2 positive suggestions for simple pastes. Past Simple Tense is the simple past tense in English. Affirmative sentences in Past Simple

Speaking any language, it is impossible to be fully understood without knowing the rules for the formation of tense forms. In this case, the English language has a wide variety of options for self-expression. However, the main tense group is the so-called “group of simple tenses” or simple tenses, which logically divides time periods into past, present and future. Today we will stop at time Past Simple(pronounced [past simple]) or simple past tense in English language and we will analyze the methods of its formation, as well as examples of use.

The Past Simple Tense or simple past tense (also known as the Past Indefinite Tense or past indefinite tense) is a tense that is used to express states or actions that occurred in the past. The so-called simplicity of this time lies in the fact that when using it, do not focus on the duration, completeness, or sequence of one event in relation to another.

The action simply happened in the past, that's a fact, period. Due to the fact that people constantly strive to simplify language, this tense form often replaces other forms of the past tense in writing, and even more often in speech, so knowledge of this particular group is necessary to explain situations and thoughts at a simple level. Let's take a closer look at how, where and how this form is used in English.

The only part of speech that can be changed when forming the past tense are verbs, which can be regular or irregular.

If at first it is difficult for you to understand whether a particular verb is regular or irregular, refer to the table of irregular verbs: if the verb is not on the list, most likely it belongs to the category of regular ones.

Past Simple: sentence forms

Having understood the types of past tense verbs and how they are formed, you need to learn how to construct sentences with them grammatically correctly.

The affirmative form of the Past Simple does not require the use of auxiliary verbs. To construct a sentence in the affirmative form, it is enough to use a verb in the past tense.

In simple words, it is enough to take an affirmative sentence in the present tense and replace the verb in it with the past tense.

The negative form the Past Indefinite Tense is formed using the auxiliary verb did and the negative particle not (informally didn’t), which is placed after the subject. An auxiliary verb with a particle is followed by main verb in infinitive. This means that memorized irregular verbs and the ending -ed in negative sentences will not be useful to us.

	Ssubject (Subject)	Auxiliary verb +not	Verb (Verb)	Object (An object)
Present Simple (Present tense)	She	does not (doesn't)	love	him.
Past Simple (Past tense)	She	didn't (didn't)	love	him.

The interrogative form is also formed using the auxiliary verb did. It comes first in a sentence, followed by the subject and main meaning. infinitive verb.

For a short positive answer, it is enough to use auxiliary verbs; for a short negative answer, the particle not is needed. If the answer is negative, the auxiliary verb with the particle must be written together (didn’t). The full answer will be in the affirmative or negative form.

For the formation of special questions, the scheme remains practically unchanged. A question word is added to it only at the very beginning. Question words can be anything, here are some of them: what, why, how, how, which, where, where, when.

	? word	Auxiliary verb	Ssubject (Subject)	Verb (Verb)	Object (An object)
Present Simple (Present tense)	Why	do	you	like like	reading?
Past Simple (Past tense)	did	you	like liked it	reading?

An exception is the question word who, whose sentences do not require an auxiliary verb. This is where your knowledge of regular and irregular verbs will be needed.

Special questions cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”, so the answers to them are given in a completely affirmative or negative form.

Past Simple - use

The simple past tense is used very often in English. For correct application in practice, consider all cases of using Past Simple:

To express single actions/states or actions in the past, taken as a fact. Such sentences can be about both ordinary everyday situations and historical events. Often such sentences contain special indicator words expressed:

circumstance of time, these include: yesterday - yesterday, the day before yesterday - the day before yesterday, last night - last night, last week / month - last week / last month, in 1999 - in 1999, then - then;
by the adverb ago, for example: 5 years ago - five years ago;
question words when and how.

Examples:

Agatha Christie wrote detective novels. (Agatha Christie wrote detective novels.)	fact
Bruce graduated from the university 3 years ago. (Bruce graduated from university 3 years ago.)
We talked to him about the upcoming performance. (We talked to him about the upcoming performance.)	single action
Steven Spielberg was born in 1946. (Steven Spielberg was born in 1946.)	fact indicating a specific year
She called you 5 minutes ago. (She called you 5 minutes ago.)	single action, presence of the adverb ago
The Great Patriotic War began on June 22, 1941.	historical fact
I was excited to take part in the contest yesterday. (I was glad to take part in the competition yesterday.)	condition with time circumstance
I didn't like your hairstyle then. (I didn't like your hair then.)	action in the past with a time adverbial (I didn’t like it before, but now I like it)
Jane drew portraits in the childhood. (As a child, Jane drew portraits.)	action in the past (I used to draw, now I don’t)
He visited us 2 weeks ago. (He visited us 2 weeks ago.)	single action, presence of the adverb ago
When did you meet each other? (When did you meet each other?)	question about the past the question word when is used

To express habits or actions that were repeated constantly/often in the past, but are not repeated now. Indicator words in this case are expressed:

adverbs everyday - every day, always - always, often - often, sometimes - sometimes, each time - every time;
the expression used + verb in the infinitive, which translates as “before”.

