Past Simple Tense is the past tense in English. Simple past tense The Past Simple Tense - regular verbs Simple past
This is one of the most commonly used tenses in English. His second name is Indefinite (indefinite). Past Simple describes events, facts and incidents that happened in the past.
The simple past refers to a group of tenses that express temporal uncertainty.
What is Past Simple used for?
- before (before);
- as soon as (as soon as);
- untill (not yet);
- after (after);
- when (when).
Examples:
- as soon as John graduated from the college, he found an appropriate work - As soon as John graduated from college, he found a suitable job.
- She was surprised when I saw her - She was surprised when I saw her.
As you can see from the examples, Past Simple is used in both parts.
Past Simple Rules
In most cases, to form the simple past, you need to add a particle "ed" to the initial form of the verb. Irregular verbs have their own forms. There are spelling features of the spelling of verbs with the ending "ed".
Consider the basic rules for writing:
- If the verb ends in -y, and before -y, there is a consonant, then when writing -y is replaced by -i-.Example: try-tr ied ( try - tried).
- If before -y there is a vowel, then no changes occur (stay - stay ed stay-remained).
- If the verb has one closed syllable (slap clap - slapped slammed).
- Verbs consisting of several syllables (two or more) have a consonant at the end, and a short vowel in front of it, then the last consonant should be doubled (with stress falling on the last syllable). Example: (submit-submitted- surrender - surrendered).
- If the verb ends with a consonant letter L (trave l travel - travelled traveled).
Education Past Simple
When forming this tense, one should start from whether the verb is regular, or whether it belongs to the category of irregular verbs.
First, consider the rules for the formation of the simple past tense of regular verbs.
It is necessary to form the second form of the verb. It is formed by adding the ending - ed to the verb (there is a special form for irregular ones). There are no facial changes.
affirmative sentences
Consider examples of the formation of an affirmative form:
- I played - I played.
- You played
- He (she, it) played - He (she) played.
- We played - We played.
- They played - They played.
Interrogative sentences
No homework. Without teeth. Without textbooks
From the course "ENGLISH BEFORE AUTOMATIC" you:
- Learn how to write good sentences in English without learning grammar
- Learn the secret of a progressive approach, thanks to which you can reduce learning English from 3 years to 15 weeks
- Will check your answers instantly+ get a thorough analysis of each task
- Download the dictionary in PDF and MP3 formats, learning tables and audio recording of all phrases
Past Simple with irregular verbs
- I was not a student.
- You were not a doctor.
- He was not a boy.
- It was not ahen.
- We were not happy.
- They were not upset.
Interrogative form:
- Was I a student?
- Were you a doctor?
- Was he an engineer?
- Were you happy?
- Were they upset?
There are abbreviations for negative formsto be:
- Wasn't
- Weren't
Past simple exercises with answers
- Exercise 1
Open the brackets in the sentence in the correct form:
- John (to visit) his grandparents last Saturday.
- She (to cook) a tasty breakfast yesterday.
- Beth (to go) to sleep at 11 p.m.
- What (he\to do) last Monday?
- Alice (to stay) in her mothers' flat the day before yesterday?
- The performance of the song (to be) very good, we really (to enjoy) it.
- My father usually (to take) a bus to the job.
- I (not/to/speak) Italian five years ago.
- Exercise 2
Choose the correct form of the verb to be:
- Chef (to be) angry because she (to be) late.
- Their family (to live) on the fifth floor and they (to be) very friendly.
- (To be) Alexander a clerk?
- It (to be) cold enough to sit on the bench outside.
- (To be) the supper tasty?
- Tom (to be) at the bathroom when I (to call) him.
- We (to be) so busy at work.
- My parents (to be) upset because I (to fail) my exams last week/
- Exercise 3
Expand the brackets into the correct form:
- We (to see) how she (to go out) of the supermarket.
- My grandfather (to work) in this corporation when he (to be) 25.
- He (to become) King of England in 1899.
- The prank was funny but no one (to laugh).
- What exactly (they/to watch)?
- She (to take) children home yesterday at six o'clock.
