Rule: Past Simple ShowHide

Positive

Finished actions in the past. The form is the same for everybody.

• Regular verbs + -ed: play → played, dance → danced, stop → stopped, study → studied
• Irregular verbs have their own form: speak → spoke, catch → caught, build → built, go → went

yesterday · last night · last year · two days ago · in 1996 · this morning

Negative

didn't + the verb without -ed

You didn't call your mum last night.
We didn't go to the party.

Not didn't called, not didn't went.

Questions

Did + person + verb?

Did they play football?
– Yes, they did. / No, they didn't.

With was / were there is no did: Was David happy yesterday?

Irregular forms have to be learnt by heart: go – went, see – saw, buy – bought, eat – ate.