He always wore black jackets. (He always wore black jackets.)	used to wear it, doesn't wear it now
I didn't use to brush my teeth twice a day. (I didn't brush my teeth twice a day before.)	I haven’t cleaned it before, but now I do
Dad used to smoke up to 10 cigarettes a day. ((Previously) My father smoked up to 10 cigarettes a day.)	It was a habit, but now it's gone
Donald Trump used to host The Apprentice. (Donald Trump hosted The Apprentice.)	drove, but now no longer drives
Mike used to watch The Big Bang Theory. (Mike used to watch The Big Bang Theory.)	I watched it, but I stopped now
They took Chinese classes every day. (They studied Chinese every day.)	they don't do it anymore

When there is a story or listing of events that happened one after another in the past.

In subordinate clauses of time to express the completeness of an action. Some indicator words for this case:

as soon as - as soon as, once - as soon as, before - before, untill - until / until, after - after, when - when.

Using indirect speech, if the verb in the main clause is used in the Past Simple.

To characterize the subject in the past.

To report details of any news. To communicate the news itself, it should be used present time Perfect (present perfect), and sentences in Past S are used for description. However, if you are afraid of messing up with tenses, you can use the simple past tense everywhere in such situations.

Past Simple is also used to form a conditional sentence of the second type (Second Conditional), which is used to express events in the present or future tenses, the probability of which is very small or completely unrealistic. The Russian equivalent of the second type of conditional sentence may sound like “if only”. A similar sentence is constructed using the conjunction if (if). Table with education formulas:

Examples of use:

If I had a million dollars, I would found a charitable foundation. (If I had a million dollars, I would start a charity.)	Unreal situation. I don’t have any money right now, I can’t start a foundation.
If I were you, I would not do this. (If I were you, I wouldn't do this.)	Unreal situation. I cannot switch bodies with another person or act for them.
We would go swimming if the weather were fine. (If the weather had been good, we would have gone swimming.)	The weather is bad, the likelihood that we will be able to go swimming is very low.
If I had children, I would spend with them all day long. (If I had children, I would spend all day with them.)	But I don’t have children, such a situation is impossible at the moment.

Please pay attention to two nuances:

If a sentence begins with a subordinate clause “if”, then a comma is placed at the junction with the second part so that the sentences do not merge and are easier to read;
In a conditional sentence, the verb to be in the past tense is usually used only in plural(were), even with pronouns singular I, he, she, it. The form were in such sentences is subjunctive. Although in everyday speech it is possible to substitute the form was for the singular, when taking tests, choosing was will be considered an error.

The Past Simple tense is also used with the construction I wish, which is equivalent to the Russian “It’s a pity that not.” Usually such a construction is used to express the desire for some action to happen or to happen differently. As in the case above, this design also consists of two parts. Education formula table:

Examples of use:

Pay attention to the features to understand how such sentences are constructed:

If we translate the construction in the form “it’s a pity that not”, negative verbs turn into affirmative ones and vice versa;
As in the formation of conditional sentences of the second type, the verb to be is used only in the form were, although in colloquial speech deviations from the rule are possible.

Past Simple is used with another construction that can often be found in colloquial language - it is (it’s) time, which is translated as “it’s time.” Table with education formulas:

Examples of use:

These were all cases of using the Past Simple (Past Indefinite) or the simple past tense. They won't be too difficult, especially if you understand the grammar, learn irregular verbs, and practice using Past Simple Tense in different situations based on the examples above.

The variety of tense forms in the English language makes it possible to describe the action being performed in more detail, but may also be confusing. The “Past Simple” table tells in detail how the English Simple Past tense is formed and when it is used.

Basic Rule

Before moving on to consider the formation of the affirmative, negative and interrogative forms of the English Past Simple, it is necessary to understand how it is translated into Russian and what action it describes. The tense form Past Simple is literally translated as Simple Past. The term Past refers to the past tense in a broad sense. Simple is an aspect that indicates that the action being described is common and occurs regularly. It follows that the Past Simple describes ordinary, repeated actions, facts that happened in the past.

This meaning is also indicated by marker words such as yesterday, the day before yesterday, two weeks ago, last year and others.