- He (not/to/add) salt in the soup. It (to be) insipid.
- Exercise 4
Put the verbs in the past tense, remembering the presence of regular and irregular verbs:
- 1 begin_____________
- change __________
- cycle __________
- hear___________
- practice___________
- _____________
- like __________
- broadcast __________
- shout __________
- seek __________
- Exercise 5
In English, there are three main tense forms - present simple, past simple, future simple. These are, so to speak, three whales, the foundation on which the rest of the temporary forms are built. Each item is a separate topic, and it needs to be studied in detail. Today we will look at how the past simple is formed, give examples with translation, formulas and explanations. After reading the material, you will be able to easily understand the intricacies and features of the use of time, as well as learn how to make negative and interrogative sentences. Forward for the next portion of knowledge!
Identifier words (time markers) that form the simple past tense
To begin with, we immediately note that the formation of the past simple has its own characteristics. Recognizing time is quite easy if you are guided by the presence of identifier words in sentences, the so-called time markers, such as:
- last month (week, year),
- yesterday,
- seven days (years, months, weeks) ago,
- during holidays,
- the other day,
- in 1875 etc.
If such words and phrases are present in the sentence, then they indicate that the action was performed in the past, and has nothing in common at the moment.
For example:
- My sister went abroad 7 years ago => My sister went abroad 7 years ago. The action is done, there is a fact.
Important! The simple past tense (past indefinite) has a rather subtle parallel with the present perfect. Sometimes it is really difficult to understand the difference, you have to go out of context. In this case, the identifier words given above will come to the rescue.
Take note! The simple past tense denotes not only an action committed in the past, but also historical facts, facts from past years (centuries) and actions that are the only.
Example:
- My father bought a car last month -> My father bought a car in the past. Father bought a car last month -> means that this fact is completed and has nothing to do with the present, the only action, the action is done.
Reference: when forming sentences, do not be guided by the rules in the literal sense. You need to feel the sentence, its meaning and time, which is correct to use. For example, to translate a normal sentence He was a smart student no need to discover America and reinvent the wheel, just write He was a clever student . Time is the simple past, there are no identifying words, but the fact itself does not change from that - we use Past Simple and that's it.
Here are some more examples of sentences in the simple past tense without identifier words:
- A congress adopted the rules => Congress adopted the rules.
- The occasion was very interesting and funny => The occasion was very interesting and funny.
- That man decided to be the first in the queue => That man decided to be the first in the queue.
- An artist became famous and rich => An artist became famous and rich.
- My neighbors dressed all that miserable people => My neighbors dressed all those miserable people.
On a note! Past simple form it is appropriate to use it when we are talking about long-standing habits, actions that were repeated many times, that is, they were regular, but! now are not relevant, that is, they are no longer being committed. Important! In such sentences, most often you will see the presence of such words as sometimes, every day, at first, always :
- Children went to school every day => Children went to school every day (but don't go now).
- I always showed him the right way but he always went in the wrong direction => I always showed him the right way, but he always went in the wrong direction.
- Sometimes I bought that magazines => Sometimes I bought those magazines.
Speaking in any language, it is impossible to be understood as much as possible without knowing the rules for the formation of temporary forms. English for this case has a wide variety of options for self-expression. However, the main time group is the so-called “simple tense group” or simple tenses, which logically divides time intervals into past, present and future. Today we will focus on the Past Simple tense (pronounced as [paste simpl]) or the simple past tense in English and analyze how it is formed, as well as examples of use.
The Past Simple Tense or simple past tense (also known as the Past Indefinite Tense or past indefinite tense) is a tense that is used to express states or actions that took place in the past. The so-called simplicity of this time lies in the fact that when using it, do not focus on the duration, completeness, sequence of one event in relation to another.
The action just happened in the past, that's a fact, period. Due to the fact that people constantly strive to simplify the language, this tense form often replaces other forms of the past tense in writing, and even more often in speech, so knowledge of this particular group is necessary to explain situations and thoughts at a simple level. Let's take a closer look at how, where and how this form is used in English.
The only part of speech that lends itself to change in the formation of the past tense are verbs, which are either regular or irregular.
