Past simple

Past simple

The past simple is used to talk about actions already concluded in the past.. The time period of these actions is not as important as in Spanish. In the simple past there are regular verbs and irregular verbs.

Regulr verbs

To form the simple past with regular verbs, we add "ed" at the end of each verb. The form is the same for all people (I, you, he, she, it, we, they).

• learn → learned
• Play →  Played
• Stay → Stayed

1. For verbs that end in an "e", we only add "d".
Examples:

• change → changed  

• believe → believed

2. If the verb ends in a short vowel and a consonant (except "y" or "w"), we double the final consonant.
Examples:

• stop → stopped  

• commit → committed 

3. With verbs that end in a consonant and a "y", the "y" is changed to an "i".
Examples:

• study → studied  

• try → tried

 Irregular verbs

There are many irregular verbs → more here → https://grupovaughan.com/a/lista-de-verbos-irregulares-en-ingles/

There are three most used irregular verbs that are also used as auxiliaries

• be  →   was (I, he, she, it) 

                         were (you, we, they) 

• do   →       did 

• have   →    had

Structure

Affirmative Sentences

Subject + main verb

• I enjoyed the holidays. 
• We believed him.
• I bought a blue car.
• They broke the table.
• She was a doctor.

   Negative Sentences

Subject + auxiliary verb (to do) + "not" + main verb (in infinitive) ...

Subject + "be" + "no" ...

• She wasn’t a doctor.
• The keys weren’t in the drawer.

• I didn’t want to dance. 
• They didn’t learn English.     
• We didn’t believe him.     
• I didn’t buy a blue car

Interrogative

"To be" + subject ...?

Auxiliary verb (to do) + subject + main verb (in infinitive) ...?

• Was she a doctor?
• Were the keys in the drawer?

• Did you want to dance? 
• Did they learn English?
• Did you believe him?
• Did you buy a blue car? 

 

exercises here--- https://www.curso-ingles.com/practicar/ejercicios/past-simple