Past simple explanation. Past Simple - rules and examples of use in English. The rule for writing words with the ending -ed

We love to talk about the past, talk about memories, past events and interesting cases. On New Year's Eve, this is especially true - everyone sums up and tells each other what the outgoing year was remembered for. And to do this in English, the Past Simple time will help us. We will talk about it in today's article.

The Past Simple is used to describe actions or events that happened in the past. This is the main purpose of Past Simple, we will talk about other functions of time later.

To begin with, we suggest remembering how the Past Simple is formed in affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences.

Examples of affirmative sentences in Past Simple:

And then I smiled at him and he smiled back at me. - And then I smiled him, and he smiled me in reply.
She liked my Facebook post yesterday. - She liked my Facebook post from yesterday.
I bought a tent last summer. - Last summer I bought tent.
I threw the ball very high. - I threw the ball is very high.

Examples of negative sentences in Past Simple:

I did not go the cinema yesterday. - I yesterday did not go to the cinema.
They didn't travel to New Zealand last winter. - Last winter they didn't go to New Zealand.
She didn't find her bag that time. - That time she didn't find your handbag.

Examples of interrogative sentences in Past Simple:

Did you eat lots of shrimps at the party? - you ate a lot of shrimp at the party?
Did they go to Lady Gaga's concert two years ago? - They drove to a Lady Gaga concert two years ago?
Did he tell you about his plans? - He told you about your plans?

You can answer questions using short forms - Yes, I did or No, I didn't.

Features of the formation of the past form of the regular verb

• If the verb ends in a consonant + -y, then -y changes to -i, and then the ending -ed is added: study - studied, fry - fried, cry - cried, try - tried.

  I tried my best to study English when I was at school. - I tried struggle to learn English at school.
  they replied me two days ago. - They are answered me two days ago.

• If the verb ends in a vowel + -y, then we add -ed after -y: obey - obeyed, play - played, stay - stayed.

  Twins annoyed their elder sister. - Twins annoyed his older sister.
  Mike enjoyed rock concerts. - Mike liked rock concerts.

• If a monosyllabic verb ends in a consonant (with the exception of -x) preceded by a vowel, then the consonant is doubled: beg - begged, clap - clapped, jog - jogged, tan - tanned.

  He hopped on a train headed east. - He jumped on a train heading east.
  Alice pinned the note to the board. - Alice attached note on the board.

• If the verb has more than one syllable, while it ends in a consonant preceded by a stressed vowel, then the consonant at the end is doubled: fulfil - fulfilled, refer - referred.

  Mary controlled her daughter fully. - Mary completely controlled your daughter.
  My grandma preferred ice tea. - My grandmother preferred cold tea.

Features of the formation of the past form of an irregular verb

Some English verbs form other forms of the past tense that you just need to remember. In ours, we have collected for you the most common of them.

Let's see how the two most common irregular verbs change in the past tense - to be and to have.

The linking verb to be in the past simple takes the form was for the pronouns I, she, he, it and the form were for we, you, they.

I was at chemist "s. - I was in a pharmacy.
My parents were happy in their youth. - My parents were happy when young.

The verb to have (to have) turns into had:

Jane had a bird and a hamster when she was a kid. - When Jane was As a child, she had a bird and a hamster.
They had a large house. - U them was big house.

Pronunciation of the ending -ed

Not only the spelling of the -ed ending is interesting, but also its pronunciation. There are only three rules to remember:

• If the verb ends in /t/, /d/, pronounce the -ed ending as /ɪd/. For example: wanted, hated, landed, ended.
• If the verb ends in the sounds /k/, /s/, /p/, /f/, /tʃ/, /ʃ/, pronounce the ending -ed as /t/. For example: liked, watched, laughed, washed.
• After all other sounds, pronounce -ed as /d/. For example: played, borrowed, closed, answered.

When to use Past Simple

Let's find out in which cases the Past Simple is useful to you.

1. Fact or completed action in the past

   We use the Past Simple to talk about some fact or action that ended in the past. This is indicated by marker words Past Simple: yesterday (yesterday), three days ago (three days ago), a long time ago (long ago), the other day (the other day), last week (last week), in 2015 ( in 2015), on Sunday (Sunday), at 5 p.m. (at 5 pm), during the weekend (during the weekend), etc.