If at first it will be difficult for you to understand whether this or that verb is correct or irregular, refer to the table of irregular verbs: if the verb is not on the list, most likely it belongs to the category of regular.
Past Simple: sentence forms
Having dealt with the types of past tense verbs and how they are formed, you need to learn how to build sentences with them grammatically correctly.
- The affirmative form of Past Simple does not need the use of auxiliary verbs. To construct a sentence in the affirmative form, it is enough to use the verb in the past tense.
In simple words, it is enough to take an affirmative sentence in the present tense and replace the verb in it with the past tense.
- The negative form of the Past Indefinite Tense is formed using the auxiliary verb did and the negative particle not (informally didn't), which is placed after the subject. An auxiliary verb with a particle is followed by main verb in infinitive. This means that memorized irregular verbs and the ending -ed in negative sentences will not be useful to us.
| Ssubject
(Subject) |
Auxiliary verb +not | Verbs
(Verb) |
Object
(An object) |
|
| present simple
(Present) |
She | does not (doesn't) | love | him. |
| past simple
(Past tense) |
She | did not (didn't) | love | him. |
- The interrogative form is also formed using the auxiliary verb did. It comes first in the sentence, followed by the subject and the main semantic verb in infinitive.
For a short positive answer, it is enough to use auxiliary verbs; for a short negative answer, the particle not is needed. If the answer is negative, the auxiliary verb with the particle must be written together (didn’t). The full answer will sound in the affirmative or negative form.
For the formation of special questions, the scheme remains practically unchanged. A question word is added to it only at the very beginning. Question words can be anything, here are some of them: what - what, why - why, how - how, which - which, where - where, when - when.
| ?
word |
Auxiliary
verb |
Ssubject
(Subject) |
Verbs
(Verb) |
Object
(An object) |
|
| present simple
(Present) |
Why |
do | you | like
Like |
reading? |
| past simple
(Past tense) |
did | you | like
liked |
reading? |
An exception is the interrogative word who (who), sentences with which do not require an auxiliary verb. This is where your knowledge of regular and irregular verbs will be needed.
Special questions cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no", so the answers to them sound in full affirmative or negative form.
Past Simple - use
The simple past tense is very common in English. For correct application in practice, consider all cases of using Past Simple:
- To express single actions / states or actions in the past, taken as a fact. Speech in such sentences can go, as well as about ordinary everyday situations, and about historical events. Often such sentences contain special indicator words expressed:
- circumstance of time, these include: yesterday - yesterday, the day before yesterday - the day before yesterday, last night - last night, last week / month - last week / last month, in 1999 - in 1999, then - then;
- adverb ago, for example: 5 years ago - five years ago;
- question words when and how.
Examples:
| Agatha Christie wrote detective novels.
(Agatha Christie wrote detective novels.) |
fact |
| Bruce graduated from the university 3 years ago.
(Bruce graduated from university 3 years ago.) |
|
| We talked to him about the upcoming performance.
(We talked to him about the upcoming performance.) |
single action |
| Steven Spielberg was born in 1946.
(Steven Spielberg was born in 1946.) |
fact with specific year |
| She called you 5 minutes ago. (She called you 5 minutes ago.) |
single action, presence of adverb ago |
| The Great Patriotic War began on June 22, 1941. | historical fact |
| I was excited to take part in the contest yesterday.
(I was glad to enter the competition yesterday.) |
state with time circumstance |
| I didn't like your hairstyle then.
(Then I didn't like your hairstyle.) |
action in the past with adverbial tense (I didn't like it before, but now I like it) |
| Jane drew portraits in the childhood.
(As a child, Jane painted portraits.) |
action in the past (I used to draw, now I don't) |
| He visited us 2 weeks ago. (He visited us 2 weeks ago.) |
single action, presence of adverb ago |
| When did you meet each other? (When did you meet each other?) |
question about the past the question word when is used |
- To express habits or actions that were constantly / often repeated in the past, but are not repeated now. Words-indicators in this case are expressed:
- adverbs everyday - every day, always - always, often - often, sometimes - sometimes, each time - every time;
- the expression used + the verb in the infinitive, which translates as "before".
| He always wore black jackets. (He always wore black jackets.) |
used to wear, now not wearing |
| I didn't use to brush my teeth twice a day.
