Grammar: Simple Past Tense (Difficulty: Easy)

Simple Past Tense (Finished Actions)

Since you have learned the Simple Present Tense (if you haven’t, I recommend checking that post out first!), it’s time to learn the Simple Past Tense!

This tense is for actions that started and finished before now (yesterday, last week, one hundred years ago, etc.).

Rule 1️⃣: Regular vs. Irregular Verbs

 1️⃣ Regular Verbs: We add -d, -ed, or -ied to the base verb.

Example: I walked to school. They played outside.

 2️⃣ Irregular Verbs: The verb changes its spelling! It’s called “irregular” because it doesn’t follow the rules.

Example: I ate pizza. (The base verb is eat). She saw a movie. (The base verb is see).

⭐You must memorize these words (and their spelling!). These are the very basic irregular verbs, so they are essential to remember.

| Go -> Went || See -> Saw || Eat -> Ate || Drink -> Drank |

| Come -> Came || Take -> Took ||Give -> Gave || Make -> Made |

| Find -> Found || Tell -> Told || Write -> Wrote || Run -> Ran |

| Speak -> Spoke || Know -> Knew || Buy -> Bought || Think -> Thought |

| Feel -> Felt || Read -> Read (same spelling, different sound) |

| Have -> Had || Break -> Broke |

   

Rule 2️⃣: Making it Negative or Asking Questions

We use the helper word did (or didn’t) for all subjects! The main verb must always go back to its base form.

These are different ways you can write negative sentences or questions:

Didn’t + Base Verb

Did + Subject + Base Verb?

Didn’t + Subject + Base Verb?

 * Negative Sentence Example: We didn’t finish our homework. (NOT We didn’t finished)

 * Negative Question Example: Didn’t you tell your mom? Didn’t he come to the party?

Here are some worksheets to practice the Simple Past Tense, the negatives, and making questions.

📖 Worksheet 1: Irregular Past Tense Verbs

This is a short list of some basic Ireegular Past Tense Verbs, which should absolutely be memorized. Make sure the spelling is known as well!!!

📖 Worksheet 2: Use the given verb, change it to Past Tense, and fill in the blank!

📖 Worksheet 3: Read the normal sentence, then make it into a Past Tense question. (Hint: Start with Did!)

📖 Worksheet 4: Using “Didn’t”, change the regular sentence into a negative one.

📖 Worksheet 5: Unscramble the sentence to make a Simple Past Tense sentence.

📖 Worksheet 6: Read the normal sentence. Then, use “Didn’t” to make a negative question.