The Simple Past of Regular and Irregular Verbs

Introduction

The simple past tense (also called the past simple) is one of the most used tenses in English. It helps you describe actions or situations that happened and finished in the past.

In this lesson, you will learn:

• What the simple past tense is
• The difference between regular and irregular verbs
• How to make affirmative, negative, and interrogative forms
• The main uses of the simple past tense
• Examples and short practice exercises

What Is the Simple Past Tense?

The simple past tense is used to describe completed actions or events that happened before the present moment.

Examples:

• I visited my grandparents yesterday.
• Mozart wrote many beautiful pieces of music.
• They watched a movie last night.

All these actions happened in the past and are now finished.

How to Form the Simple Past Tense

There are two types of verbs in English:

1. Regular verbs → follow a rule
2. Irregular verbs → have unique forms that must be memorized

1. The Simple Past of Regular Verbs

Regular verbs form the past tense by adding –ed to the base form of the verb.

Rule:

Base Form + –ed

2. The Simple Past of Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs do not follow the –ed rule. Their past forms vary and must be learned by heart.

💡 Tip: Review this list of irregular verbs to practice more examples.

→ Read this lesson about to be in the past simple

Forms of the Simple Past Tense

The simple past tense has three main forms: affirmative, negative, and interrogative.

1. Affirmative Form

The simple past takes the following forms in the affirmative:

• Regular verbs (e.g., watch, play, visit, etc.): Add -ed to the verb → watched, played, visited
• Irregular verbs (e.g., write, do, speak, etc.): Irregular verbs have various forms and must be learned by heart.
  • write → wrote
  • do → did
  • speak → spoke

Examples:

• I played tennis with my friends yesterday.
• I finished lunch and did my homework.

2. Negative Form

The rule for the negative forms of the simple past is as follows:

Examples:

• I didn’t play tennis last Sunday.
• I didn’t watch the movie last Saturday.
• I didn’t write the report two days ago.
• I didn’t do the homework yesterday evening.
• I didn’t like the food served at the wedding party last Saturday.
• I didn’t eat it.

💡 Note: After didn’t, the verb returns to its base form (no –ed).

3. Interrogative Form

To ask questions, the simple past takes the following form:

Examples:

• Did you play basketball yesterday?
• Did you visit Paris last holiday?
• Did you watch television?
• Did you go to the gym?
• Did you do the homework?

💡“Did” works with all subjects (I, you, he, she, it, we, they).

Uses of the Simple Past Tense

The simple past is used primarily to describe events in the past, but it also has some other uses. Here are the main uses of the simple past:

1. Finished Events in the Past:
   • William Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
   • Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492.
   • He kissed her and left.
2. Past Habitual Action:
   • I visited them every day for a year.
   • I drove to work every day when I was in sales with that company.
3. Events That Were True for Some Time in the Past:
   • He lived in Paris for 20 years.
   • They talked on the phone for ten minutes.

Example in Context: The Simple Past in Use

Let’s look at a short paragraph about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and observe how verbs are used in the simple past tense.

“Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was an Austrian composer and musician.
He lived from 1756 to 1791. He started to compose at the age of five and wrote more than 600 pieces of music.
Mozart was only 35 years old when he died.”

🔍 Analysis:

• Regular verbs: lived, started, died
• Irregular verbs: was, wrote

All these verbs describe completed actions in the past — that’s why they are in the simple past tense.

Mini Practice: Identify the Simple Past Verbs

Simple Past Practice Activity

Quick Summary Table

FAQs about the Simple Past Tense

Related Lessons

• Simple Past Exercises
• Past Tense of “To Be”
• Past Continuous vs Simple Past Quiz
• Simple Present Vs Simple Past Quiz
• Past Perfect Vs Simple Past Exercises With Answers
• Review of English Tenses
• Examples of English Tenses
• List of Irregular Verbs

Key Takeaways

• The simple past tense describes actions completed in the past.
• Regular verbs end in –ed; irregular verbs change form.
• Use did/didn’t for negatives and questions.
• Practice helps you master both form and meaning.

You’ve learned how to form, use, and identify the simple past tense. Let’s see how well you can recognize it in real situations!
→ Play the quiz below and check your understanding.

Test Yourself: Simple Past Video Quiz

This simple past video quiz helps you practice regular and irregular verbs in the simple past tense through fun examples.