Regular verbs

When considering the rule of formation Past Simple (Simple Past), new linguistic concepts appear - regular and irregular verbs. Regular verbs form the past simple by adding the -ed ending to the stem of the verb.

Basic rules and examples of Past Simple with regular verbs are presented in the following table:

Past Simple Tense: subjects + verb + -ed (2nd form of regular verbs)
*Positive form* (Affirmative form)	*Negative form* (Negative form)	*Interrogative form* (Interrogative form)
I closed - I closed	I did not close - I didn’t close	Did I close? - I closed?
You closed -You (you) closed	You did not close - You (you) did not close	Did you close? - Did you close it?
He closed - He closed	He did not close - He did not close	Did he close? - Did he close it?
She closed - She closed	She did not close - She did not close	Did she close? - Did she close it?
It closed - He (about an animal or inanimate) closed	It did not close - He did not close	Did it close? - Did he close it?
We closed - We closed	We did not close - We did not close	Did we close? - Are we closed?
They closed - They closed	They did not close - They did not close	Did they close? - have they closed?

IN negative sentence The subject is followed by an auxiliary verb with a negative particle – did not. In the question, the word order changes and the auxiliary verb comes first. In both cases, the main verb loses the past tense ending -ed.

Irregular Verbs

There are not many irregular verbs in the English language - 470. Not all of them belong to the daily vocabulary. Many are outdated and not used. But the main thing is different - you need to know them by heart. In order to make a sentence with an irregular verb in the Past Simple, you need to look at the second column of the table of irregular verbs.

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Past Simple Tense: subjects + 2nd form of irregular verb
*Positive form* (Affirmative form)	*Negative form* (Negative form)	*Interrogative form* (Interrogative form)
I slept - I slept	I didn’t sleep - I didn’t sleep	Did I sleep? - I was asleep?
You slept - You (you) slept	You didn’t sleep - You (you) did not sleep	Did you sleep? - Did you sleep?
He slept - He slept	He didn’t sleep - He didn’t sleep	Did he sleep? - He slept?
She slept - She slept	She didn’t sleep - She didn’t sleep	Did she sleep? - She slept?
It slept - He (it) was sleeping	It didn’t sleep - He didn’t sleep	Did it sleep? - He slept?
We slept - We slept	We didn’t sleep - We didn’t sleep	Did we sleep? - We sleep?
They slept - They slept	They didn’t sleep - They didn’t sleep	Did they sleep? - They slept?

What have we learned?

The basic rules and examples of the Past Simple in the table help to organize the acquired theoretical knowledge on the topic. It presents examples of the formation of affirmative, negative and interrogative forms, which can serve as an excellent “cheat sheet” if necessary.

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Today we will look at the latest time related to the Simple group in English grammar— Past Simple Tense. In English courses for adults from Easy Speak, our students begin to use this time already at the first level. It is translated into Russian as “simple past tense.” From the article you will learn when it is used, how it is formed, and how to construct negative and interrogative sentences in this tense.

When we use Past Simple

We use the simple past tense when we say:

1. About events or actions that occurred in the past and the time for which has expired. That is, the action or event is complete.
(he bought a car last year, they went on vacation last month, the meeting was last week)

2. About events or actions in the past that were repeated regularly, but are not happening now.
(she danced at school, we went to the gym last year)

3. About events in the past that happened one after another.
(they met, walked in the park, went to the cinema)

Bonus! Having trouble with English tenses? in Moscow and find out how easy it is to master tenses and start speaking English in 1 month!

How is the affirmative form of the Past Simple formed?

When forming the Past Simple, we always look at the verb, as it will change. There are two types of verbs in English: right and wrong.

Depending on the verb, the past tense is formed as follows:

if the verb is correct, we add ending -ed(cook - cooked);
if the verb is irregular, we put it in second form (see - saw).

There is no rule by which we can determine the correct or irregular verb in front of us. You can only find out by looking it up in a dictionary or remembering it.

The same goes for forms of irregular verbs. You need to memorize them or look them up in the dictionary. The Past Simple formation scheme is as follows:

The one we are talking about + a regular verb ending in ed or the 2nd form of an irregular verb.

I
You
We	worked
They	slept
She	went
He
It

For example

I went to the cinema yesterday.
I went to the cinema yesterday.

She moved last year
She moved last year.

They married three years ago.
They got married three years ago.

Verb endings -ed in the Past Simple

There are a few caveats when adding the -ed ending to regular verbs.

If the verb ends in -e, then it is added to the verb -d only:

change e- chang ed- change;
clos e- clos ed— close.