(I used to not brush my teeth twice a day.) |
I didn't clean before, now I do. |
| Dad used to smoke up to 10 cigarettes a day.
((Before) Father smoked up to 10 cigarettes a day.) |
was a habit, now it's gone |
| Donald Trump used to host The Apprentice.
(Donald Trump hosted The Apprentice.) |
led, but now no longer leads |
| Mike used to watch The Big Bang Theory.
(Mike used to watch The Big Bang Theory.) |
watched but stopped now |
| They took Chinese classes every day.
(They studied Chinese every day.) |
no longer doing |
- When there is a story or a listing of events that happened one after another in the past.
- In subordinate clauses of time to express the completeness of an action. Some indicator words for this case:
- as soon as - as soon as, once - as soon as, before - before, untill - until / until, after - after, when - when.
- When using indirect speech, if the verb in the main clause is used in Past Simple.
- To characterize the subject in the past.
- To report the details of any news. To report the news itself, the Present Perfect tense (present perfect) should be used, and sentences in Past S should be used to describe. However, if you are afraid to confuse the times, you can use the simple past tense everywhere in such situations.
- Past Simple is also used to form a second type conditional (Second Conditional), which is used to express events in the present or future tenses, the probability of which is very small or completely unrealistic. The Russian equivalent of the second type of conditional sentences may sound like “if yes, if only”. A similar sentence is built using the union if (if). Table with education formulas:
Usage examples:
| If I had a million dollars, I would have found a charitable foundation.
(If I had a million dollars, I would start a charitable foundation.) |
Unreal situation. I don’t have any money now, I can’t establish a fund. |
| If I were you, I would not do this.
(If I were you, I wouldn't do it.) |
Unreal situation. I cannot switch bodies with another person or act for him. |
| We would go swimming if the weather were fine.
(If the weather were good, we would go swimming.) |
The weather is bad, the likelihood that we can go swimming is very small. |
| If I had children, I would spend with them all day long.
(If I had children, I would spend the whole day with them.) |
But I don't have children, so this situation is impossible at the moment. |
Pay attention to two nuances:
- If the sentence begins with the clause “if”, then a comma is placed at the junction with the second part so that the sentences do not merge and are easier to read;
- In a conditional sentence, the verb to be in the past tense is usually used only in the plural (were), even with the singular pronouns I, he, she, it. The form were in such sentences is subjunctive. Although in everyday speech it is possible to replace the was form for the singular, when passing tests, choosing in favor of was would be considered a mistake.
- The Past Simple tense is also used with the construction I wish, which is equivalent to the Russian “It’s a pity that it’s not”. Usually such a construction is used to express the desire for some action to happen or happen differently. As in the case above, this design also consists of two parts. Table with education formula:
Usage examples:
Pay attention to the features to understand how such proposals are built:
- If we translate the construction in the form of “sorry not”, negative verbs turn into affirmative ones and vice versa;
- As in the formation of a conditional sentence of the second type, the verb to be is used only in the form were, although in colloquial speech deviations from the rule are possible.
- Past Simple is used with another construction that can often be found in colloquial language - it is (it's) time, which translates as "it's time to". Table with education formulas:
Usage examples:
These were all cases of using the Past Simple (Past Indefinite) or the simple past tense. They won't be too difficult, especially if you understand the grammar, learn the irregular verbs, and practice using the Past Simple Tense in different situations based on the examples above.
In this article, we will look at the second simple tense form in English - The Past Simple (Indefinite) Tense (Past Simple).It is a tense form of the verb, which is used to express single actions that took place in the past and the time for which has expired. In certain contexts where the past tense verb is used, you may notice the following marker words:
- yesterday (yesterday);
- last week/month/year (last week, last month/year);
- two days ago (two days ago);
- in 1917 (in 1917).
For example:
- I watched my favorite film yesterday. Yesterday I watched my favorite movie.
