Past Simple – Part 1

Use the past simple to talk about finished actions in the past.

For regular verbs, the past simple positive is infinitive + -ed

Positive

I

You

He

She

It

We

They

stayed

Other regular verbs:

  • listen –> listened
    Yesterday, I listened to music in the morning.
  • wait –> waited
    He waited 10 minutes for the bus.
  • work –> worked
    Last night she worked until 10:00 PM.
  • call –> called
    When you called me an hour ago, I was in class.
  • remember –> remembered
    We remembered everything we learned in English class.
  • watch — > watched
    They watched the movie last weekend.

Special Case 1

If the verb ends in -e, then just add -d

  • like –> liked (likeed)
  • arrive –> arrived
  • change –> changed

Special Case 2

Verbs that end in consonant + -y, we remove the -y and add -ied.

  • studyed English for two years when I was a child.
  • studied English for two years when I was a child.

Other verbs in this category: cry, flytry.

Special Case 3

Verbs that end in consonant + vowel + consonant, double the final consonant:

  • I stoped smoking.
  • I stopped smoking.

Learn more English verb tenses: past, present, future, simple, perfect, continuous!

Master the details of English grammar:

Past Simple - Part 1 Espresso English

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