If the verb ends to a consonant, in front of which stands stressed vowel, then the consonant is doubled:

sto p-sto pped- stop;
ba n-ba nned- forbid.

Exceptions: verbs ending in -x and -w:

fi x-fi xed- fix;
flo w-flo wed- leak.

Note: V British English, when a verb ends in -l, it is doubled regardless of where the stress falls:

travel l- travel lled- travel.

American version:

travel l- travel led- travel.

If the verb ends in -y and there is a consonant before it, then y changes to i+ed:

cr y-cr ied- cry;
tr y- tr ied- sample.

Important: If there is a vowel before -u, then the ending -ed is added without change letters:

sta y-sta yed- stay;
pla y- pla yed- play.

Companion words Past Simple

These are clue words that help determine that this is the simple past tense:

yesterday,
last week / month / year,
in 1989 (2000, 2012, etc.) year,
two (three, four, etc.) days/month/years ago.

Examples

I saw him five days ago.
I saw him five days ago.

She watched this film yesterday.
She watched this film yesterday.

They lived in England in 1999 year.
They lived in England in 1999.

Negative sentences in Past Simple

Negation is formed using auxiliary verb did(this is the auxiliary verb do, but in the past form) and particles not. In this case, the semantic verb is used in the initial form.

The combination did + not will be our particle “ Not". For example, he did not participate in the exhibition, they did not go to the club yesterday.

The scheme for constructing a negative sentence in the Past Simple is as follows:

The one we are talking about + did + not + verb in the initial form.

I
You
We			work
They	did	not	sleep
She			go
He
It

Important point: The auxiliary verb did already shows that the sentence is in the past tense, so it itself verb in a sentence(run/jump/work) we do not put in the past tense, but use the initial form. That is, we do not put it in the 2nd form and do not add the ending ed.

Why do you need to show twice that this is the past tense?

Didn't swim yesterday.
He didn't swim yesterday.

NOT: He did not swam yesterday.

For example

They did not work last summer.
They didn't work last summer.

She did not run yesterday.
She didn't run yesterday.

What abbreviation can you use?

We can shorten the negative particle not as follows.

Did + not = didn’t

We didn't win this battle.
We didn't win this battle.

Interrogative sentences in Past Simple

The construction of questions in the Past Simple is the same as in other tenses of this group (Simple). To ask a question, you need to put the auxiliary verb did first in the sentence. The semantic verb, as in negation, is not put in the past tense, but its initial form is used. There is no need to add the ending -ed.

Did + the person in question + the initial form of the verb.

	I
	you
	they	work?
Did	we	sleep?
	he	go?
	she
	it

Statement

He called me last week.
He called me last week.

They bought a new car.
They bought a new car.

Question

Did he called you last week?
Did he call you last week?

Did they buy a new car?
Did they buy a new car?

Short positive answer contains the auxiliary verb did, which replaces the action itself.

Yes, he did.
Yes, he called.

Yes, they did.
Yes, they bought it.

Complete positive answer is constructed as an affirmative sentence.

Yes, he called me last week.
Yes, he called me last week.

Yes, they bought a new car.
Yes, they bought a new car.

Short negative answer contains the auxiliary verb did and the negative particle not.

No, he did not.
No, he didn't call.

No, they did not.
No, they didn't buy it.

Complete negative answer is constructed as a negative sentence.

No, he did not call me last week.
No, he didn't call me last week.

No, they did not buy a new car.
No, they didn't buy a new car.

Special questions in the Past Simple

When we ask a question with the following question words:

what,
when,
where,
which,

Question word + did + the person in question + verb in the initial form?

		I
When		you
Where		they	work?
What	did	we	meet?
Why		she	buy?
		he
		it

Let's look at examples.

Why did did you steal this thing?
Why did you steal this thing?

When did she sell her phone?
When did she sell her phone?

What did do they buy?
What did they buy?

So, we've looked at the simple past tense, which is actually not that simple. If you have any questions, ask them in the comments below the article.

Also, if you haven't done this yet, I advise you to read about other times of the Simple group:

Now let's move on to practice.

Exercise to consolidate Past Simple

Translate the following sentences into English:

1. He built his house in 1997.
2. They went to a concert last month.
3. Did you give her a gift yesterday? Yes, I gave her a gift yesterday.
4. We didn't see each other last week.
5. My friend broke her phone last year.
6. The children didn’t go to camp last summer.
7. Why did he move?
8. Did you go hiking last weekend? No, we didn't go.

Write your answers in the comments, and I will definitely check them.

