What Is the Simple Past Tense?
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
What Is the Simple Past Tense?
English (and language in general) uses tense to indicate the timing of a verb’s action in the present, the past, or the future.
The simple past tense in English communicates that an action occurred at an earlier time. The action has been completed, and it is not continuing in the present or into the future.
Examples
John walked to the hardware store.
Fyodor opened a checking account.
Cara threw a penny into the well.
Simple Past Tense: Regular Verbs
To form the simple past tense with regular verbs, we add -ed to the verb root or -d if the verb ends in e.
| Verb Root | Suffix | Simple Past Tense | Verb Root | Suffix | Simple Past Tense | |
| call | -ed | called | live | -d | lived | |
| fix | -ed | fixed | move | -d | moved | |
| mow | -ed | mowed | produce | -d | produced | |
| wash | -ed | washed | revise | -d | revised |
The simple past tense for regular verbs is the same for the first, second, and third persons.
| Examples | |
| I called | you (plural) called |
| you called | we called |
| he/she/it called | they called |
If a regular verb of one syllable ends with a sequence of consonant-vowel-consonant, we double the final consonant and add -ed: bat > batted, plop > plopped. The exception is when the final consonant is a w, x, or y: mix > mixed, spray > sprayed.
If a longer verb’s last syllable is stressed and it ends with consonant-vowel-consonant, we double the last consonant and add -ed: demur > demurred, refer > referred.
If a longer verb’s first syllable is stressed and it ends with consonant-vowel-consonant, we add just -ed: borrow > borrowed, center > centered.
If a regular verb ends in consonant + y, change the y to an i and add -ed: marry > married, study > studied.
Simple Past Tense: Irregular Verbs
English includes hundreds of irregular verbs, which are verbs that do not form their simple past tense and past participle with the standard endings used for regular verbs.
Because irregular verbs have no set format for conjugation, accurately forming the simple past tense for them requires getting familiar with them.
The following table includes examples of irregular verbs in the simple past tense.
| Verb Root | Simple Past Tense | Verb Root | Simple Past Tense | |
| be | was, were | fall | fell | |
| catch | caught | give | gave | |
| cost | cost | hang | hung | |
| drive | drove | hit | hit |
As with regular verbs, the simple past tense of irregular verbs is the same for the first, second, and third persons.
| Examples | |
| I fell | you (plural) fell |
| you fell | we fell |
| he/she/it fell | they fell |
Simple Past Tense: Forming the Negative
To form the negative of the simple past tense, we use the past tense of the irregular verb do (did), the word not, and the root of the verb, i.e., did + not + verb.
Examples
Robert did not fix the broken doorknob.
The sales team did not produce the targeted numbers this quarter.
Amanda did not catch as many fish as she would have liked.
Terry did not hang the picture on the wall yesterday.
The negative form of the simple past tense also can be contracted.
Examples
Robert didn’t fix the broken doorknob.
Amanda didn’t catch as many fish as she would have liked.
An exception to these guidelines is the verb be. Be does not include did to form the negative in the simple past tense. The verb also comes before the negative, i.e., simple past tense of be + not.
Examples
I was not a participant in the shuffleboard tournament.
You were not available when I tried to call.
They were not qualified to fix the leak in the pipe.
Related Topics
What Is a Past Participle?
Past Perfect Tense
English Verb Conjugation
Pop Quiz
Change each verb in parentheses to the simple past tense.
1. The Bransons (drive) 600 miles without stopping to get there on time.
2. I remember you (live) two floors down from mine in the dorm.
3. Bobby (hit) 24 home runs last season.
4. Do you recall when your father (give) you that?
5. The manufacturer (produce) eight million units of the new music-streaming device.
Pop Quiz Answers
1. The Bransons drove 600 miles without stopping to get there on time.
2. I remember you lived two floors down from mine in the dorm.
3. Bobby hit 24 home runs last season.
4. Do you recall when your father gave you that?
5. The manufacturer produced eight million units of the new music-streaming device.
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.
I love the explanation. Keep it up.
I have a question on verb tenses.
Are both verbs in the sentence below
grammatically acceptable?
The President and Commander-in-chief visits/visited our school today.
I think both verbs are grammatically correct depending on the time of the event. If the event is yet to take place today, the verb “visits” is correct (since the simple present tense can equally be used for a future event with a fixed time). If the event has already taken place, the past tense “visited” is also correct. The question was from an examination body and when I saw it, I felt that the body made a mistake by presenting both verbs there. Had the first verb been “visit” I wouldn’t have had any issue with the question as the answer would have been “visited”. I teach English as a second language and this was my explanation to my students. I would like to see a response that could either validate my explanation or dispute it.
Thanks.
If the president and commander-in-chief is one in the same, “visits” is acceptable. If you are referring to two different people, “visit” is acceptable. “Visited” is acceptable in both cases. In addition, our post When to Capitalize People’s Titles explains that the title(s) should not be capitalized.