The simple past expresses an action in the past taking place once,
never, several times. It can also be used for actions taking place one
after another or in the middle of another action.
Form of Simple Past
| Positive | Negative | Question |
| no differences |
I spoke. |
I did not speak. |
Did I speak? |
For irregular verbs, use the past form (see
list of irregular verbs, 2nd column). For regular verbs, just add
“ed
”.
Exceptions in Spelling when Adding ‘ed’
| Exceptions in spelling when adding ed | Example |
| after a final e only add d |
love – loved |
final consonant after a short, stressed vowel
or l as final consonant after a vowel is doubled |
admit – admitted
travel – travelled |
| final y after a consonant becomes i |
hurry – hurried |
Use of Simple Past
- action in the past taking place once, never or several times
Example: He visited his parents every weekend.
- actions in the past taking place one after the other
Example: He came in, took off his coat and sat down.
- action in the past taking place in the middle of another action
Example: When I was having breakfast, the phone suddenly rang.
- if sentences type II (If I talked, …)
Example: If I had a lot of money, I would share it with you.
Signal Words of Simple Past
- yesterday, 2 minutes ago, in 1990, the other day, last Friday
- If-Satz Typ II (If I talked, …)
