Past Simple

We use the Past Simple to talk about finished actions, events and situations in the past. The key is choosing the right structure: was/were for the verb be, and did/didn’t for most other verbs.

finished past actionsyesterday / last week / in 2020A2+

When do we use it?

Use	Example
A finished action	I visited my aunt yesterday.
A past event or experience at a finished time	They watched a film last night.
A past state or situation	She was tired after work.
A sequence of past actions	We got up, had breakfast and left.

Common time expressions: yesterday, yesterday morning, last night, last weekend, two days ago, in 2019, when I was a child.

The big difference

Verb be	Other verbs
I was at home.	I watched TV.
She wasn't tired.	She didn't watch TV.
Were they happy?	Did they watch TV?

Remember: Don’t use did with was/were. Don’t use the past form after did/didn’t.

Visual examples: what happened?

Look at each photo and read the sentence. Notice how the verb changes to describe a finished past action or situation.

A beach and the sea — Affirmative
We **went** to the beach yesterday.

A family spending time together — Past of be
They **were** happy.

A cinema with seats and a screen — Negative
We **didn't watch** a film at home.

A basketball court — Question
**Did** you **play** basketball yesterday?

A scenic landscape — Past of be
It **was** beautiful.

Was / Were: the past of “be”

Use was/were when the main verb means “ser/estar”: location, feelings, age, weather, identity or condition in the past.

Affirmative

Subject	Form	Example
I / he / she / it	was	She was at school.
you / we / they	were	They were happy.

Negative

Full form	Short form	Example
was not	wasn't	I wasn't hungry.
were not	weren't	We weren't late.

Questions

Was / Were + subject + ...?
Was he at home? — Yes, he was. / No, he wasn't.
Were you tired? — Yes, I was. / No, I wasn't.

With be, put was/were before the subject. No did is needed.

Quick practice: was or were?

1. (affirmative) My friends at the cinema yesterday.

2. (negative) I very tired last night.

3. (question) she at work on Monday?

4. (negative) They at school yesterday.

Did / Didn't: all other verbs

For most verbs (work, play, go, eat, study…), the Past Simple uses the past form in affirmative sentences. In negatives and questions, use did/didn't + base verb.

Affirmative

Subject + past form
I played tennis. / She went home. / They saw a film.

Negative

Subject + didn't + base verb
I didn't play tennis. / She didn't go home.

Questions

Did + subject + base verb + ...?
Did you play tennis? — Yes, I did. / No, I didn't.

Common mistake: “Did she went?” ✗ → “Did she go?” ✓
“I didn’t saw it.” ✗ → “I didn’t see it.” ✓

Choose the correct structure

Type the missing word or form. Use the base form after did/didn’t.

1. (negative) He his grandma yesterday. (not / visit)

2. (question) they a new phone last week? (buy)

3. (question) Did they to the party? (go)

4. (affirmative) We the match on TV. (see)

5. (negative) I the question. (not / understand)

Build the sentence

Complete each sentence by filling in the blank or blanks. For questions and negatives, pay attention to the word order and the verb form.

1. (negative) She at home yesterday. (not / be)

2. (question) you your homework? (finish)

3. (negative) They didn't the bus. (take)

4. (affirmative) We dinner at 8 p.m. (have)

5. (question with be) they at the restaurant?

6. (negative) I the question. (not / understand)

Choose the correct option

Select the correct form in each sentence.

1. They ___ at home yesterday.

2. ___ you go to school yesterday?

3. She didn't ___ breakfast this morning.

4. ___ they tired after the trip?

Irregular verbs practice

Complete each sentence with the Past Simple form of the verb in brackets. The verb list is in the last tab if you need help.

1. Yesterday, I to the beach. (go)

2. She a new jacket last Saturday. (buy)

3. We pizza after class. (eat)

4. They a famous actor in London. (see)

5. He an email to his teacher. (write)

6. I lots of photos on holiday. (take)

7. My parents home late. (come)

8. She a great time at the party. (have)

9. We a chocolate cake. (make)

10. He two glasses of water. (drink)

Irregular verbs list

Use the first column (base form) and the second column (Past Simple) as a quick reference while you practise.

Base form	Past Simple
be	was / were
become	became
begin	began
break	broke
bring	brought
buy	bought
come	came
do	did
drink	drank
drive	drove
eat	ate
feel	felt
find	found
get	got
give	gave
go	went
have	had
hear	heard
know	knew
leave	left
make	made
meet	met
pay	paid
read	read
run	ran
say	said
see	saw
sing	sang
sit	sat
sleep	slept
speak	spoke
spend	spent
stand	stood
take	took
teach	taught
tell	told
think	thought
understand	understood
wear	wore
win	won
write	wrote

Tip: In questions and negatives with most verbs, return to the base form: Did you go? / I didn't go.