Welcome to the Past Simple. Be sure to watch the introductory grammar video on the left before continuing to read this section.

It's important to learn it because you need to distinguish between present and past when you are trying to communicate with someone. Take the base form of the verb and simply add an -ed:

I walked
you walked
he/she/it walked
we swalked
they walked

There are many irregular verbs such as "to be" and "to have" and they have irregular conjugations in the past tense. They are important to memorize since they will be used as helping verbs in other tenses.

There are too many irregular verbs to list here, but you will find them in a verb conjugation book which is highly recommended or in a search on the internet. The exercises in the next section will also help you learn the irregular verbs as well as the video below:

Irregular Verbs in the Past Simple

Try the games below to practice what you learned:

Past Tense of "to be" Cloze Past Tense
Cloze Past Tense
Past Tense Matching
Past Tense 2
Past Simple Word Order
Irregular Past
Present vs Past Sentences

Try the quiz below to see how you do!

Past Simple Quiz
Multiple Choice

Past Simple Tips

The past simple is used for an action that has already happened

There are many irregulars and you will have to memorize them, especially the verb "to do", "to have", and "to be".

Take the root of the verb and add -ed. There are certain rules that go with this form as stated below:

When the base form ends in e, add -d only

When the base form ends in a consonant + y, change the y to i and add -ed

When the base form ends in a vowel + y, just add -ed.

When a one syllable verb ends in a consonant-vowel-consonant, double the final consonant + add -ed.

Do not double final w or x.

When a two-syllable verb ends in a CVC, double the final consonant and add -ed only if the last syllable is stressed.

If the verb ends in a consonant + y, change the y to i and add -ed

Both action verbs and linking verbs can be in the past tense