The rule for forming the past simple. Regular and irregular verbs

Examples of affirmative sentences translated into Past Simple. In the article I have prepared simple sentences that you can practice with children, 3rd and high school students. I also posted interrogative and negative sentences here. All examples are from native English speakers.

Simple sentences translated into Past Simple

1. I had a doll.
I had a doll.
2. Yesterday was Sunday. Yesterday was Sunday.
3. We listened to fairy tales.
We listened to fairy tales.

4. Mark watched cartoons.
Mark watched cartoons.
5. My mom cooked a cake.
My mother made a cake.
6. My dog ​​was black.

My dog ​​was black.

7. We played outside.
We played outside.
8. He didn't like my toys.
He liked my toys.
9. They asked a teacher.

They asked the teacher.
10. She helped her mom.
She helped mom.
Past Simple sentences with irregular verbs
1. We went to the zoo.

We went to the zoo.

2. A cat ate. The cat ate.
3. My mom bought a doll. My mother bought a doll.
4. I took my toy. I took my toy.
5. We drank a lemonade. We drank lemonade.
6. Kate saw a rainbow. Katya saw a rainbow.

7. You draw a nice house.
You drew a beautiful house. 8. They made nice flowers.
They made beautiful flowers.
9. The dog run after the cat. The dog ran after the cat.
10. He told me his secret. He told me his secret.

Past Simple - sentences for high school with translation
1. I understood what the teacher said.
I understood what the teacher said.
2. We had seven lessons on Monday.
5. She cooked spaghetti.

She cooked spaghetti.
6. We baked a cake.
We baked a cake.
7. I brushed my hair.

I combed my hair.
9. He fixed his bike.
He fixed his bike.
10. She dried her hair.
She washed her hair.

1. I read a book.
I read a book.
2. I drew a picture.
I was painting a picture.
3. I wrote a message.

I was writing a letter.

4. I took a nap.
I was dozing.
5. I rode my bike.
I was riding a bike.
6. I swam.

I swam. 7. I ate ice-cream.
I was eating ice cream. 8. I drank water.
I drank water.
9. I went to the movies.
I went to cinema. 10. I read an article. I read the article.

Past Simple examples of interrogative sentences with translation 1. Did she eat sushi?
Did she eat sushi?
2. Where were they lost? Where were they lost?
3. What did he create? What did he create?
4. Who are the candies? Who ate the candy?
5. Did you boil the water? Have you boiled water?

6. Did they usually take the subway to school? Do they usually go to Skoda by metro?

6. Did they usually take the subway to school? 7. Did Mary watch a movie last night? Did Mary watch a movie last night?.

8. When did you go to Moscow?

When did you go to Moscow? 9. Did she book our flights? Did she book us a flight?

10. Did you make a dinner? Have you prepared dinner? 5. You didn’t come to my birthday party. You didn't come to my birthday. 6. He didn’t chop the onions. -s for a third party.

Past Simple formation table for the verb “to be”

Past Simple formation table for all other verbs

Past Simple is used with words that can be remembered using an acronym (on, in, last, when, ago, yesterday)

Examples of Past Simple:

Features of writing and pronunciation of regular verbs in the Past Simple

According to pronunciation, regular verbs in the past tense can be divided into three groups:

1. If a regular verb ends with a dull sound, then in the past tense it will be read with (t) at the end, for example:

2. If the correct verb ends in -t or -d, then in the past it is read with -id at the end:

3. A regular verb ends with a vowel sound or a voiced consonant sound, then in the past it is read with -d at the end:

Exercise - Song Rihanna Diamonds

Listen to the song and find all the verbs in the past tense.

Not a single language on Earth can do without the past tense. English is no exception. The past tense in English is used to express an action that happened an hour ago, yesterday, last year, that is, in the past.

Types of past tense in English and patterns of their formation The English language differs from Russian in that it has several types of past tense - Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect

, Past Perfect Continuous, whereas in Russian there is only one past tense. The English language is different in that each of these past tenses has its own nuances, and we will talk about each of them today. Have you prepared dinner? The first type of past tense in English is the Past Simple or simple past. The simple past tense in English is formed by adding the ending to the stem of the verb. And for the formation of negative and interrogative forms of verbs in the Past Simple it is used auxiliary do , namely its past form did

• I/you/he/she/we/they work ed
• I/you/he/she/we/they didn’t work
• Did I/you/he/she/we/they work?

The English language reminds you that if you use Irregular Verbs in Past Simple, then the second form of the table of irregular verbs is needed here:

• I/you/he/she/we/they spoke
• I/you/he/she/we/they didn’t speak
• Did I/you/he/she/we/they speak?

Please note that the ending -ed We use only the affirmative form of verbs; in the negative and interrogative form there are no endings; everything is taken over by the auxiliary verb.
We bring to your attention the adverbs that are used in the Past Simple:

• Yesterday - yesterday
• The day before yesterday - the day before yesterday
• That day - on that day
• Last night - last night

An adverb can appear at the beginning or end of a sentence. For example:

• Last night I slept very well. — I slept very well last night.
• We spoke with John last week. — He talked to John last week.

