Past Simple
Learn how to form the past simple, what it is used to describe, and how it differs from the present perfect.
A single, finished action
The past simple names a completed action, tied to a specific point in the past.
The past simple describes a single, completed action in the past. Regular verbs form this by adding -ed; irregular verbs use their own past form instead. This tense is often paired with a specific past time expression.
In She worked yesterday. and She went to Spain in 2019., both worked and went describe actions that are complete, each tied to a specific point in the past.
This lesson covers how the past simple is formed, what it describes, and how it compares to the present perfect.
Before you begin
This is one of four topics on past tenses.
This lesson focuses on the past simple specifically. Past tenses as a whole includes three other topics, each covered in its own lesson.
If you would like an overview of past tenses in general, begin with the Past Tenses page.
The central idea
The past simple usually names a specific finished time.
Compare a past simple sentence with a present perfect sentence describing a related idea.
01
Past simple
She visited Japan in 2019.
02
Present perfect
She has visited Japan.
The useful question is: does exactly when this happened matter here?
The first sentence names the exact year, anchoring the visit to a finished point in the past. The second focuses on the experience itself, with no specific time stated.
Forming the past simple
Regular verbs add -ed; irregular verbs change their own way.
Regular verbs
work → worked
The full spelling rules for regular verbs, including silent e, doubled consonants, and consonant plus y endings, are covered in the Past Form lesson.
Irregular verbs
go → went
Irregular past forms need to be learned individually, and are covered in full in their own lesson.
Negatives and questions
Did carries the negation or the question, and the main verb returns to its base form.
Negative: did not
She didn’t work yesterday.
Question: did before the subject
Did she work yesterday?
Once did carries the past tense, the main verb returns to its base form, even for irregular verbs.
What the past simple describes
Three situations call for this tense.
A single completed action
She called me last night.
A sequence of completed actions
She woke up, made coffee, and left for work.
Common in storytelling, where events are told in the order they happened.
A past habit
She walked to school every day as a child.
Used to can also express this same idea, with a stronger sense of contrast to the present.
Common time expressions
These words often signal that the past simple is needed.
yesterday → She left yesterday.
last week / last year → They moved last year.
in 2019 → He graduated in 2019.
two days ago → I saw her two days ago.
when I was young → We lived abroad when I was young.
A useful decision guide
Ask whether a specific past time is stated, and check the verb form.
01
Is a specific finished time named or implied?
If so, the past simple usually fits better than the present perfect.
02
Is the verb regular or irregular?
Confirm the correct past form either way.
03
Is this a negative or a question?
Use did, and return the main verb to its base form.
04
Is this a repeated past habit?
The past simple fits, and used to is often a natural alternative.
Common mistakes
The present perfect and the base form after did are the most frequent slips.
A specific finished time is not paired with the present perfect.
Not: She has visited Japan in 2019.
Correct: She visited Japan in 2019.
The main verb returns to its base form after did.
Not: She didn’t worked yesterday.
Correct: She didn’t work yesterday.
An irregular verb is not given a regular -ed ending.
Not: She goed to Spain in 2019.
Correct: She went to Spain in 2019.
Check your understanding
Which sentence is correctly formed?
Choose the correct answer for each pair.
Which sentence is correctly formed?
✅ Exactly! “Last summer” is a specific finished time, which calls for the past simple.
❎ Not quite. The present perfect does not usually combine with a specific finished time.
Is “last summer” a specific, finished time?
Which sentence is correctly formed?
✅ Exactly! The main verb returns to its base form after “didn’t”.
❎ Not quite. Does “didn’t” already carry the past tense here?
Compare this to “didn’t work”, not “didn’t worked”.
Which sentence is correctly formed?
✅ Exactly! “Go” is irregular, so its past form is “went”.
❎ Not quite. “Go” does not follow the regular -ed pattern.
Is “go” a regular or an irregular verb?
Choose the best explanation
Select the sentence that explains the mistake correctly.
Why is “She has visited Japan in 2019.” not typically correct?
✅ Exactly! “She visited Japan in 2019.” is the more natural choice here.
❎ Not quite. Focus on the phrase “in 2019” and the tense used with it.
Why is “She didn’t worked yesterday.” not correctly formed?
✅ Exactly! “Didn’t work” is the correctly formed negative.
❎ Not quite. Look at the ending on “worked” here.
Quick review
The past simple names a completed action tied to a specific point in the past.
The past simple uses -ed for regular verbs, or the verb’s own irregular past form.
It describes a single completed action, a sequence of actions, or a past habit.
Negatives and questions are formed with did, with the main verb returning to its base form.
A specific past time word, such as yesterday or in 2019, usually rules out the present perfect.
Remember
If a specific time is named, this is likely the past simple.
A named or clearly implied point in the past is the clearest signal that the past simple, rather than the present perfect, is the tense this sentence needs.