Past Simple is called the simple past tense, but for many it is such a dark forest that they do not know how to approach it. We are sure this is not about you, but still... Why do we (or rather, the English) need this Past Simple Tense? Past Simple (otherwise, Past Indefinite) is pronounced like past simple. The rules of the Past simple are simple: we will soon learn when the past simple is used, how the past simple is formed, why it is necessary to use the Past Simple, rules and examples of the functioning of this tense in the text. Imagine the situation: you are telling a friend what you did last summer. And we went there, and we were there, and we saw that. How can I tell all this in English? You can’t build barricades out of perfect forms, right? That's what it's for Time Past Simple.

Past Simple Tense: rules of use in English

So, let's take a closer look at the Past Simple - when is this tense used?

An action that you (or someone else) has performed regularly in the past. How often is not important. At least every minute, at least once in a millennium. The main thing is that the action was repeated from time to time in the past. Like here: He often visited us (often visited), when we lived there.
A constant sign of an object or a characteristic of a person in the past. What was this object or person once like? For example: Jane looked much better (looked much better), when I saw her last time.
A chain of sequential actions in the past. Often found in fairy tales like “grandmother for grandfather, grandfather for turnip,” i.e. where the actions of the characters are described step by step. Chain simple actions It also occurs in our everyday life. Take a look: I entered the hall, switched on the light, opened the wardrobe, and then quickly closed it. He entered, turned on the light, opened the closet - these are sequential actions, very little time passed between them. There is no point in complicating the sentence and trying to convey this chain of actions in any other way than Past Simple.
One-time action in the past. Yes, yes, this is just about how you went to a resort 10 years ago, and now share your memories. Something that once happened some time ago (no matter yesterday or 140 years ago) is conveyed through the Past Simple.

Underwater rock:

What to do with cultural heritage? For example, Shakespeare wrote such and such a work in such and such a year. After all, we are using the results of Shakespeare’s work, and we are doing it now - in this case, the Past Simple is often confused with the present perfect, which precisely describes the result in the present. However, the simple paste rule here is quite strict. Any invention, any work once written is a fact in the past. And facts, especially indicating the exact date, are the sphere of the Simple times group.

Past Simple: education

How is the Past Simple formed? And it's very simple. It’s not called simple for nothing. Past Simple, formation: V2 (second form of the verb). Do you remember that all English verbs can be divided into regular and irregular?

Past Simple: rules for forming the simple past of irregular verbs

Irregular verbs live their own lives: they have three forms, all three need to be known by heart. To get the Past Simple, we use the second form (V2) of the irregular verb.

For example:

Buy - bought - bought Read - read - read Cut - cut - cut Lie - lay - lain A list of irregular verbs is at the end of any dictionary or reference book. Ideally, this list should migrate from the reference book to your head. Fortunately, there are not many irregular verbs. Relatively. But all other verbs that are not on the list of irregular verbs are called regular. And everything is very easy with them. Past Simple: rules for forming the simple past of regular verbs Regular verbs in the Past Simple take on the ending -ed or -d. We add it to the stem of the infinitive.

For example:

To kick - he kicked (kick - he kicked) To look - he looked (look - he looked)

If the stem of the infinitive already ends in e, then only -d is added:

To dance - he danced (to dance - he danced) To invite - he invited (to invite - he invited) That's all! After all, it’s not for nothing that the Past Simple is called simple, right? But there are also some pitfalls.

Nuance No. 1

If the word ends with the letter y, then it must be changed to i and only then added the ending -ed. We do this manipulation only and exclusively when y is preceded by a consonant.

Compare:

To fly - he flied To obey - he obeyed In the case of obey before y - the vowel e. Well, let’s put the ending -ed and be glad that you don’t need to change anything!

Nuance No. 2

Liked? Then here's your second point. If the verb ends with the combination: short vowel + consonant, then the consonant is usually doubled. To plan - he planned This is necessary in order to maintain a closed syllable. After all, if in the word planned we do not double n, then we get an open syllable, and in an open syllable it is read differently. The end result will be a completely different word! Therefore, do not forget to double the consonant where necessary. But look at these examples: To fear - he feared To look - he looked There is no need to double anything here, because consonants are not at all short vowels, nothing can affect their pronunciation. In British English, the l is always doubled at the end of a word: To quarrel - we quarreled But in American English such a metamorphosis does not occur. To quarrel - we quarrel How to correctly read verbs with the ending -ed If it is relatively easy to put a verb in Past Simple, then sometimes it is not very easy to read. Try not to neglect the correct pronunciation, otherwise it will be very difficult for a foreigner to understand you.

What about questions and denials?