Speaking of verbs to be And to have, then you remember that these are irregular verbs and they are conjugated in the Past Simple in their own way:

I/he/she was
You/we/they were
I/you/he/she/we/they had

Pay attention to the examples of sentences in which we use the simple past tense:

• I was busy when you called me. — I was busy when you called me.
• She hadn't any appointment yesterday. — She didn’t have any meeting yesterday.

What is the continuous past tense?

The past tense in English can be continuous or continuous - this is the Past Continuous, and it corresponds to the imperfect form of the past tense in Russian. If we use verbs in the Past Continuous, this indicates that the action is not finished, it is still ongoing.

The scheme for constructing the Past Continuous tense (long past tense) is as follows: to be V Past Simple + verb + -ing ending.

I/he/she was working
We/you/they were working

Was I/he/she working?
Were we/you/they working?

I/he/she wasn’t working
We/you/they weren't working

Adverbs used in the Past Continuous must express the duration of the action:

• At that moment - at that moment
• That time - at that time
• All the day/night/week - all day/all night/week
• One day ago/two days ago - a day ago/two days ago, etc.

Examples of sentences in English using the Past Continuous:

• Yesterday I was playing computer games all the day. — Yesterday I played computer games all day.
• When you came to us, Sue was talking on the phone. — When you came to us, Sue was talking on the phone.
• We were working all the week without weekend. — We worked all week without a day off.

It is worth noting that Past Simple and Past Continuous are used in speech more often than other past tenses.
How to easily learn past tense in English?

Why is Past Perfect needed?

Past Perfect is the past perfect tense in English, which has the meaning of a long past tense.

The Past Perfect formation scheme is simple: had + verb + ending -ed or the third form of an irregular verb.

• I/you/he/she/we/they had worked
• Had I/you/he/she/we/they worked?
• I/you/he/she/we/they hadn’t worked

The Past Perfect is needed to express an action that happened a long time ago. The past perfect tense is also often used to talk about a past action that happened before another past action. At first glance it turns out to be a mess, but now you’ll see with an example. This phenomenon is present especially in indirect speech.

Pay attention to the following examples where the past perfect tense of verbs is used:

• Ann said that she had met John on the street. - Anna said that she met John on the street (first she met, and then she said - past action before the past).
• Bill announced that he had won the competition. — Bill announced that he had won the competition.
• Andy observed that he had forgotten his documents. — Andy noticed that he forgot his documents.

The Past Perfect is also used in the third case of the conditional mood, in subordinate clauses:

• If you had listened your parents, you wouldn’t have made such a lot of mistakes. “If you had listened to your parents, you wouldn’t have made so many mistakes.”

How to make friends with the Past Perfect Continuous?

The English past tense has another variation. This is Past Perfect Continuous.

Past Perfect Continuous - past perfect long time. Past Perfect Continuous indicates an action that began in the past, continued for some time and ended before some specific moment in the past.

Most often, the Past Perfect Continuous (perfect continuous) is used in written texts; you rarely see it in oral speech, because it is easier to replace it with the Past Continuous.

To quickly and easily make friends with the Past Perfect Continuous, you need to remember its formation scheme: had + been + verb + -ing ending.

• I/you/he/she/we/they had been working
• I/you/he/she/we/they hadn’t been working
• Had I/you/he/she/we/they been working?

Example sentence with Past Perfect Continuous:

• He had been working hard and managed to finish the documents in time. “He worked hard and was able to complete the paperwork on time.

As you noticed, the Past Perfect Continuous is a little capricious, but if you remember the formation scheme, you will not have problems with it.

What is Past Simple (Past Idefinite)

Past Simple (Past Indefinite) is the simple past tense in English, which is used to convey information about a specific event or action that happened in the past.

The name speaks for itself - this tense form is actually considered the simplest in the ocean of past tenses of the English language. The action could take place in the recent past or the distant past, and its duration, duration or completion does not matter.

Formula education Past Simple

When using correct English verbs:

Subject + verb infinitive without particle « to» + ending -ed.

My grandma danced a lot when she was young.
My granny a lot danced when I was young.

When using irregular English verbs:

Subject + 2 verb form.

Jessica hung out with her foreign mates at the record store last week.
Last week Jessica hanging out with my foreign friends.

Word markers and pointers in the Past Simple

The main indicators of “Past Simple” time include: the following words and phrases:

• yesterday- yesterday,
• last week- last week,
• two hours ago- two hours ago,
• then- Then,
• in 1998- in 1998, etc.

Mom bought that bag by Gucci in 2005.
Ma bought that Gucci bag in 2005.

Yesterday they watched their favorite photos from the past.
Yesterday They watched your favorite photos from the past.

Affirmative sentences in Past Simple

The affirmative sentence in “Past Simple” is constructed quite simply. First comes subject, followed by verb with ending «- ed"if it is correct (regular); or second verb form, if it refers to irregular verbs. Regardless of person or number English subject, the predicate remains identical for everyone. Past Simple rules and you will find examples in the table below.