- My parents bought a new car last week. My parents bought a new car last week.
- The First World War began in 1914. The First World War began in 1914.
Marker words can be used both at the end of a sentence and at its beginning. For example:
- Yesterday I walked with my friends. Yesterday I went out for a walk with my friends.
- In 988 Christianity was adopted in Russia.- In 988, Christianity was adopted in Russia.
Pay attention to the fact that in the simple past tense verbs change their form. According to the way the forms of the simple past tense are formed, all verbs are divided into regular and irregular.
Regular verbs- verbs formed by adding the suffix -ed to the infinitive stem. The suffix –ed is pronounced like [d], after voiceless consonants (except t) it is pronounced [t], after t and d it is pronounced . For example:
- The baby stopped crying. The baby stopped crying.
For irregular verbs there is a special table, which is called the “Table of Irregular Verbs”. You can see it here (). The table of irregular verbs consists of three forms. Let's take some irregular verbs as an example:
- Our team won the football competition two days ago.- Two days ago, our team won the football competition.
We have examined the main features of the affirmative form of simple past tense verbs. The negative form of verbs in The Past Simple Tense is formed using the auxiliary verb did and the negation not, which are placed before the semantic verb in the infinitive form without the particle to. Just like in the form of the simple present tense (The Present Simple Tense), the abbreviated form didn’t is used in speech and writing. For example:
- We didn't go to the sea last summer. We didn't go to the sea last summer.
- They didn't know anything about that story. They didn't know anything about this story.
The interrogative form of verbs in the simple past tense is formed using the auxiliary verb did, which is placed after the subject, and the subject is followed by a semantic verb in the form of an infinitive without the particle to. At the same time, the tone of voice on the last stressed syllable of the sentence rises. For example:
- Did you see him yesterday? – Did you see him yesterday?
- Did the pupils visit the museum last week? Did the students visit the museum last week?
The answers to the questions in these examples are identical, as in the case of the interrogative form of the simple past tense. Answers will look like this: Yes, I did or No, I didn't .
Using The Past Simple Tense
- designation of events, actions, situations that occurred at a certain time in the past and are not related to the present: Last summer we ofte went to the river.— Last summer we often went to the river;
- designation of completed actions in the past: Yasterday I wrote you a letter.“Yesterday I wrote you a letter;
- past habits: My sister liked to play with dolls when she was small.— My sister loved to play with dolls as a child;
- denoting a fact that happened once in the past: Mary phoned an hour ago. Maria called an hour ago;
- Description of events in the life of people who have already died: Pushkin wrote lots of stories for children.— Pushkin wrote many fairy tales for children;
- Formulation of polite questions and requests: I wondered if you could give me a lift(a more polite request than I wonder if…). I wanted to know if you could give me a lift.
Summary table of time formation The Past Simple Tense
| Affirmative | Negative | Interrogative | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | spoke | I | didn't speak | Did | I | speak |
| You | worked | You | didn't work | you | work | |
| We | We | we | ||||
| They | They | they | ||||
| He | He | he | ||||
| She | She | she | ||||
| It | It | it | ||||
Summing up, I would like to note that the difference between the simple past tense and the simple present is that actions occur once in the past and are no longer repeated. The time in which these actions were performed has expired, and the actions themselves have nothing to do with the present. In English, the grammatical meaning of verbs in simple past tense coincides with the meaning of verbs in the past tense, both imperfective and perfective in Russian. Read about the last simple tense form of the verb in English in the next article.
Past Simple is called the simple past tense, but for many it is such a dark forest that they do not know how to approach it. We are sure that this is not about you, but still ... Why do we (or rather, the British) need this Past Simple Tense? Past Simple (otherwise, Past Indefinite) is pronounced like a paste simpl. The rules of the Past simple are simple: we will soon find out when the past simple is used, how the past simple is formed, why it is necessary to use the Past Simple, the rules and examples of the functioning of this tense in the text. Imagine the situation: here you are telling a friend what you did last summer. And they went there, and they were there, and they saw it. How to say all this in English? Not to build barricades from perfect forms, right? That's what Past Simple time is for.Past Simple Tense: rules for using in English
So, let's take a closer look at Past Simple - when is this time used?- An action that you (or someone else) has done regularly in the past. How often - it doesn't matter. At least every minute, at least once in a millennium. The main thing is that the action was repeated from time to time in the past. Like here: He often visited us (often visited), when we lived there.
