Past simple
The past simple describes completed actions and states at a specific, finished time in the past: 'I visited Prague in 2019.' Regular verbs add -ed; irregular verbs change form entirely (go → went). It pairs with finished-time words like yesterday, last week, and ago, and is the backbone tense for telling stories and reporting past events.
The rule
How to form the past simple
Positive (regular verbs)
subjectverb-ed
We watched the sunset from the rooftop.
Positive (irregular verbs)
subjectirregular past form
They went to the market early.
Negative
subjectdidn'tbase verb
She didn't answer the phone.
Question
Didsubjectbase verb?
Did you finish the report on time?
Inside a sentence
Wesubjectwatchedverb + -edthe sunset from the rooftop.
DidDidyousubjectfinishbase verbthe report on time?
- subject
- helping verb
- main verb
Signal words
- yesterday
- last night
- last week
- last year
- ago
- in 2019
- when I was a child
- at that time
How to use past simple
When do you use the past simple?
Use the past simple for actions and states that began and ended at a specific point in the past. The time may be stated directly (yesterday, in 2015, three years ago) or clear from context, but it must be finished, not connected to now.
This is the default storytelling tense in English: once a time frame is set, events are usually told in the order they happened using the past simple.
- I graduated from university in 2020.finished action, stated time
- The company opened its first branch in Karachi.
- I have graduated from university in 2020.a stated finished date blocks the present perfect → I graduated
Regular and irregular verbs
Regular verbs form the past simple by adding -ed (or just -d after a silent e): work → worked, arrive → arrived. Spelling changes apply for verbs ending in a single stressed vowel + consonant (stop → stopped) and consonant + y (study → studied).
Irregular verbs change form completely and must be memorised individually: go/went, see/saw, buy/bought. There is no shortcut for these; frequent reading and speaking practice is the fastest way to make them automatic.
- She studied medicine for six years before qualifying.consonant + y → -ied
- He stopped the car outside the station.doubled consonant before -ed
- He goed to the shop before it closed.'go' is irregular → went
Making negatives and questions
Negatives and questions use the auxiliary 'did', which carries the past tense for you, so the main verb returns to its base form in both. This is true for regular and irregular verbs alike.
The verb 'be' does not use 'did'; it forms negatives and questions by inverting was/were directly with the subject.
- I didn't hear the announcement over the noise.didn't + base verb, not the past form
- Did she pass her driving test on the first attempt?
- Did she passed her driving test?→ Did she pass
Typical time expressions with the past simple
The past simple pairs naturally with expressions that fix an action in finished time: yesterday, last night, last year, in 2018, two days ago, when I was a child, at that time. These same words block the present perfect, which is one of the clearest tests for choosing between the two tenses.
- We moved into this flat two years ago.'ago' → past simple
- When I was ten, my family lived in a small village near Kigali.
- Last night I have watched a documentary about coral reefs.→ Last night I watched
Telling a story in the past simple
In narratives, the past simple usually carries the main events in the order they happened, while the past continuous (covered on its own page) sets the scene or background. Getting this rhythm right (main events in past simple, background in past continuous) is central to natural storytelling in IELTS Speaking Part 2.
- I opened the door, stepped outside and immediately regretted forgetting my umbrella.a sequence of main events
- We arrived at the venue, found our seats and waited for the show to start.
Common mistakes with past simple
Find what is wrong in each one, then open it to check.
1I go to Istanbul last summer.What's wrong? Show the fix
I went to Istanbul last summer.
A stated finished time (last summer) requires the past simple; 'go' must change to its irregular past form 'went'.
2She didn't wanted to leave early.What's wrong? Show the fix
She didn't want to leave early.
Once 'didn't' carries the past tense, the main verb returns to its base form: want, not wanted.
3Did you saw the notice on the board?What's wrong? Show the fix
Did you see the notice on the board?
After 'did' in a question, the main verb must be in its base form: see, not saw.
4I have visited my cousin last weekend.What's wrong? Show the fix
I visited my cousin last weekend.
'Last weekend' is a finished-time expression, so the present perfect is impossible here; use the past simple.
5He studyed abroad for two years.What's wrong? Show the fix
He studied abroad for two years.
Consonant + y changes to -ied in the past simple; study becomes studied, not studyed.
6The meeting were cancelled at short notice.What's wrong? Show the fix
The meeting was cancelled at short notice.
The singular subject 'the meeting' needs 'was', not 'were', in the past simple of 'be'.
7When I was child, I lived near the coast.What's wrong? Show the fix
When I was a child, I lived near the coast.
The singular countable noun 'child' needs the article 'a', an article slip that appears constantly inside past-tense storytelling.
Practise
Write your own
Write a sentence of your own with past simple, about you, your studies or your town.
Past simple in IELTS
Speaking
- Part 2 stories almost always run on the past simple as their main tense; practise irregular verbs (went, saw, took, felt, met) until they come out instantly, since hesitation on basic past forms costs fluency marks as well as accuracy marks.
- Part 1 questions about your past (schooling, childhood, first job) expect the past simple with a finished time word: 'I studied at a school in Chennai until I was sixteen.'
Writing
- Task 1 charts covering a completed historical period (e.g. 1990 to 2010) should stay in the past simple throughout; switching to the present perfect mid-description is a common accuracy error.
- Task 2 essays that cite a historical example benefit from the past simple for precision: 'Many governments introduced smoking bans in the early 2000s, and public health outcomes improved as a result.'