of the uses of the various grammar tenses (e.g. simple past - as with this article, or any of the other english tenses, for example, past continuous, simple future, present perfect simple/continuous, past perfect etc).
Regards,
Tim
Hello Tim,
Yes, our focus is on British English, though really the grammatical differences between American and British English are very few and minor. I'd suggest you have a look at our page on this topic (https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/intermediate-to-upper-i…), where you'll see, for example, one minor difference in the way the past simple and present perfect are used. There are undoubtedly others, but we believe these five are the most common ones.
While the way British speakers use English grammar may occasionally strike American ears as a little strange, it would be extremely unusual for Americans not to understand Brits because of their grammar, or vice versa. And when there is confusion, it's usually more a matter of pronunciation or vocabulary, though that's also fairly uncommon in my experience.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
thank you. So firstly, from the article, regarding the comparison between american and british english in terms of using the present perfect simple and simple past, while present perfect simple is intended to express actions completed in the past but which have an effect on the present - and that this use is recognized and accepted as grammatical by both american and british english, american english tends to use the simple past more often. May I know if I have summarized this correctly?
Secondly, am I right to say that besides the present perfect simple tense vis-a-vis the simple past tense discussion as covered above, there are no further differences between american englisgh and british englisgh as far as the other english grammar tenses are concerned?
Hello Tim,
Yes, it sounds to me as if you've understood that difference correctly.
I'd hesitate to categorically say there are no other differences, but I would say this is to a good degree the most common and important one with respect to tense usage. More specifically, I can't think of any others off the top of my head, but this is not a topic I've done extensive research or thinking on. This is why I hesitate to make any sort of categorical statement on the matter.
Hope this helps.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Is had lost past simple? if not, then what is it?
And can I use it when talking about something recently lost?
Thank you
Hello sarasameer,
The form 'had lost' is an example of the past perfect. We use this to describe an action in the past before another action or time in the past. In other words, it describes 'past before past'. The two past actions should also have some connection: the earlier one causes or influences the later one in some way.
You can read more about the past perfect and practise it on these pages:
> the perfect aspect:
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-grammar/perfect-aspect
> talking about the past
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-grammar/talking-about-t…
> the past perfect
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/intermediate-to-upper-i…
> the past perfect
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-grammar/past-perfect
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Rikimaru,
The past simple is used for completed/finished actions in the past. For example:
However, there are a couple of things to remember. The first is that the action may have consequences which are ongoing even if the action is complete:
The second thing to remember is that a state may not be finished but the speaker may only be interested in talking about a particular part of it which is in the past, or may choose to divide the time in to discrete chunks. For example:
I was a teacher in 1993 and in 1994 and in 1995 – in fact, I'm still a teacher now! [The speaker treats 1993/4/5 as separate and distinct periods of time in the past]
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Tim,
Yes, that's correct. The speaker would have to really like the book!
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Can I use "everyday" in past tense?? For example, can I say he went to school everyday or I met him everyday. Is that correct?or I have to change "everyday" into yesterday or any thing like that.
Hi marwah,
Yes :) You can use it with the past tense. But, it should be "every day" (two words). The single word "everyday" is an adjective (e.g., an everyday activity).
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
I read this book last week. [I finished it]
I started reading a book two weeks ago and I'm still reading it. I haven't finished it. Somebody asks me what did you do yesterday? Can I reply with "I read a book" I neither started nor finished it yesterday, but this is exactly what I did yesterday. I spent some time reading the book.
Another example "I read the paper on the bus" does it mean that I started and finished the paper on the bus?
Hello IlyaTretyakov,
In itself, the verb 'read' doesn't clearly indicate whether we finished the text that is read; it refers more to the activity itself.
That said, often we leave out the object when we want to focus on the activity itself. Taking your second example, if somebody asked me what I did yesterday (and I read a book, but neither started or finished it), I'd say 'I read' or perhaps 'I read for half an hour after lunch'. That doesn't explicitly indicate that I did not finish the book, but usually if I started and finished a book all in a given time period, I'd say 'I read a book' (or 'I finished a book') instead of 'I read'. But if you really want to be clear, you generally have to use other words or expressions to specify these details, unless of course the context has made it clear.
As for your third example, it kind of depends on what the question was. I can't speak for everyone, but in general I think most people wouldn't say that 'reading the paper' means one reads the whole thing -- it's different from a novel, which people generally finish (though I suspect that trend is declining).
So if someone asked me when I read the paper and it was while I was on the bus that I had read part of the paper, I could use the sentence you ask about without indicating that I read it all. Though it could also indicate that I read it all if I actually did that. Again, you have to use additional words to make it completely clear. And, just like before, often the context will make it clear, as what has been said before usually makes it clear whether we're talking about reading part of or all of a text.
I wish there were a simpler answer, but I hope that helps you make sense of things, at least.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Rikimaru,
Yes, that's right. The simple past shows that the action took place in the past, but stating when it took place (i.e., by adding a time reference) is optional.