- A permanent attribute of an object or characteristic of a person in the past. What was this object or person once? For example: Jane looked much better (looked much better), when I saw her last time.
- A chain of successive actions in the past. Often found in fairy tales like “grandmother for grandfather, grandfather for turnip”, i.e. where the actions of the characters are described step by step. The chain of simple actions is also found in our ordinary life. Take a look: I entered the hall, switched on the light, opened the wardrobe, and then quickly closed it. He entered, turned on the light, opened the closet - these are sequential actions, very little time passed between them. It makes no sense to complicate the sentence and try to convey this chain of actions in some other way than Past Simple.
- A single action in the past. Yes, yes, this is just about how you went to a resort 10 years ago, and now share your memories. What once happened some time ago (it doesn’t matter if it was yesterday or 140 years ago) is transmitted through the Past Simple.
Underwater rock:
What about cultural heritage? For example, Shakespeare wrote such and such a work in such and such a year. After all, we use the results of Shakespeare's work, and we do it now - in this case, Past Simple is often confused with the present perfect, which just describes the result in the present. However, the simple paste rule here is quite strict. Any invention, any once written work is a fact in the past. And the facts, especially with the indication of the exact date, are the sphere of the Simple tense group.Past Simple: education
How is Past Simple formed? And it's very simple. They don't call it simple for nothing. Past Simple, education: V2 (second form of the verb). Do you remember that all English verbs can be divided into regular and irregular?Past Simple: Rules for Forming the Past Simple of Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs live their own lives: they have three forms, all three need to be known by heart. To get the Past Simple, we use the second form (V2) of the irregular verb.For example:
Buy - bought - bought Read - read - read Cut - cut - cut Lie - lay - lain A list of irregular verbs is at the end of any dictionary or reference book. Ideally, from the reference book, this list should migrate to the head. Fortunately, there are not many irregular verbs. Relatively. But all other verbs that are not in the list of irregular ones are called regular. And everything is very easy with them. Past Simple: rules for the formation of the simple past of regular verbs Regular verbs in the Past Simple acquire the ending -ed or -d. We add it to the stem of the infinitive.For example:
To kick - he kicked (to kick - he kicked) To look - he looked (to look - he looked)If the stem of the infinitive already ends in e, then only -d is added:
To dance - he danced (dance - he danced) To invite - he invited (invite - he invited) That's all! Still, it’s not for nothing that Past Simple was called simple, right? But there are also some pitfalls.Nuance number 1
If the word ends with the letter y, then you need to change it to i and only then add the ending -ed. We do this manipulation only and exclusively when y is preceded by a consonant.Compare:
To fly - he flied To obey - he obeyed In the case of obey before y - the vowel e. Well, we put the ending -ed and rejoice that nothing needs to be changed!Nuance number 2
Liked? Then here's the second clue. If the verb ends with the combination: short vowel + consonant, then the consonant is usually doubled. To plan - he planned This is necessary in order to keep the closed syllable. After all, if in the word planned we do not double n, then we get an open syllable, and in an open syllable it is read differently. The result is a completely different word! Therefore, do not forget to double the consonant where necessary. But look at these examples: To fear - he feared To look - he looked There is no need to double anything here, because consonants are not at all short vowels, nothing can affect their pronunciation. In British English it is always doubled and l at the end of a word: To quarrel - we quarrelled But in American English, such a metamorphosis does not occur. To quarrel - we quarreled How to correctly read verbs with the ending -ed If it is relatively easy to put a verb in Past Simple, then sometimes it is not very easy to read. Try not to neglect the correct pronunciation, otherwise it will be very difficult for a foreigner to understand you.What about questions and negatives?
