The simple past is a verb tense that is used to talk about things that happened or existed
before now.
Unlike the past continuous tense, which is used to talk about past events that happened over a period of time, the simple past tense emphasizes that the action is finished.
How to Formulate the Simple Past
For regular verbs, add —ed to the root form of the verb (or just —d if the root form already ends in an e):
Play→Played
Type→Typed
Listen→Listened
Push→Pushed
Love→Loved
For irregular verbs, things get more complicated. The simple past tense of some irregular verbs looks exactly like the root form:
Put→Put
Cut→Cut
Set→Set
Cost→Cost
Hit→Hit
There are irregular verbs that
Change rootly
See→Saw
Build→Built
Go→Went
Do→Did
Rise→Rose
Am/Is/Are→Was/Were
The good news is that verbs in the simple past tense (except for the verb to be) don’t need to agree in number with their subjects.
How to Make the Simple Past Negative
There is a formula for making simple past verbs negative, and it’s the same for both regular and irregular verbs (except for the verb to be). The formula is did not + [root form of verb]. You can also use the contraction didn’t instead of did not.
For the verb to be, you don’t need the auxiliary did.
I -was
You -were
He she,it- was
We -were
You -were
They -were
She was ill yesterday.
We were short of money last month.
How to Ask a Question
The formula for asking a question in the simple past tense is did + [subject] + [root form of verb].
Did you study English last year?
When asking a question with the verb to be, you don’t need the auxiliary did. The formula is was/were + [subject].
Was that a boring film ?
Was it rainy last month?
Were you in time for the train?
Common Regular Verbs in the Past Tense
Infinitive Past Tense Negative
To ask asked did not ask
To work worked did not work
Common Irregular Verbs in the Past Tense
Infinitive Past Tense Negative
To be was,were wasn’t, weren’t
To have had Didn’t have
To say said Didn’t say
To make made Didn’t make
The time of the action may be indicated by adverbs and adverbial phrases such as yesterday, ago, last week, two hours ago, the other day,etc.