   We bought a new car last month. - Last month we bought new car.
   The construction of the Eiffel Tower started in 1887. - Construction of the Eiffel Tower started in 1887.
   I met your sister two weeks ago. - I met your sister two weeks ago.

   If there is enough context, time markers are optional:

   He was my friend. Now he is my enemy. - He was my friend, now he is my enemy.

2. Events that happened one after the other

   Past Simple is suitable for describing the sequence of some events in the past. Such events can often be found in literature when the author tells a story.

   I woke up, put on my suit and drove to work. - I woke up, allotment your favorite suit and went to work.
   That day my father came home, checked his mailbox and started his workout. - On that day, father came home, checked mailbox and began workout.

3. Habits and repetitive actions in the past

   If you used to do something often, but now you don’t, use Past Simple or the construction used to do smth - read about it in. In the case of habits, the following marker words indicate Past Simple: always (always), often (often), sometimes (sometimes), from time to time (from time to time).

   She always went skating on Fridays. - She is always skated on Fridays.
   From time to time our grandma took us to the cinema. - Occasionally grandmother took us to the cinema.

We suggest taking a short test to consolidate everything that we have learned about the time of Past Simple.

past simple is the past simple tense in English. When talking about the past, this time is usually used. Using it, we are talking about something that happened(i.e. just happened) in the past. If it's about something that happened(that is, lasted) in the past, is used.

Past Simple Education Scheme: Rules and Examples

Consider how sentences with Past Simple are formed in the affirmative, negative and interrogative forms.

Most verbs form the Past Simple with the ending – ed, have special forms of the past tense. Take for example the correct verb to visit- visit.

Examples:

Last week Dana invited me to her birthday party - Last week Dana invited me to her birthday party.

I completed the course on Monday - I completed the course on Monday.

2. Negative form: I didn't visit

Negation is built using an auxiliary verb in the form of the past tense - did and particles not. The semantic verb is used in the initial form. In colloquial speech did not reduced to didn't’ t.

Examples:

Igor didn't meet me at the airport - Igor did not meet me at the airport.

We didn't order this meal - We did not order this dish.

3. Interrogative form: Did I visit?

The interrogative form is also built using did- it is placed in front of . The semantic verb itself is used in its initial form (without endings).

Examples:

Did you go to school yesterday? – Did you go to school yesterday?

Did they feed your cat? Did they feed your cat?

Meaning of the Past Simple: when is the past simple used?

In most cases, Past Simple denotes an action that happened at some point in the past. Unlike , it does not denote a continuing, lasting action. Consider the basic meanings of the past simple tense.

• An action that happened in the past (basic case).

Action in the past, usually accompanied by clarifications like yesterday(yesterday), last week(last week), in 2011(in 2011), about two hours ago(about two hours ago) and so on.

It can be an action that happened at a certain moment:

I returned from the meeting an hour ago. I got back from the meeting an hour ago.

We arrived to London at seven thirty-two PM. We arrived in London at seven thirty-two in the evening.

Approximate time in the past:

Karen purchased new car yesterday. Karen bought a new car yesterday.

We met in 2011 . – We met in 2011.

Or just in the past, without specifying the time:

I lost my phone. - I lost my phone.

He won.- He won.

• An action that has been repeated in the past.

In this case, there is time in the sentence, otherwise it would not be clear what is meant. For example: last summer- last summer, every evening- every evening.

Last summer I spent a lot of time in country - Last summer I spent a lot of time outside the city (that is, I was out of town from time to time).

She visited us almost every evening - She visited us almost every evening.

In the meaning of "repeated action in the past" instead of the past simple tense is often used:

I used to spend a lot of time in country - I (often) spent a lot of time outside the city.

She used to visit us almost every evening - She visited us almost every evening.

past simple(simple past) is one of the most common tenses in English. By using past simple we can convey events that took place in the past, and in some cases, events in the present. Therefore, at any level of English proficiency, you will learn something new about past simple.

