Past simple – Form

Educational chart outlining the Past Simple form in positive, negative, and question structures, with short answer examples and common mistakes.

Spelling of regular verbs

Grammar chart explaining the spelling rules for forming the past simple of regular verbs with '-ed', including examples and variations based on verb endings.

Past simple irregular

Irregular verbs don’t add -ed to make the past simple. Some very common irregular verbs are:
List of irregular verbs in the past tense with their infinitive forms and example sentences for A1 level English grammar learners.

Past simple – Use

Completed actions in the past

We use the past simple to talk about actions or events that happened in the past. We know, or we say, when the events happened.

Past habits

We use the past simple to talk about past habits (things that we did more or less often).

Situations that were true in the past

We also use the past simple to talk about things that were true in the past.

Events in chronological order

We use the past simple to describe the main events of a story in chronological order.