To form a question or a negative, we need the auxiliary verb do. Without it, alas, no question can be made, no denial can be formed. The auxiliary verb do in the Past Simple will take the form did. In a negative sentence, did is placed after the subject and acquires the negative particle not.Negation in Past Simple: the rule of education
Subject + did not + predicate (infinitive) Tom did not eat porridge. Did not = didn't. Didn't is an abbreviated form of did not. In oral speech, you will most likely hear this particular form. Tom did not eat porridge = Tom didn't eat porridge. Mark did not come yesterday = Mark didn't come yesterdayQuestion in Past Simple: education rule
In a question, did will come first. The scheme of a general question in the past simple would be: DID + subject + predicate (infinitive)? Did Tom eat porridge? The answer to this question can be complete, but is usually short: - Yes, he did. / No, he didn't.
<
strong>Pitfall: A very common mistake when forming questions and negatives in Past Simple: using V2 instead of the infinitive. We have well understood how the paste simpl is formed - with the help of the ending -ed (for regular verbs) and V2 for irregular ones. Having understood this, we begin to put the second form of the verb everywhere, but in a question and a negation this is superfluous! The auxiliary verb do has already taken over the functions of the past simple and turned into did (remember that do is an irregular verb: do-did-done. Accordingly, its V2 is did). Did ALREADY shows past simple tense. It is simply not necessary to do any other additional manipulations with the semantic verb (predicate)! Did already took care of everything! Special questions
These are questions that begin with a special question word. Question words: What what? Where where? Who who? why why? When when? Whom to whom? How how? Special questions are not as difficult as they seem. If the scheme of a simple question looks like this: DID + subject + predicate (infinitive)? Then the scheme of the special question looks like this: Interrogative word + DID + subject + predicate (infinitive)? We just put a question word on the zero position - and that's it! The rest of the word order remains unchanged. The English language would not be English if there were not some exception here. It is. With the question words Who (who?) And What? (what?), if we ask a question to the subject, such a scheme does not work. Indeed, it is even simpler. We just put who or what in place of the subject! And that's it! The predicate remains in the past simple. In practice, it looks like this: Mary ate ice-cream yesterday. (Mary ate ice cream yesterday.) Who ate ice-cream yesterday? (Who ate ice cream yesterday?) Important: this scheme with who only works when we ask a question to the subject. If we ask a question to a direct complement, then the scheme will be standard. Compare: Tom saw Mary two days ago. Who saw Mary two days ago? The question is asked to the subject (Tom). Who is in first position, no auxiliary verb required. Let's go further. Let's first ask a general question (the answer to which will be “yes” or “no”): Did Tom see Mary two days ago? (put did in first place) And now a special question with who, but not to the subject, but to the direct object (Mary): Who did Tom see two days ago? Since we are not asking the question to the subject, it means that, like any interrogative word, who takes the zero position, did remains in the first position and further according to the standard scheme.)Past Simple Markers
Markers are our helpers, clue words that help us understand when we need Past Simple time. If we notice such a word in a sentence, this is a very eloquent hint that we need to use the simple past tense.
Well, we know the markers, but where should we put them in the sentence? After all, the structure of the English sentence is quite rigid ... Markers that contain the words last, every, ago, as a rule, are placed in the last place in the sentence: I met Helen three months ago.
Emma spent three weeks in Paris last year. Markers often, never, usually, seldom, always and similar usually come before the verb: I never saw you working.
Tom and I always spent holidays together.
Important: If it is not the verb of action that functions as a predicate, but the verb to be, then these markers are placed after it: John was often tired. Marker yesterday can occur both at the beginning of a sentence and at the end: Yesterday I bought a new fur coat.
I bought a new fur coat yesterday. And here sometimes can actually stand wherever he wants. More precisely, where you want: I went to Paris sometimes, but always felt uncomfortable there.
Sometimes I went to Paris, but always felt uncomfortable there. What if there are no markers in the sentence? How do we work with the English sentence? Let's look at markers first. If you have a ago or last marker, then already at the stage of the first acquaintance with the sentence, without even translating it, you understand what time to use: Past Simple. If there are no obvious markers in the sentence, then we move on to the next step: we translate the sentence. And here you can see some clues.