I hope that helps.
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Rikimaru,
Yes, that's right. The results of the action may persist or not, but the action itself was begun and completed in the past.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
In addition, simple past tense can be used regardless whether (a) the action/event happened recently (i.e. it does not matter how long ago the event is: it can be a few minutes or seconds in the past, or millions of years in the past), or (b) the action/event happened a long time ago, correct?
This means that regardless if its scenario (a) - simple past for events that happened recently, or (b) simple past for events that took place a long time ago, for both such scenarios, stating when the actions/events took place (i.e., by adding a time reference) is optional?
Hi Rikimaru,
Yes, that's right. At this point I think it's worth pointing out that we should look at the context (including the rest of the conversation) in which the past simple verb is used, as that will probably indicate which timeframe is relevant. For example, if I am telling somebody about dinosaurs, it is clear that I am talking about millions of years ago, even if I don't mention any time reference. So, yes - the time reference is optional with the past simple.
Best wishes,
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
I was reading this and would like to chip in with my own questions. What if there is no context/background, or if the context/background is vague or not obvious, can we still use the simple past tense without any time reference/adverbials just to indicate/express that an event (action or situation) started and ended in the past?
Hello Tim,
I'm finding it hard to think of a situation in which there is absolutely no suggested time period or assumption that one will be provided. Of course, we're talking about how people understand the context of a particular interaction and how it maps onto what is known and assumed about the world, but I would say that without some understood or assumed time reference we would either provide one in the sentence or use the present perfect.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello frodo123,
'visit' is a regular verb; its past simple form is 'visited'.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Timothy555,
It's a good question! They are similar, but there is a difference.
For the meaning of something that was true for some time in the past, we don't think of it as divisible into individual, repeated actions. The other examples show this more clearly: I lived abroad for ten years. / He enjoyed being a student. In these examples, we understand 'lived' and 'enjoyed' as long-lasting actions, rather than individual and repeated.
So, how about the tennis example? We can understand She played a lot of tennis as a general action over a longer period of time, just like 'lived' and 'enjoyed' in the other examples, without the more detailed sense of it consisting of repeated individual actions. A speaker might intend this meaning if there's no particular need in the conversation to emphasise the repeatedness of the action or its frequency.
But it's true that we can also understand the tennis example as the first meaning you mentioned, something that happened several times in the past - i.e. a repeated individual action: she played match after match, week after week (for example). We could add the frequency to support this intended meaning:
Best wishes,
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Tim,
Obviously I'm not Jonathan, but I'm confident that you've correctly understood what Jonathan meant.
We use the past simple with stative verbs and non-stative verbs to talk about past states or actions.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Timothy555,
Yes, that's right :)
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi,
Another query I have is when you say "She played a lot of tennis every weekend when she was younger" - this refers to a past repeated action (i.e. a habit) correct?
In addition, if I were to omit the "every weekend", can I take it that the sentence (i.e. just "She played a lot of tennis when she was younger") may be interpreted to mean either (a) a past repeated action (i.e. a habit), or (b) a general action over a longer period of time (i.e. a state/truth), and that because such a sentence can mean either (a) or (b), further explanation from the speaker/writer, or perhaps the context, will indicate whether the speaker/writer intended to express meaning (a) or meaning (b). Am I right?
Thanks
Hi Rikimaru,
Yes to all your questions :) But let me just add that further explanation about whether (a) or (b) is intended may not necessarily be given by the speaker. It depends on whether or not this subtle difference is important to the speakers and conversation, and what level of detail they require. In many cases, I would imagine that, since (a) and (b) mean something very similar, the general meaning (i.e., she played tennis a lot) is sufficient for the conversation.
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Timothy555,
Yes, that's right! Past simple and Simple past are the same thing. Both names are commonly used in learning materials and by teachers.
Yes, it's also common to refer to the past simple as the past tense. (Technically speaking, English has only two tenses: present and past. Other perfect or continuous forms that we sometimes call 'tenses' are more properly called aspects.)
Best wishes,
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Turki123456,
Both of your sentences are about the past. We know this because there are past tense verbs in each (died). Thus, the correct form is the past simple in each case: loved and was.
Of course, sometimes people still feel love after someone dies, but the convention is to place it in the past.
You can also sometimes hear people use a present form when defining something from history, using it with the sense 'Pablo Picasso is the name of a painter who died in...' In other words, the present is really referring to the name or title rather than the person.
By the way, Picasso was Spanish, not Italian.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Timothy555,
Yes, in general, such a list of actions is understood as a narrative, i.e. a sequence of actions.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi, "a sequence of actions" means the actions/events occured chronologically/sequentially (i.e. following the order in which they occurred)?
Hi Timothy555,
Yes, that is correct. :)
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Abdul Azeez Ibrahim,
It's very common for the past simple to be used without a specific time reference and it is perfectly correct to do so.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team