Past Simple
Lesson 5 of 7 · ~4 minutes

Lesson 5 · Past Simple

Negatives

Negative

A past simple negative is made with didn't + the base form of the verb — the same for every person and for any verb, regular or irregular.

Form

didn't already carries the past, so the verb goes back to its base form: work, go, see. The full form did not means the same; in speech we almost always say didn't.

Statement

I worked late.
She went home.
They saw us.

Negative

I didn't work late.
She didn't go home.
They didn't see us.
Statement
Negative
I worked late.
I didn't work late.
She went home.
She didn't go home.
They saw us.
They didn't see us.

I didn't work yesterday.

He didn't go to school.

Where people usually slip

Not didn't went and not didn't worked: She didn't go, I didn't work.

The past is shown only once. It's already in did, so the verb doesn't repeat it — just as -s comes off the verb after doesn't.

In short

  • every persondidn't + base form
  • full formdid not — the same
  • be is differentwasn't / weren't, no did
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