Past Simple
The past simple is used to talk about events in the past; it's often used to tell a story.
Form
We make the past tense of regular verbs by adding -ed to the infinitive form fo the verb. There is no change for the third person singular:
If the verb ends in a stressed vowel + consonant then double the final consonant:
If the verb already ends in -e then just add the -d:
If the verb ends in consonant + -y then take off the -y and add -ied:
Irregular verbs follow no rule to make the past simple tense. Each irregular verb has its own past simple, and these can only be learnt by heart.
| Present | Past |
| eat | ate |
| find | found |
| see | saw |
| tear | tore |
Usage
We use the past simple when we talk about an action or event which started in the past and finished in the past.
See Also
What I Did at the Weekend - an activity where students recount a story
