Learn to talk about completed actions and past events using regular verbs with -ed endings and common irregular verbs like go/went and see/saw.
The Past Simple tense is used to talk about completed actions in the past. Learn to share stories, describe past experiences, and discuss historical events with confidence.
Regular verbs: add -ed to the base verb for all subjects. The form never changes.
Spelling rules
Most verbs: add -ed. Verbs ending in -e: add -d only (live→lived). Consonant + y: change y→i + ed (study→studied). Short vowel + consonant: double it (stop→stopped).
The Past Simple tense describes actions that were completed at a specific time in the past. It's the most common tense for telling stories, sharing experiences, and discussing historical events.
"I finished my work yesterday."
"She traveled to Paris last year."
"They watched the movie last night."
"I lived in London when I was young."
"He worked as a teacher for 10 years."
"We played tennis every weekend."
Regular Verbs: Subject + verb + ed
✓ I work → I worked
✓ She play → She played
✓ They study → They studied
Last Saturday, my family and I went to the beach. We packed sandwiches, fruit, and cold drinks early in the morning.
The children played in the sand and built a huge sandcastle. My sister swam in the sea while I walked along the shore.
We ate lunch under a big umbrella and watched the seagulls fly overhead. After lunch, my dad bought ice cream for everyone.
In the evening, we drove home tired but happy. It was a wonderful day that we will always remember.
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Learn the patterns for creating Past Simple sentences with regular and irregular verbs.
Most verbs: work → worked
Ends with -e: like → liked
Ends with consonant + y: study → studied
One vowel + one consonant: stop → stopped
go → went
see → saw
eat → ate
buy → bought
have → had
make → made
Change these verbs to Past Simple:
1. "I __________ (finish) my homework yesterday."
2. "She __________ (not go) to the party last night."
3. "They __________ (see) that movie last week."
1. "I finished my homework yesterday."
2. "She did not go to the party last night." or "She didn't go to the party last night."
3. "They saw that movie last week."
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Learn the specific situations where we use the Past Simple tense.
"I visited Paris last year."
played every day
always walked
usually worked
lived there
was happy
had a car
"When I was young, I played football every weekend."
"I woke up, brushed my teeth, and ate breakfast."
Want to try a Past Simple quiz?
Practice with multiple choice questions
These words and phrases are commonly used with the Past Simple tense.
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Ready to test your Past Simple knowledge?
Challenge yourself with fill-in-the-blank exercises
❌ I goed to the store yesterday.
✓ I went to the store yesterday.
❌ She didn't went to the party.
✓ She didn't go to the party.
❌ Did you saw the movie?
✓ Did you see the movie?
❌ They buyed three new books.
✓ They bought three new books.
❌ I was go to school yesterday.
✓ I went to school yesterday.
Master Past Simple sentence building!
Drag and drop words to form correct sentences
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To practice your pronunciation, listen to the native speaker audio first. Then 'Record' yourself repeating what you heard, then use the 'Playback' button to compare your pronunciation with the native speaker. If you want to record yourself again, simply click 'Delete'!
I walked to school this morning with my friends.
She visited her grandparents at their home last weekend.
They went to the cinema yesterday to see the new action movie.
He didn't play football last night with his brother.
Did you enjoy the end of term party last Friday?
I bought three apples and some bread at the market yesterday.
She drank a glass of water but didn't eat much rice.
We saw several interesting people and heard some important news.
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