Practice
Simple past tense exercise: regular and irregular verbs
Sign in to saveOn Saturday, Rina visited her grandmother, and her brother bought bread at the bakery. Both actions are finished, so the sentences use the simple past.
Use common regular and irregular verbs to describe completed actions in the simple past.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
walked, cleaned, wanted /wɔːkt/, /kliːnd/, /ˈwɒn.tɪd/
The short answer
Use the simple past for an action that started and finished in the past. Most regular verbs add -ed, while irregular verbs have past forms to learn, such as go - went and buy - bought.
We washed the cups after lunch, then we went home.
Why it works: Washed is a regular past form. Went is the past form of the irregular verb go.
5 more examples
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I visited my cousin last weekend.
Visit is regular, so its simple past form adds -ed.
Not this:I
visitmy cousin every weekend. What changes: Every weekend describes a usual habit, so the base form is in the simple present. -
Luca carried the parcel upstairs yesterday.
Carry changes y to i and adds -ed because a consonant comes before the final y.
Not this:Luca
carriesthe parcel upstairs every day. What changes: Carries is a present-tense form for a repeated action, not a completed action yesterday. -
We went to the market before breakfast.
Go is irregular. Its simple past form is went.
Not this:We
goto the market before breakfast on Sundays. What changes: Go is the base form used for a regular Sunday routine. -
Nora bought a new notebook on Monday.
Buy is irregular, so it changes to bought in the simple past.
Not this:Nora
buysa new notebook at the start of each term. What changes: Buys describes a repeated habit rather than one finished purchase. -
Did your neighbours watch the match last night?
Did marks the past in this question, so watch stays in the base form.
Not this:Your neighbours
watchedthe match last night. What changes: A positive past sentence uses watched because it does not have did.
Read the full guide
First, find the finished-time clue. It may be yesterday, last night, two hours ago, or a date in the past. Next, ask whether the main verb is regular or irregular. In questions and negative sentences, did marks the past, so the main verb returns to its base form.
Find the finished time
The simple past often goes with a finished time. Look for words such as yesterday, last month, in 2022, or an hour ago. They place the event before now.
My train arrived ten minutes ago.
Ten minutes ago tells you that the arrival is complete.
Which clue points to a finished action: right now or last Friday?
Last Friday. It names a time in the past that has finished.
Make regular past forms
Most regular verbs add -ed in the simple past: talk - talked and help - helped. Add only d after final e: arrive - arrived. With consonant plus y, change y to i before -ed: study - studied.
The class started at nine yesterday.
Start is regular, so the completed action uses started.
Complete the sentence: I ___ my keys on the table. Use place.
I placed my keys on the table. Place ends in e, so add d.
Learn common irregular pairs
Irregular verbs do not use the usual -ed pattern. Learn each base verb with its past form and put both in a sentence. Useful pairs include come - came, make - made, get - got, and give - gave.
Our teacher gave us extra practice after class.
Give changes to gave; it does not become gived.
Complete the sentence: We ___ the answer together. Use find.
We found the answer together. Find is irregular, so use found.
Use did for questions and negatives
For most past-simple questions and negatives, use did or did not before the base verb. Did already carries the past meaning, so do not add a second past ending to the main verb.
Did Sam call you after the meeting?
Call stays in the base form after did.
I did not see the notice this morning.
See is the base form after did not, even though the time is past.
Choose the correct question: Did she took the bus or Did she take the bus?
Did she take the bus? Take is the base form after did.
Check the whole past sentence
Before you choose an answer, check the subject, the time meaning, and the verb form. A positive sentence needs a past form. A question or negative with did needs a base verb.
They did not stay for the final song.
Did not is followed by stay, not stayed.
Choose the natural sentence: He made dinner yesterday, He make dinner yesterday, or He did made dinner yesterday?
He made dinner yesterday. Made is the positive past form of make; do not add did.
Before you go
Remember this
Use the simple past for completed actions and situations. Add -ed to regular verbs, check spelling changes such as carry - carried, and learn irregular pairs such as go - went. Use did with the base verb in most questions and negatives.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Simple past tense exercise: regular and irregular verbs"
When should I use the simple past tense?
Use the simple past for an action, event, or situation that finished before now. A time phrase such as last weekend, yesterday, or two hours ago often makes the meaning clear.
I visited my cousin last weekend.
How do regular verbs form the simple past?
Most regular verbs add -ed, as in visited and cleaned. Add only d after final e, and change consonant plus y to ied, so carry becomes carried and study becomes studied.
I visit my cousin every weekend.
What are irregular verbs in the simple past?
Irregular verbs do not follow one -ed rule. Learn each pair together, for example go - went, buy - bought, find - found, and give - gave. Short sentences help you remember the pair.
Luca carried the parcel upstairs yesterday.
Why do I use the base verb after did?
Did already shows that the question or negative sentence is in the past. Use the base verb after it: Did your neighbours watch the match? and I did not see the notice.
Luca carries the parcel upstairs every day.
How can I check a simple past answer?
Look for a finished-time clue or a completed event. Then check whether the sentence is positive, a question, or a negative. Positive sentences need a past form; did and did not take the base verb.
We went to the market before breakfast.