To form a question or a negative, we need the auxiliary verb do. Without it, alas, neither a question can be made nor a denial can be formed. The auxiliary verb do in the Past Simple will have the form did. In a negative sentence, did is placed after the subject and acquires the negative particle not.

Negation in Past Simple: rule of formation

Subject + did not + predicate (infinitive) Tom did not eat porridge. Didn't = didn't. Didn't is a shortened form of did not. IN oral speech This is the form you are most likely to hear. Tom did not eat porridge = Tom didn’t eat porridge. Mark did not come yesterday = Mark didn’t come yesterday

Question in Past Simple: rule of formation

In a question, did will appear in the first position. The scheme of a general question in the past simple would be: DID + subject + predicate (infinitive)? Did Tom eat porridge? The answer to this question can be complete, but is usually short: - Yes, he did. / No, he didn’t.

< strong>Pitfall: Very common mistake when forming questions and denials in Past Simple: use V2 instead of the infinitive. We have well understood how the paste simpl is formed - with the help of the ending -ed (for regular verbs) and V2 for irregular ones. Having understood this, we begin to put the second form of the verb everywhere, but in a question and a negation this is superfluous! The auxiliary verb do has already taken over the functions of the past simple and turned into did (remember that do is an irregular verb: do-did-done. Accordingly, its V2 is did). Did ALREADY shows the past simple tense. It is simply not necessary to do any other additional manipulations with the semantic verb (predicate)! Did already take care of everything!

Special questions

These are questions that begin with a special question word. Question words: What what? Where where? Who's who? Why why? When when? Whom to whom? How how? Special questions are not as difficult as they seem. If the scheme of a simple question looks like this: DID + subject + predicate (infinitive)? Then the scheme of the special question looks like this: Interrogative word + DID + subject + predicate (infinitive)? We simply put a question word at position zero - that’s all! The rest of the word order remains unchanged. The English language would not be English if there were not some exception here. It is. With the question words Who (who?) and What? (what?), if we ask a question to the subject, this scheme does not work. True, it is even simpler. We simply put who or what in place of the subject! That's all! The predicate remains in the past simple. In practice it looks like this: Mary ate ice-cream yesterday. (Mary ate ice cream yesterday.) Who ate ice-cream yesterday? (Who ate ice cream yesterday?) Important: This scheme with who only works when we ask a question to the subject. If we ask a question to a direct object, then the scheme will be standard. Compare: Tom saw Mary two days ago. Who saw Mary two days ago? The question is asked to the subject (Tom). Who is in first position, no auxiliary verb is required. Let's move on. Let's first ask a general question (the answer to which will be “yes” or “no”): Did Tom see Mary two days ago? (put did in first place) And now a special question with who, but not to the subject, but to the direct object (Mary): Who did Tom see two days ago? Since we are not asking the question to the subject, it means that, like any question word, who takes the zero position, did remains in the first position and further according to the standard scheme.)

Past Simple Markers

Markers are our assistants, clue words that help us understand when we need the Past Simple. If we notice such a word in a sentence, this is a very eloquent hint that we need to use the simple past tense.

Well, we know the markers, but where should we put them in the sentence? After all, the structure of an English sentence is quite rigid... Markers containing the words last, every, ago, as a rule, are placed in last place in the sentence: I met Helen three months ago. Emma spent three weeks in Paris last year. Markers often, never, usually, rarely, always and similar usually come before the verb: I never saw you working. Tom and I always spent holidays together. Important: If it is not the verb of action that functions as a predicate, but the verb to be, then these markers are placed after it: John was often tired. Marker yesterday can occur at the beginning of a sentence or at the end: Yesterday I bought a new fur coat. I bought a new fur coat yesterday. And here sometimes In general, he can stand wherever he wants. Or rather, where you want: I went to Paris sometimes, but always felt uncomfortable there. Sometimes I went to Paris, but always felt uncomfortable there. What to do if there are no bullets in the sentence? How do we work with an English sentence? First of all, we look at the markers. If you have an ago or last marker, then already at the stage of your first acquaintance with the sentence, without even translating it, you understand what tense you need to use: Past Simple. If there are no obvious markers in the sentence, then we move on to the next stage: translating the sentence. And here you may notice some clues.

