Use the past simple for finished actions and situations in the past: yesterday, last week, in 2019, two hours ago. Regular verbs add -ed. Irregular verbs have their own past forms, so you need to learn them.
The pattern
I called my mom last night.
Did you call her?
01Regular verbs: add -ed
Most verbs add -ed: work, worked; watch, watched. If the verb ends in -e, add only -d: live, lived. If it ends in a consonant + y, change the y to -ied: study, studied.
Short verbs that end in one vowel + one consonant double the last letter: stop, stopped; plan, planned.
- I cleaned my apartment on Saturday.
- We moved to Denver in 2021.
- She studied for three hours last night.
- The bus stopped right in front of Starbucks.
02Irregular verbs: learn them
Many of the most common verbs are irregular. They don't use -ed. The good news: the past form is the same for every person. I went, she went, they went.
| Base verb | Past simple |
|---|---|
| go | went |
| have | had |
| get | got |
| buy | bought |
| eat | ate |
| see | saw |
| make | made |
| take | took |
03Questions and negatives: did + base verb
In questions and negatives, use did or didn't + the base verb. The past is already in did, so the main verb doesn't change. This works for regular and irregular verbs.
In American English, the past simple is also normal with just, already and yet: I just got home. Did you eat yet?
- I didn't see your text.
- Did you buy milk?
- We didn't go to the game.
- What did she say?
04Common mistakes
I didn't went to work yesterday.
I didn't go to work yesterday.
After didn't, use the base verb.
Did you saw the game?
Did you see the game?
Did already shows the past, so the main verb stays in the base form.
She buyed a new laptop.
She bought a new laptop.
Buy is irregular. Its past form is bought.
We planed a trip to Florida.
We planned a trip to Florida.
Plan ends in one vowel + one consonant, so double the n.