How is the Past Simple formed?

Statement

In order to form past simple, we add an ending to the verb -ed if the verb is correct ( work – worked, learn – learned, ask – asked). If the verb is irregular, then we are looking for a form for past simple in the second column. Most likely, at first it will be difficult for you to immediately determine which verb is in front of you. You will find the irregular verb in the table. If it's not there, it's correct.

• In the article "" you will learn about a method that will help you memorize irregular verbs easily and quickly.

Negation

In a negative sentence past simple auxiliary verb appears did(second form of irregular verb do) and particle not. In an English sentence, only one verb can be in the past tense, so as soon as did, the main verb takes the form of an infinitive without a particle to (go, look, feel).

In colloquial speech did and not combined to form an abbreviated form didn't:

• He didn't tell.
• We didn't discuss.

Question

To ask a question in past simple, we put in the first place did, followed by the subject, then the main verb.

Verb to be in Past Simple

As you already know from the article "", to be- this is an irregular verb, so the form of the past tense must be remembered. But in the past tense, he has not one form, like all other verbs, but two: was(for singular nouns and pronouns) and were(for plural nouns and pronouns).

In denial was (were) combines with not and forms an abbreviated form:

• I wasn't at work.
• They weren't happy.

For your convenience, we have divided all functions past simple into three groups according to the level of English proficiency: elementary (green frame), intermediate (yellow frame), high (red frame). So you can learn exactly those functions that correspond to your level.

Using the Past Simple

First level

Let us immediately pay attention to the fact that the main functions past simple and present simple match. We only need to transfer the action from the present to the past.

1. past simple shows a fact in the past or a single action that ended in the past.

   Here are often used words indicating the time of action: yesterday(yesterday), two weeks ago(two weeks ago), the other day(the other day), a long time ago(for a long time), last month(last month), in 2010 (in 2010), on Monday(on Monday), during my holidays(during holidays), etc. These words must necessarily indicate a completed period of time.

   I saw him yesterday. - I saw his yesterday. (single action in the past, already ended yesterday)

   The Titanic sank in 1912. - Titanic sunk in 1912. (fact)

   He went to Italy last month. - He traveled to Italy last month.

   Words indicating the duration of an action may not be used in this function.

   She spoke to him in a low voice. - She is quiet spoke with him. (single action in the past)

   Aivazovsky painted"the Ninth Wave". – Aivazovsky wrote painting "The Ninth Wave". (fact)

   Also past simple used to describe a state in the past.

   they were friends years ago. - They are were friends many years ago. (now they are not friends)

   Museum had a great collection of paintings. - In that museum was huge collection of paintings. (now the museum does not have a huge collection)

2. We use past simple to talk about old habits and repetitive activities. These actions have repeatedly occurred in the past, but are no longer being committed. Such sentences may contain adverbs often(often), sometimes(sometimes), always(always), etc.
   

   We took evening courses two years ago. - We went for evening classes 2 years ago. (we don't go to evening courses now)

   He always bought newspapers on Sunday. - He always bought newspapers on Sundays. (he doesn't do it now)

   • We can also use the construct when talking about old habits.
3. We use past simple when telling a story or listing several events that happened one after the other in the past.
   

   She Came in, sat at the table, and started writing. - She is entered, villages to the table and start write.

   He entered the café, he ordered a cup of tea and a piece of cake. - He has entered in the cafe, ordered a cup of tea and a piece of cake.

Where else is Past Simple found

Average level

1. We use past simple to tell the details of some news or some event that happened in our lives. We report the news itself in time Present Perfect. We can use other past tenses to give details, but past simple used in these cases more often than others.
   

   I "ve hurt my leg. I fell off a ladder when I was repairing the roof. My telephone rank unexpectedly. - I hurt my leg. I fell down the stairs while fixing the roof, because all of a sudden rang telephone.

   I've got this job. It was a hard and exhausting interview, but it turned out that I was a perfect applicant. - I got this job. it It was hard, exhausting interview, but it turned out that I'm the perfect candidate.

