Simple Past Exercises
Do more with this exercise
How the simple past works
Use the simple past for finished actions at a finished time: yesterday, last year, in 2010, two hours ago.
- Regular verbs:
- base verb + -ed: work → worked, play → played, stop → stopped
- Irregular verbs:
- special forms to learn: go → went, see → saw, have → had, buy → bought
- Negative:
- didn't + base verb: I didn't see him (not 'didn't saw')
- Question:
- Did + subject + base verb: Did you like the film?
- Be:
- was or were: I was, he was, you were, they were. Negative: wasn't, weren't. Question: Was she at home?
- Signal words:
- yesterday, last night/week/year, two days ago, in 1999
Examples
We visited my grandparents last weekend.
regular verb + finished time
She went to Italy in 2023 and loved it.
irregular (went) and regular (loved) together
I didn't watch TV last night.
negative — base verb after didn't
Did you call me an hour ago?
question — base verb after did
He bought a car last year. It was red.
irregular verbs buy → bought, be → was
Audio uses a synthetic voice.
Practice exercises
Choose the correct form
Select the correct option to complete each sentence.
1.They ___ to the beach yesterday.
2.I ___ my keys yesterday.
3.___ you ___ the new film at the cinema?
4.She ___ come to the party because she was tired.
5.We ___ at a small hotel last summer.
6.What time ___ the film start last night?
7.My parents ___ at home yesterday.
Complete the sentences
Type the simple past form of the verb in parentheses.
Put the words in order
Click the words in the correct order to build the sentence.
14. Build the sentence:
15. Build the sentence:
16. Build the sentence:
17. Build the sentence:
True or false?
Decide if each statement about the simple past is true or false.
18."I didn't went to school yesterday" is correct.
19.Regular verbs form the simple past by adding -ed.
20.The past of 'be' is 'was' for I/he/she/it and 'were' for you/we/they.
21.We use the simple past with 'tomorrow'.
The simple past explained
We use the simple past to talk about finished actions: what you did yesterday, last weekend or last year. Many verbs are regular. Some verbs are irregular. Questions and negatives use did.
Regular verbs add -ed: work → worked, play → played. Some verbs change their spelling: arrive → arrived, carry → carried, plan → planned. The -ed ending has three sounds, as in worked, played and wanted. Say them out loud.
Irregular verbs have special forms: go → went, get → got, make → made, come → came, take → took, see → saw. There is no rule for them, so learn the most common ones first.
Use did for questions and use didn't for negatives. After did and didn't, use the base verb: Did she call? I didn't go. 'Did she called?' and 'I didn't went' are wrong.
The verb be has two past forms: was and were. I was tired. They were at home. Look for past time words in a sentence: yesterday, last year, two days ago, in 2010.
Frequently asked questions
When do we use the simple past?
Use the simple past for finished actions, often with a past time: yesterday, last week, two years ago, in 2015.
How do I form the simple past of regular verbs?
Add -ed to the base verb: work → worked. Some verbs change their spelling: live → lived (add only -d), study → studied (y becomes -ied), stop → stopped (double the last letter).
How can I learn irregular verbs?
Learn them in small groups and use them in sentences. Some change in the same way: buy, bring, think → bought, brought, thought. Start with the most common verbs: go, have, see, get, make.
Why is it wrong to say 'Did you went'?
Because 'did' is already past. After did and didn't, use the base verb: Did you go? / I didn't go.
What is the past of be?
Use was with I, he, she and it: I was at home. Use were with you, we and they: They were happy.
Answer key
1. They ___ to the beach yesterday.
Answer: went
'Go' is irregular: go → went. 'Goed' is not a word.
2. I ___ my keys yesterday.
Answer: lost
'Lose' is irregular: lose → lost.
3. ___ you ___ the new film at the cinema?
Answer: Did / see
After 'did', use the base verb: Did you see…?
4. She ___ come to the party because she was tired.
Answer: didn't
A past negative uses 'didn't' + base verb.
5. We ___ at a small hotel last summer.
Answer: stayed
Vowel + y just adds -ed: stay → stayed (no -ied).
6. What time ___ the film start last night?
Answer: did
Past questions use 'did' + base verb. Use 'was' only with 'be'. 'Does' is present, but 'last night' is past.
7. My parents ___ at home yesterday.
Answer: were
'My parents' means 'they', so use 'were'. 'Are' is present.
8. Yesterday I ___ up at 6 a.m.
Answer: got
'Get' is irregular: get → got.
9. She ___ me a long letter last week.
Answer: wrote
'Write' is irregular: write → wrote.
10. The children ___ football in the park all afternoon.
Answer: played
Regular verb: play → played.
11. We ___ dinner at nine and went to bed early.
Answer: had
'Have' is irregular: have → had.
12. The bus ___ at every stop this morning.
Answer: stopped
Some short verbs double the last letter: stop → stopped.
13. My brother ___ very tired last night.
Answer: was
'My brother' means 'he', so use 'was'.
14. last night. / We / a film / watched
Answer: We watched a film last night.
Subject + past verb + object + time.
15. did / arrive? / When / you
Answer: When did you arrive?
Question word + did + subject + base verb.
16. didn't / The train / on time. / leave
Answer: The train didn't leave on time.
Subject + didn't + base verb + the rest.
17. ago. / moved / They / two years / to Canada
Answer: They moved to Canada two years ago.
'Ago' comes after the amount of time: two years ago.
18. "I didn't went to school yesterday" is correct.
Answer: False
False — after 'didn't', use the base verb: "I didn't go to school."
19. Regular verbs form the simple past by adding -ed.
Answer: True
True — work → worked, clean → cleaned. Some verbs change their spelling: stop → stopped, study → studied.
20. The past of 'be' is 'was' for I/he/she/it and 'were' for you/we/they.
Answer: True
True — 'be' is the only verb with two past forms: I was, they were.
21. We use the simple past with 'tomorrow'.
Answer: False
False — 'tomorrow' is in the future. Use the simple past with past times: yesterday, last week, two days ago.