For example:

Year indication: in 1956, in 2007. My grandpa died in 2007. Month indication: in August, in September. I caught a cold in January. The word during- for some time. Attention: during can only be used with nouns denoting a certain time period! During summer, during the weekend, during our meeting. Mary was in London during the winter. Marker for. You need to be more careful with this marker. This is one of the brightest indicators of time Present Perfect. However, if the action has already completed and there is no connection with the present, then for clearly indicates the Past Simple. Compare: I have lived here for 13 years. I lived here for 13 years. (And I still live or am about to leave.) I lived in London for 13 years, but then moved to New York. I lived in London for 13 years and then moved to New York. (There is no connection with the present, he once lived, and then moved). Clarification with when I pierced my tongue when I was 16. This is a biography fact from the past. Which means Past Simple. If the emphasis is not on the fact, but on the process, then a different tense, Past Continuous, will be used: I was eating when my mom called me. Emphasis on the process - I was eating when my mother called me. Pay attention to the second part of the sentence: when my mom called me. Here we use the past simple again. Why? Because a shorter action or an action that interrupts the process (expressed in this case through the Past Continuous) requires the use of the Past Simple. Translate the sentence correctly and see how the semantic accents are placed! Past Simple is primarily a fact in the past. If an action used to happen regularly, but is no longer happening now, the construction used to + infinitive is used. Using this expression, we can designate habits of the past that we do not have now, or qualities and properties that are currently absent. Take a look: I used to be good at drawing, but now I cannot draw even a straight line. I used to draw well, but now I can’t even draw a straight line. The translation of sentences of this type can begin with the words “once upon a time” or “remembered”. She used to be so pretty! I remember she was so pretty! As a synonym used to we can use would + infinitive- but only to indicate actions in the past, not characteristics! My mom would bake the best cookies, when I was a child. Now you know everything about the Past Simple tense and can express your thoughts with ease. To make your English even more beautiful, read our other articles about the rules and nuances of English grammar.

Past Simple Tense- past simple tense, one of the main tenses of the English language, which is studied at the level elementary and at subsequent levels is considered in comparison with other times. To understand more complex tenses, you need to thoroughly know and be able to use Past Simple tense. Today we will talk in detail about the formation and use of this time.

Past Simple tense: education and use.

Learning the Past Simple is a milestone in language learning. Ownership of the past tense instantly expands the range of topics for conversation, gives more freedom in expressing thoughts. On the other hand, Past Simple opens up an opportunity for you to explore other, more complex past tenses. You are introduced to new forms of verbs that you most likely have not used before, which is undoubtedly a huge step forward.

Given the importance of mastering Past Simple time, a lot of time is devoted to him in the classroom.

When studying any tense, we must know how to build a statement and how to use this tense, what actions it conveys.

Let's start with statements.

Statement always begins with a subject followed by a semantic verb. In the statement in Past Simple the semantic verb is placed in the second form (V2):

I lived in Moscow ten years ago. - I lived in Moscow ten years ago.

He wrote a letter yesterday. - He wrote a letter yesterday.

They came to see us last weekend. - They came to visit us last weekend.

What is the second form of the verb?

This is the form of the verb that is used in the Past Simple tense to convey the past action. You probably know that all verbs are divided into correct And incorrect. Let's talk about regular verbs. That is why they are called correct because they always form the second (and third) forms according to the rule. To form the second form of regular verbs, you need to add the ending to the verb ED:

Help - helped
look - looked
work - worked

When adding the ending ED to a verb, its pronunciation and spelling can change, so there are a number of rules to remember.

There are not many of these rules, but you need to get a good grasp of them, as you are now forming the basis for your further study. Therefore, we have devoted a separate ending to ED, which discusses all the features of its use, the rules of pronunciation and spelling. Be sure to study! In this article we will look at them briefly.

Rules for pronunciation of words ending in ED.

/id/	/t/	/d/
Only after the sounds /t/ and /d/	After voiceless and sibilant /p/, /h/, /s/, /k/, /f/, /tʃ/, /ʃ/	After all other sounds (voiced and vowels)

Rules for writing words ending in ED.

Let's move on to writing verbs ending in ED. There are several simple rules:

	If the verb ends in a silent E, then when adding the ending we add only D	close - closed dance - danced live - lived
	If a verb ends in a closed stressed syllable, then when adding an ending, the final consonant is doubled * letters X and W at the end of a word are not doubled	admit- admitted beg - begged permit- permitted fixed-fixed row-rowed
	If a verb ends in Y preceded by a consonant, then Y is changed to I and ED is added	apply - applied copy - copied dry - dried
	If there is a vowel before Y at the end of a word, then the ending is added without changes:	enjoy - enjoyed obey - obeyed play - played
	If a verb ends in L and is preceded by a short vowel, the final consonant is doubled * in AmE the letter L at the end of a word before a short vowel is not doubled	travel - travelled quarrel - quarreled
	If a verb ends in R in a stressed syllable, the final R is doubled	occur - occurred prefer - preferred star- starred

If the verb is irregular, then you need to refer to the table of irregular verbs and look in the second column. Tables of irregular verbs are usually found at the end of textbooks. Irregular verbs can be difficult to remember. How to make this task easier, read.

