
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
- GapFillTyping_MTYzMjI=
- Past simple 2
- GapFillTyping_MTYzMjM=
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
- ReorderingHorizontal_MTYzMjQ=
- Past simple questions 2
- GapFillTyping_MTYzMjU=
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
- GapFillDragAndDrop_MTYzMjY=
- Past simple negatives 2
- GapFillTyping_MTYzMjc=
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 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
Hi Piglet,
Both present and past can be used here and both mean the same as the present perfect (I've ever done) makes it clear that you are referring to the whole of your life up to the present.
If you want to show that the statement is no longer true then you need to use a past perfect: That hike was the best I had ever done.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Samin,
Here are the tenses of those sentences:
Best wishes,
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi rajeshvr,
Ago is an adverb. It tells us the distance in time from the present moment to another event. When you use ago you need to include a time reference, which can be a number or a description:
Before is a flexible word. It can be a preposition, a conjunction or an adverb. When it describes location rather than time it can also be an adjective. We use before to say that an event happened earlier in time than another. Whereas ago relates an action to the present, before simply relates one action to another.. With before we do not have to specify the length of time we are talking about, though we may:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Reema,
I'm afraid I can't comment on an explanation that I haven't seen. I expect that what the website meant was that the negative form of 'I wanted' is 'I didn't want' (not 'I didn't
towant').If you have any doubts, please refer to the explanation on this page -- it is correct.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello magnuslin,
As the Past tense page explains, in this grammar's view, there are only two tenses in English -- present and past -- though each has several different forms. On this (Past simple) page, only the past simple is discussed.
I wouldn't assume that someone who says 'past tense' definitely means 'past simple'.
By the way, if you're interested, you can read more about the idea that English has only two tenses in the Wikipedia, where it's explained a bit more.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Guan Lin,
Yes, this article refers to the past simple (also known as 'simple past').
As far as I know, 'the past tense' can refer to any of the four forms you mention, but I'm not completely sure what the author of this page meant. I'm sorry -- I can't make anything other than guesses about his intentions here.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team