2. past simple used in subordinate tenses after conjunctions after(after), before(before), when(when), until(not yet) as soon as(once). In such a proposal past simple shows completed action in the past.
   

   as soon as she graduated from the university, she found a suitable job. - Once she is graduated university, she found a suitable job.

   He was astonished when I told him the news. - He was amazed when I informed him this news.

Difficult cases of using Past Simple

High level

1. past simple, like present simple, used in conditional sentences after conjunction if(if). past simple we need to form conditional sentences of the second type ( Second Conditional). The situation in this type of conditional refers to the present or future tense. Such a proposal implies an unrealistic condition: that is, the probability that the condition will be met is extremely small. Second Conditional is built as follows:
   

   If he had enough money, he would buy that car. - If him It was enough money, he would buy this car. (now he has no money, if he had any, he would buy a car)

   If I wanted to lose weight, I would eat less bread. - If I wanted lose weight, i would eat less bread. (but I don't want to lose weight)

   If in the condition we meet the verb to be, then we will use the form were for all persons and numbers.

   If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't rush into a decision. - If I were in your place, I would not rush with a solution. (but I'm not in your shoes)

   If she were on her vacation, she would spend it in Australia. - If she was on vacation, she would have spent him in Australia. (but she's not on vacation right now)

   • You can refresh your knowledge about conditional sentences in the article "".
2. We use past simple after I wish(literally - I want, I want). Offers from I wish express regret: we want to show that something we want does not happen the way we want, or does not happen at all.

   I wish- this is the main clause, it remains unchanged, followed by a subordinate clause. We use in the subordinate clause past simple if the action is in the present or future. We connect I wish and subordinate union that(what, to), but in conversation this union is most often omitted.

   I wish translated in two ways: "sorry" and "how I wish". If we start with “sorry”, then we translate the sentence in reverse: an affirmation in English becomes a negation in Russian, a negation in English becomes an affirmation in Russian.

   I wish that I lived near the sea. - It's a pity, what am I I don't live near the sea. / How I would like to live near the sea.

   I wish that I knew what to do about the problem. - It's a pity, what am I don't know, How to solve this problem. / How I wish I knew, How to solve this problem.

   with a verb to be we use the form were for all persons and numbers. But in colloquial speech you can hear was, and it will not be considered an error.

   I wish you were here. - It's a pity, what you here No. / How I would like, to you here was.

   I wish he were a friend of mine. - It's a pity, what he is not my friend. / How I would like, to he was my friend.

3. We use past simple after construction It is time(it's time), she tells us that the action should have been performed, but this has not yet been done. past simple in this case denotes a situation occurring in the present or future. If we want to put more emotion into a statement, we can say: It is high time / It is about time(It's long overdue, it's about time).
   

   It is time we left for the station. The train leaves in two hours. - It's time to us drive the station. The train leaves in two hours.

   It is high time you settled down and found a job! - It's time to you already take on for the mind and find work!

past simple- one of the most common and easy to understand tenses in the English language. It occurs in speech even more often than the present tense, and the range of its functions is very wide.

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Past Simple Tense (past simple tense) In a general sense, it refers to an action that took place in the past.

Education Past Simple Tense

There are two types of verbs: regular (regular) and irregular (irregular). past simple correct verbs is formed by adding in all persons the ending - ed to the infinitive form:

to play - played; to like - liked; to start - started.

The ending -ed is pronounced [d], [t] or: played, liked, started.

Rules for education and reading of the ending -ed see appendix Rules for education and reading -ed

past simple wrong verbs are not formed according to the rule, such forms need to be remembered:

to write - wrote; to come - came; to smell-smelt; to drive - driven.