The second form of the verb is used only in statements.

IN denials and questions(except for a question to the subject) it is not the second form that is used, but first. The only exception is the question to the subject, where we do not change the word order and use the second form.

Negation is formed using the auxiliary verb DID and the negative particle NOT. Auxiliary verb with particle NOT is placed before the semantic verb in the first form. Colloquially DID NOT is shortened to DIDN"T :

Subject

DIDN"T

I didn't close the door. - I didn't close the door.

He didn't answer the question. - He didn’t answer the question.

We didn't go on holiday last year. - We didn’t go on vacation last year.

General issues are formed using the auxiliary verb DID, which is placed before the subject, followed by the semantic verb in the first form:

DID

Subject

Did you understand the rule? - Did you understand the rule?

Did she find a job? - Has she found a job?

Did they go to Europe? - Did they go to Europe?

For building information question Before the auxiliary verb we put the necessary question word:

WHAT
WHEN
WHY
etc.

DID

Subject

What did you do yesterday? - What did you do yesterday?

When did she sell her car? - When did she sell her car?

Why did they leave? - Why did they leave?

IN question to the subject(Who? Who?) the auxiliary verb DID is not used, but direct word order is used (as in the statement):

WHO

Who called you yesterday? - Who called you yesterday?

Who repaired the car? - Who fixed the car?

Who told them about it? -Who told them about this?

Use of Past Simple tense.

Now that you know how to form Past Simple, let's look at the uses of this tense in English:

1. Past Simple is an action that happened in the past and has no relation to the present, a fact about the past:

I went to the movies yesterday. - I went to the cinema yesterday.

She graduated from University last year. - She graduated from university last year.

They moved to the USA three years ago. - They moved to America three years ago.

2. Past Simple is used if the action was regularly repeated in the past or was habitual, but is no longer repeated:

When I was a child, we often went fishing with my father. - When I was a child, we often went fishing with my dad.

She attended gym three times a week to keep fit. - She went to the gym three times a week to keep fit.

They sold fruits and vegetables. - They sold fruits and vegetables.

It is also used to express regular actions in the past. USED design TO and the modal verb WOULD. You can read more about their use.

3. Actions that occurred in a row, one after another in the past:

I entered the room and greeted everyone. - I entered the room and said hello.

He turned on the TV and sat in his armchair. - He turned on the TV and sat down in his chair.

We bought some bread and left the shop. - We bought some bread and left the store.

4. When we talk about historical events and figures:

Columbus discovered America. - Columbus discovered America.

The First World War began in 1914. - The First World War began in 1914.

Admiral Nelson defeated the French in the Battle of Trafalgar. - Admiral Nelson defeated the French at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Any time is perceived better if you remember its indicators.

Typical Past Simple tense indicators include: yesterday(yesterday), as well as combinations including words last(past, last) and ago(ago):

Last week - last week
last month - last month
last year - last year
an hour - an hour ago
two days ago - two days ago
three weeks ago - three weeks ago

In addition, prepositions of time can be used in, on, at and others, if the context makes it clear that the action occurred in the past:

We had breakfast at 8 o"clock. - We had breakfast at eight o'clock.

Their first lesson was on Tuesday. - Their first lesson was on Tuesday.

He got married in 2000. - He got married in 2000.

Common mistakes when using Past Simple tense:

- incorrect pronunciation of endings of regular verbs.

You can correct this error by doing exercises on reading endings. Pronounce endings clearly. Don't try to speak quickly until you can pronounce the endings without deafening them.

- adding ED to irregular verbs or using irregular shape irregular verb.

You will most likely be understood, but it is better to avoid this mistake. Read more texts in Past Simple, highlight the regular and irregular verbs in them with different colors. You can make up examples with irregular verbs and give them to your familiar teachers or for checking.

Many people forget to put DID before the subject in questions or use the second form of the verb in questions and statements.

This problem is relevant for all times. In this situation, only practice will help.

If you are learning English on your own, you can try this method: write down all the formulas (affirmations, negations, general and informational questions) in the margins of the page, then select sentences from the texts in the Past Simple and form all the forms by writing them opposite the formulas. At first you will often look at the hint, then less and less, and in the end you will remember everything automatically. Tested by experience!)

The Past Simple is often confused with other tenses. In particular, this and . It's important to understand the differences here. Read about the differences in the use of tenses in our following articles: and.

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