The Past Tense or Simple Past

In English there are two kinds of past tense verbs.

In English there are two kinds of past tense verbs: regular and irregular.

Regular past tense verbs are formed by adding “ed” to the verbwalk + ed= walked I walk to class. (present)Yesterday I walked to class. (past)I need a notebook. (present)Yesterday I needed a notebook. (past)We learn English in class. (present)Yesterday we learned English in class. (past)

walk + ed = walked. She walked in the park yesterday.

talk + ed = talked He talked to the beautiful woman.

learn + ed = learned They learned how to sing.

open + ed = opened It opened the door.

wait + ed = waited You waited for the doctor.

want + ed = wanted She wanted new shoes.

need + ed = needed We needed an eraser.

play + ed = played Last night they playedsoccer.

look + ed = looked You looked at the balloon.

cook + ed = cooked She cooked a pizza.

Irregular verbs do not follow the same rule as regular verbs. (adding ed to the verb) Sometimes they have a different spelling or even have a different word. The best way to learn them is by practice. For example the past for these irregular verbs are: to be- was/were have- had do- did say- said see- saw go- went eat- ategive- gave speak- spokehear- heard come- came know- knew

The verb to be is probably used the most.I am (present) I was (past)you are (present) you were (past)he is (present) he was (past)she is (present) she was (past)it is (present) it was (past)we are (present) we were (past)they are (present) they were (past)

I was in an airplane yesterday

You were under the table last night.

He was on a bicycle last week.

She was in the supermarket.

It was in the water this morning.

We were in class Thursday.

They were hungry yesterday.

to have is also used often. It is easier to remember because it is the same for all pronouns.I have (present) I had (past)you have (present) you had (past)he has (present) he had (past)she has (present) she had (past)it has (present) it had (past)we have (present) we had (past)they have (present) they had (past)

I had a sandwich for lunch.

You had a big ice cream last week.

He had a very old car.

She had brown eyes, but now they are green.

It had a goat for dinner.

We had a lot of chocolate yesterday.

They had a small bicycle last year.

to do is another irregular verb that is used a lot. It also keeps the same form for all pronouns.I do (present) I did (past)you do (present) you did (past)he does (present) he did (past)she does (present) she did (past)it does (present) it did (past)we do (present) we did (past)they do (present) they did (past)

I did my laundry Saturday.

You did the dishes yesterday.

He did all the cleaning last night.

She did very well on the test.

It did the dishes very fast.

We did a lot of work.

They did use a lot of pencils.

Like do in the present, did is used as a helping verb. Did you eat chicken last night?The easy answer is “Yes I did.”The other way to answer is to use the past tense of the verb that did is helping.Yes I ate chicken last night.Did you have a notebook yesterday?Yes I did.Yes I had a notebook yesterday.

SOME OTHER IRREGULAR VERBS IN THE PAST TENSE

to say- saidI saidyou saidhe saidshe saidit saidwe saidthey said

I said she is very ugly.

You said the flowers are beautiful.

He said he was home last night.

She said the shoes were too small.

It said I am not working.

We said the food was very good.

They said the snow was very cold.

to go- wentI wentyou wenthe wentshe wentit wentwe wentthey went

I went to the mountains yesterday

You went to the zoo last week.

He went under the water.

She went to visit her friend.

It went into a tree.

We went to the museum.

They went swimming in winter.

to come- cameI cameyou camehe cameshe cameit camewe camethey came

I came to the party at school.

You came to see the tiger.

He came to watch the balloons.

She came to buy new shoes.

It came to eat ants.

We came to class to learn English.

They came to eat chicken and rice.

to see- sawI sawyou sawhe sawshe sawit sawwe sawthey saw

I saw a very large bird.

You saw a bad accident.

He saw a thief at the house.

She saw a beautiful rainbow.

It saw a fish to eat.

We saw a dragon in China.

They saw a camel drink water.

to eat:I ateyou atehe ateshe ateit atewe ate they ate

I ate a scorpion

You ate a whole pizza.

He ate a lot of hot dogs.

She ate too much food.

It ate too many bananas.

We ate a lot at the party.

They ate their food in the mountains.

to give:I gaveyou gavehe gaveshe gaveit gave

we gavethey gave

I gave the dog a bone.

You gave your son a soccer ball.

He gave the workers the day off.

She gave the money to the cashier.

It gave him the correct information.

We gave ice cream to everybody.

They gave their car to a friend.

to speak:I spokeyou spokehe spokeshe spokeit spokewe spokethey spoke

I spoke to the boss about a raise.

You spoke about your work.

He spoke about jumping from a plane.

She spoke to her friend in Mexico.

It spoke to him in Chinese.

We spoke to the cook about the food.

They spoke to the ambulance driver.

to hear:I heardyou heardhe heardshe heardit heardwe heardthey heard

I heard the lion roar.

You heard the mariachi band.

He heard the rain on the roof.

She heard there was a sale on shoes.

It heard the zebra running.

We heard the songs on the radio.

They heard that the plane was late.

to know:I knewyou knewhe knewshe knewit knewwe knewthey knew

I knew that fishing was fun.

You knew that they were going too fast.

He knew how to fix his car.

She knew where to find the lost dog.

It knew how to get food from the trees.

We knew how to tie knots.

They knew climbing the mountain was dangerous.

The verb to getI got we gotyou gothe gotshe got they gotit got

I got a present from my husband.

You got a ticket for speeding.

He got the car parts from the auto parts store.

She got a manicure yesterday.

It got a lot of fish from the river.

We got across the bridge safely.

They got a lot of snow last week.

What did you do yesterday?Can you answer using the picture an phrase?

What did you do yesterday?I broke a cup.

talk on the phone

change my clothes

(close the door)

open the door

cough

rain

count sheep to sleep

read a book

laugh at the joke

clean a pistol

run in a race

fix your car

wait for the bus

jump with your friends

dance in the street

draw a picture

drink a Pepsi

fly like Superman

sit in a chair

sleep too much

raise her hand

stand on a chair

choose a way to go

cut the grass