She would usually be happy when she returned home after a long trip - She would usually be happy when she returned home after a long trip.

c) be used to / get used to

I get used to going shopping on Saturday.(cm. )

2. To express the past action that took place in the elapsed period of time.

a) the time of the action can be expressed using yesterday yesterday last week last week an hour ago, the other day, on Monday on Monday, in 2000 during the holidays, etc.:

Mary called me yesterday. Mary called me yesterday.
The other day I met Paul. The other day I met Paul.
Not came at six o "clock. He came at six o'clock.

b) the time of the action can be expressed by a subordinate clause:

The storm began when I left home . The storm started when I left the house.

affirmative form

Subject + Infinitive without to ending -ed (form past simple for irregular verbs)

1. The lesson finished 5 minutes ago - The lesson ended 5 minutes ago.

• finished - infinitive finish + ending -ed
• ago (ago ago) - an adverb indicating the use of Past Simple

2. I invited them to the party - I invited them to a party (before).

• invited - infinitive invite + ending -ed

3. She paid for the tickets last week - She paid for the tickets last week.

• paid - Past Simple form wrong pay verb
• last week - indicates the use of Past Simple

negative form

Subject + did + not + Infinitive without to

1. I did not buy any milk yesterday - Yesterday I did not buy milk.

• not - negative particle
• buy - infinitive without to

2. My friend did not pick me up - My friend did not pick me up.

• did - auxiliary verb to do in the Past Simple form
• not - negative particle
• pick up - infinitive without to

3. Last summer they did not go on holiday - They did not go on vacation last summer.

• did - auxiliary verb to do
• not - negative particle
• go - infinitive without to

Interrogative form

did + Subject + Infinitive without to

1. Did they sing that funny song? Did they sing that merry song? (general question)

• first
• sing - infinitive without to

2. Did you teach her to read? Did you teach her to read? (general question)

• did - the auxiliary verb to do in the Past Simple form is on first place to form a question
• teach - infinitive without to

3. Why did she stop visiting you? Why did she stop visiting you? (special issue)

• did - auxiliary verb to do stands after question word why and before subject
• stop - infinitive without to

#2 Cases of using Past Simple

1. To express an action that happened at a certain moment in the past. Used with the following words and expressions: yesterday - yesterday, last week (month, year, etc.) - last week (last month, year, etc.), a week ago (an hour ago, a year ago, etc.) - week (hour , a year ago, the other day– the other day, in 2014 – in 2014, and some others.

• Someone knocked at the door half an hour ago - Someone knocked on the door half an hour ago.
• It snowed yesterday - It snowed yesterday.

The time of the action can also be expressed subordinate clause.

• I noticed him when he called my name - I noticed him when he called me by my name (when he called my name is a subordinate clause).
• My brother learned to swim when he was on holiday - My brother learned to swim when he was on vacation (when he was on holiday - subordinate clause).

2. For expression row past actions in the order in which they occurred.

• They opened the door and entered the house - They opened the door and entered the house.
• We went to the cinema, watched a film, then popped to a cafe and grabbed a couple of drinks - We went to the cinema, watched a movie, then popped into a cafe and grabbed a couple of drinks.

3. For expression regular, repetitive actions in the past.

• When my sister was little she cried every day - When my sister was little, she cried every day.
• At my previous workplace we had a staff meeting every Friday - At my previous workplace, staff meetings were held every Friday.

#3 Verb TO BE in Past Simple

linking verb TO BE It has two forms in Past Simple:

1. was(used with nouns or pronouns in the form of the 1st or 3rd person singular);
2. were(used with nouns and pronouns in the form of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd person plural).

• I was very busy yesterday - Yesterday I was very busy.
• They were in Rome in 2010 - They were in Rome in 2010.

At education negative and interrogative sentences with linking verb TO BE auxiliary verb did not used.

• Was she in the office last Monday? Was she in the office last Monday?
  Did she be in the office last Monday?
• Were you tired? – Were you tired?
  Did you be tired?
• The weather was not so nice as last time - The weather was not as good as last time.
  The weather did not be so nice as last time
• Probably they were not at home when you came - Perhaps they were not at home when you arrived.
  They probably didn't be at home when you came

#4 Regular and irregular verbs

When using the Past Simple, special attention should be paid to the formation of forms of the semantic verb. In English, verbs are divided into correct and wrong.

To right verbs include those verbs that form the Past Simple tense by adding the ending -ed to the stem of the verb. To wrong verbs include verbs that form the Past Simple tense in other ways.

• She cut her finger when she was cooking dinner - She cut her finger when she was cooking dinner.
• Everyone stood up when the teacher entered the classroom - Everyone stood up when the teacher entered the classroom.