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Past simple: regular and common irregular verbs
A1 A1 grammar · lesson 23 of 24
We use the past simple for finished actions in the past. In this lesson you learn the positive form with regular and common irregular verbs.
Rule
The past simple is the same for all persons. There is no -s for he / she / it.
Regular verbs add -ed: work → worked, play → played.
| Verb | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| most verbs | add -ed | walk → walked, watch → watched |
| ends in -e | add -d | live → lived, dance → danced |
| consonant + y | y → -ied | study → studied, try → tried |
| short verb, one vowel + one consonant | double + -ed | stop → stopped, plan → planned |
Common irregular verbs
Many common verbs are irregular. They do not use -ed. Learn these first:
| Verb | Past | Verb | Past |
|---|---|---|---|
| go | went | see | saw |
| have | had | eat | ate |
| get | got | buy | bought |
| make | made | come | came |
| do | did | take | took |
I worked late yesterday.
Lucy lived in Berlin for two years.
We watched a film last night.
Ken went to the beach on Sunday.
They had pizza for dinner.
I saw Omar at the station.
Mia bought a new coat last week.
The bus stopped near my house.
When do we use it?
Use the past simple for actions that started and finished in the past. We often say when: yesterday, last night, three days ago, in 2018.
Common mistakes
✗ I goed to the park.
✓ I went to the park.
✗ Yesterday she play tennis.
✓ Yesterday she played tennis.
✗ He studyed all day.
✓ He studied all day.
✗ We stoped at a café.
✓ We stopped at a café.