| Past | Present | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | I helped my friend. | I help my friend. | I will help my friend. |
| Perfect | I had helped my friend before we ate dinner. | I have helped my friend too much this week. | I will have helped my friend too many times by the end of the month. |
| Continuous | I was helping my friend when she broke her phone. | I am helping my friend while her mom is at work. | I will be helping my friend with a project next week when she starts school. |
| Perfect-Continuous | I had been helping my friend for many years before she finally thanked me. | I have been helping my friend since we met each other many years ago. | I will have been helping my friend for a week by the time the project is finished. |
Introduction
The past simple tense is used to describe actions or events that occurred in the past and are now completed. It is a fundamental tense in English that helps in narrating past events, describing past routines, and reporting past facts. The past simple tense is commonly formed by adding “-ed” to regular verbs. However, many verbs are irregular and have unique past forms.
Formula
- Affirmative: Subject + V2 (past form of the verb)
- Example: I walked to the store.
- Negative: Subject + did not + base form of the verb (infinitive without “to”)
- Example: I did not walk to the store.
- Interrogative: Did + subject + base form of the verb (infinitive without “to”)?
- Example: Did you walk to the store?
Usage 1: Completed Actions in the Past
- Description: The past simple tense is used to describe actions that were completed in the past, at a specific time. This is often accompanied by time expressions like “yesterday,” “last year,” “in 1999,” etc.
- Example: She went to New York last summer.
- Explanation: The action of going to New York was completed last summer, indicating a specific time in the past.
Usage 2: Past Habits or Routines
- Description: The past simple tense also describes habits or routines that were true in the past but are no longer true now. This can be likened to a routine that was followed in the past.
- Example: They played soccer every weekend when they were kids.
- Explanation: “Played” is used to describe a habitual action that happened regularly on weekends during their childhood, but may no longer happen now.
Usage 3: Series of Completed Actions
- Description: It is used to describe a series of actions completed one after the other in the past. This usage helps in narrating events in the sequence they occurred.
- Example: I finished my homework, went to the gym, and then watched TV.
- Explanation: The actions are listed in chronological order, all of which are completed actions that happened in succession.
Usage 4: Specific Past Events
- Description: Describing specific events that have clearly defined times of occurrence in the past.
- Example: The concert started at 8 PM last night.
- Explanation: Specifies the exact time when the concert began, indicating a defined event in the past.
Irregular Verbs in Past Simple
Irregular verbs do not follow the standard “-ed” suffix rule and have unique past tense forms. For example:
- Eat becomes ate
- Go becomes went
- Run becomes ran
It’s essential to memorize these irregular forms to use the past simple tense correctly.