English grammar: Past simple

What this grammar point covers

The past simple is a tense in English used to talk about actions or events that happened and finished in the past.

When to use it

Use the past simple to talk about completed actions in the past, past habits, or events that happened at a specific time.

Key forms

• Affirmative: subject + past form of verb (e.g., I walked.)
• Negative: subject + did not + base verb (e.g., I did not walk.)
• Question: Did + subject + base verb? (e.g., Did you walk?)

Examples

Tips

• Remember to use the base form of the verb after 'did' in negatives and questions.
• Many verbs are irregular in the past simple (e.g., go → went, have → had).

Exceptions and edge cases

• Some verbs have irregular past forms. There is no rule for these, so you need to memorize them.
• The verb 'to be' is special: 'was' for I/he/she/it, 'were' for you/we/they.