Past Simple

We use the Past Simple to talk about actions that happened at a specific time in the past. The actions can be short or long. There can be a few actions happening one ofter another.

Use

1. Events in the past that are now finished
2. Situation in the past
3. A series of actions in the past

Use 1: Past actions that are now finished

The first use of the Past Simple to express actions that happened at a specific time in the past. The actions can be short or long.

• John cut his finger last week. short
• I went to college 3 years ago. long
• He ate the dinner 1 hour ago. short
• I slept well last night. long

Use 2: Situation in the past

Another use of this tense is talk about situations in the past.

• I lived in New York for 10 years (I don't live there anymore).

Use 3: A series of actions in the past

The Past Simple can also be used with a few actions in the past happening one after another.

• He entered a room, lit a cigarette and smiled at the guests.

Form

Forming a sentence in the Past Simple is easy. To form a declarative sentence, all you need is the subject of the sentence (e.g. I, you, he, a dog) and the past form of your verb (e.g. was, talked, swam). Questions and negative sentences are only a little more difficult, because they require an auxiliary verb.

Declarative Sentences

	Examples	Use (click to read)
	I lived in New York for 10 years.	1
	Mike walked in, looked around and smiled to us.	3
	He married a woman who lived in the same village.	2
	I ate the cake yesterday.	1

Questions

	Examples	Use (click to read)
	How long did he work there?	1
	Didthe telephone ring?	1
	Did you see that?	1

Negative Sentences

	Examples	Use (click to read)
	He didn't learn any Italian when he was in Italy two year ago.	1
	I wasn't at my grandma's when you came.	1
	He didn't get any good grades when he attended school.	3

Check your understanding!