Lesson 1 · Past Simple

Regular verbs

The past simple is the tense of a finished action in the past. A regular verb makes it with one ending, -ed, and this ending is the same for every person.

One form for everyone

In the present you had to remember -s after he / she / it. In the past there's nothing to remember: work → worked for anyone.

Who

I / you / we / they

he / she / it

Present

work

works

Past

worked

I worked late yesterday.

She worked late yesterday.

How you can tell it's the past

Usually there's a time marker nearby — a word that names a finished moment in the past:

yesterdayyesterday: I called you yesterday.
last …last: last week, last night, last summer — We walked last summer.
… agoago: two days ago, an hour ago — He finished two days ago.
in 2010a year or date in the past: They opened the shop in 2010.

In short

any personverb + -ed
markeryesterday, last week, two days ago, in 2010
no -sshe worked, not she workeds

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Lesson 1 · Past Simple

Regular verbs

The past simple is the tense of a finished action in the past. A regular verb makes it with one ending, -ed, and this ending is the same for every person.

One form for everyone

In the present you had to remember -s after he / she / it. In the past there's nothing to remember: work → worked for anyone.

Who

I / you / we / they

he / she / it

Present

work

works

Past

worked

I worked late yesterday.

She worked late yesterday.

How you can tell it's the past

Usually there's a time marker nearby — a word that names a finished moment in the past:

yesterdayyesterday: I called you yesterday.
last …last: last week, last night, last summer — We walked last summer.
… agoago: two days ago, an hour ago — He finished two days ago.
in 2010a year or date in the past: They opened the shop in 2010.

In short

any personverb + -ed
markeryesterday, last week, two days ago, in 2010
no -sshe worked, not she workeds

Back to lessons