Interrogative sentences in Past Simple

To create an interrogative sentence ( interrogative sentence) in “Past Simple”, you just need to put the auxiliary verb “ , namely its past form", then subject and finally initial form semantic verb(i.e. infinitive without the particle “to”).

Negative sentences in Past Simple

As in a regular affirmative sentence, a negative sentence ( negative sentence) you should start with subject. Next we add the auxiliary verb “ , namely its past form"with a negative particle" not»: « , namely its past form not / didn't", and then we use the infinitive form of the verb without using the particle " to" Voila!

Using verbs in the Past Simple

When it comes to the past tense in English, many people probably have the question: “How to use the verb correctly” be"?" To avoid asking such a question, let us recall that this verb has a couple of forms: “ was» / « were» / « been" Since we are talking about “Past Indefinite”, we, accordingly, need the second options based on the rules for constructing this English-speaking tense.

It's time to give a couple of examples " 6. Did they usually take the subway to school?" for clarity:

Gee, I don't have any idea where that guy was last time!
My God, I have no idea where was that guy last time!

Their kids were typical sweetums and binged on candies almost every day back in the days.
In the past their children were typical sweet tooths and ate candy almost every day.

Formation of Past Simple in active and passive

When we touch on "Past Simple", it is important to remember that this tense has 2 options. One is used for the active voice ( Active voice) - time " Past Simple Active" The second is for passive voice - time " Past Simple Passive».

• Passive voice:

If used correct verbs in " 6. Did they usually take the subway to school?»:

Subject + verb was/were + infinitive verb without particles « to» With ending «- ed».

That seascape was painted by Edward William Cooke in the 19th century.
That seascape painted by Edward William Cook in the 19th century.

Subject + verb was/were + 3 form verb

Their names were forgotten two decades ago.
Their names were forgotten two decades ago.

Affirmative sentence: "Past Simple Passive" vs. "Past Simple Active":

"Black Widow" was written by Iggy Azalea in 2014.
Iggy Azalea wrote"Black Widow" in 2014.
Iggy Azalea wrote the song "Black Widow" in 2014.

Negative sentence: "Past Simple Passive" vs. "Past Simple Active"

"Cloud Atlas" wasn't directed by Hayao Miyazaki then.
Hayao Miyazaki didn't direct"Cloud Atlas" then.
Hayao Miyazaki was not the director of Cloud Atlas back then.

Interrogative sentence: "Past Simple Passive" vs. Past Simple Active"

Was that mansion built by my ancestors last century?
Did my ancestors build that mansion last century?
My ancestors built that mansion last century?

Uses of Past Simple

Difference between Past Simple and Present Perfect

Nota Bene: To understand “Past Simple” once and for all and understand what the difference is between it and “Present Perfect”, do not forget to pay attention to the free online simulator from EnglishDom. There you will find not only an explanation of the grammatical nuances of using these two tenses, but you will also be able to consolidate the learned material in practice.

Conclusion

So we figured out what this strange time “Past Indefinite” is, and also talked about the differences between “Past Simple” and “Present Perfect”. Feel free to use this time in English speaking and share your memories and impressions with friends and colleagues!

We invite you to familiarize yourself with other tenses of the English language

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The variety of tense forms in the English language makes it possible to describe the action being performed in more detail, but may also be confusing. The “Past Simple” table tells in detail how the English Simple Past tense is formed and when it is used.

Basic Rule

Before moving on to consider the formation of the affirmative, negative and interrogative forms of the English Past Simple, it is necessary to understand how it is translated into Russian and what action it describes. The tense form Past Simple is literally translated as Simple Past. The term Past refers to the past tense in in a broad sense. Simple is an aspect that indicates that the action being described is common and occurs regularly. It follows that the Past Simple describes ordinary, repeated actions, facts that happened in the past.

This meaning is also indicated by marker words such as yesterday, the day before yesterday, two weeks ago, last year and others.

Regular verbs

When considering the rule of formation Past Simple (Simple Past), new linguistic concepts appear - regular and irregular verbs. Regular verbs form the Past Simple using -ed endings, which is attached to the stem of the verb.

Basic rules and Past examples Simple with correct verbs are presented in the following table:

In a negative sentence, the subject is followed by an auxiliary verb with a negative particle - did not. In the question, the word order changes and the auxiliary verb comes first. In both cases, the main verb loses the past tense ending -ed.

Irregular Verbs

There are not many irregular verbs in the English language - 470. Not all of them belong to the daily vocabulary. Many are outdated and not used. But the main thing is different - you need to know them by heart. In order to make a sentence with an irregular verb in the Past Simple, you need to look at the second column of the table of irregular verbs.

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What have we learned?

Basic rules and examples of Past Simple in the table help to organize the received theoretical knowledge on this topic. It presents examples of the formation of affirmative, negative and interrogative forms, which can serve as an excellent “cheat sheet” if necessary.

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