What the Past Simple Is
The past simple talks about an action that happened and finished at a time in the past: yesterday, last week, in 2019.
Most verbs form it by adding -ed. These are called regular verbs, and they are the only kind this lesson covers.
PRESENT SIMPLEEvery day
Monday to Friday, every day the same.
I walk to work every day.
A habit: it happens again and again.
PAST SIMPLEYesterday
One time, already finished.
I walked to work yesterday.
Yesterday is over, so walk becomes walked.
HE / SHE + V-EDNo -s
My brother walked to work too.
He and she use the same form as I.
The verb shows the past: walk → walked. Yesterday says when, but the verb still needs -ed.
TRY IT
- Question 1
"Yesterday my dad the car."
- Question 2
"She her grandma last Sunday."
The form and the spelling
ORDINARY VERB
SV-ed...
They painted the kitchen last month.
Every subject uses one form: I painted, she painted, they painted.
THE VERB BE
Swas / wereadjective / noun / place
The room was dark.
Be never takes -ed; its past forms are was and were.
Negatives and questions in the past simple are built differently, and they have a lesson of their own.
-ED AT A GLANCE
- workworked
- likeliked
- studystudied
- playplayed
- stopstopped
ends in -e → +d · consonant + y → -ied · vowel + y → +ed · one syllable ending consonant–vowel–consonant → double the last consonant
The vowels are a, e, i, o and u; every other letter is a consonant. Stop has one syllable and ends t-o-p, so the p doubles. A final w, x or y never doubles: snowed, fixed.
The -ed ending has three pronunciations, decided by the last sound of the verb:
- /t/ after /p/, /k/, /s/, /ʃ/, /tʃ/ and /f/: helped, looked, kissed, finished
- /ɪd/ after /t/ and /d/: wanted, ended
- /d/ after every other sound: opened, cleaned, called
TRY IT
- Question 1
"We for the exam all weekend."
- Question 2
"My mum at the market all morning."
- Question 3
The -ed in "cooked" is pronounced
When to use it
A finished action
I cleaned the bathroom this morning.
It started and ended in the past, and the listener knows when.
Signal words: yesterday · last night · this morning
How long ago
The film started ten minutes ago.
Counting back from now.
Signal words: an hour ago · two days ago · a long time ago
One action after another
She opened the box and smiled.
Telling several actions in the order they happened.
Signal words: and · then · after that
A past month or year
My grandpa retired in 2015.
A finished time, often with in or last.
Signal words: in 2015 · in May · last summer · last year
Was, were vs. verb + -ed
Learners often put was or were in front of a verb to make it past. But was and were are the verb be. After them there is usually an adjective, a noun or a place. An action verb adds -ed.
| WAS / WERE | VERB + -ED | |
|---|---|---|
| Feeling · action | I was bored. | I phoned a friend. |
| Place · action | We were at the station. | We waited at the station. |
| Job · action | Her mum was a cook. | Her mum cooked for fifty people. |
TRY IT
- Question 1
"I my homework after dinner."
- Question 2
"My brother very good at football in high school."
Common mistakes
Incorrect:She workeds in a hotel last year.
Correct:She worked in a hotel last year.
In the past every subject uses the same -ed form; the -s ending belongs to the present simple.
Incorrect:I was watch TV last night.
Correct:I watched TV last night.
Was does not go before a base verb like watch. An action verb just adds -ed.
Incorrect:Yesterday we play badminton.
Correct:Yesterday we played badminton.
Yesterday says when, but the verb still needs -ed.
Incorrect:He studyed all night.
Correct:He studied all night.
A consonant comes before the y, so the y changes to i before -ed.
Incorrect:We chated online for an hour.
Correct:We chatted online for an hour.
Chat has one syllable and ends h-a-t, so the t doubles.
Incorrect:I enjoied the party.
Correct:I enjoyed the party.
Enjoy has the vowel o before the y, so the y stays.
Incorrect:I asked /ˈɑːskɪd/ the teacher.
Correct:I asked /ɑːskt/ the teacher.
After a /k/ sound, -ed is just /t/, so asked keeps one syllable.
Quick check · 8 questions
Choose the correct form:
Mai talked to her cousin in Canada last weekend.
- A. talked — Correct
- B. talks
- C. talk
Answer: A. talked
Last weekend is over, so the verb takes -ed. Talks is the present simple and does not fit last weekend.
Choose the correct form:
My uncle lived in Japan in 2018.
- A. lived — Correct
- B. liveds
- C. lives
Answer: A. lived
My uncle is he, but in the past every subject uses the same form: lived. The -s ending belongs to the present simple only.
Choose the correct spelling:
Hương invited all her classmates to her birthday party last Saturday.
- A. invited — Correct
- B. inviteed
- C. invites
Answer: A. invited
Invite already ends in e, so it adds just -d: invited. Adding the full -ed would give two e's.
Choose the correct spelling:
The baby cried for hours last night.
- A. cried — Correct
- B. cryed
- C. cries
Answer: A. cried
The letter before the y is the consonant r, so the y changes to i before -ed: cried.
Choose the correct spelling:
We stayed at a small hotel near the beach in July.
- A. stayed — Correct
- B. staied
- C. stays
Answer: A. stayed
The letter before the y is the vowel a, so the y stays and the verb adds -ed: stayed. Only a consonant before the y changes it to i.
Choose the correct spelling:
We planned the whole trip together last month.
- A. planned — Correct
- B. planed
- C. plans
Answer: A. planned
Plan has one syllable and ends consonant–vowel–consonant (l-a-n), so the n doubles before -ed: planned.
In which word is -ed pronounced as an extra syllable, /ɪd/?
needed
- A. needed — Correct
- B. jumped
- C. played
Answer: A. needed
The -ed ending becomes its own syllable only after a /t/ or /d/ sound. Jumped is /dʒʌmpt/ and played is /pleɪd/ — one syllable each.
Choose the correct sentence:
Hoa danced all night at the party.
- A. Hoa danced all night at the party. — Correct
- B. Hoa was dance all night at the party.
- C. Hoa was danced all night at the party.
Answer: A. Hoa danced all night at the party.
Dance is an action, so it just adds -d. Was is the past of be. It does not go before a base verb like dance.
See whether it really stuck.
Start the quiz · 12 questions
