Simple Past Tense in English

The simple past tense also called past tense, is easy to use in English just like the present tense. Overall, the simple past is often used to describe an action that started and ended at a definite time in the past.

WHEN TO USE:

1. When talking about a completed action in the past:
Use the past tense when you want to express an action that began and ended at a specific time in the past.

I talked to Liza yesterday
I didn’t read my book last night.
Last week, I washed my car.
Last year, I traveled to Paris.
Did you have exams yesterday?
She didn’t call him back last night.

2. When talking about a series of completed actions:
We can use the simple past to list a series of completed events or actions:

I woke up this morning, brushed my teeth, and had my breakfast.
We arrived to the wedding, had group lunch, took photos and danced to the music.
Did you add salt, poured in table oil, and then added garlic?

3.When describing a duration in the past:
The simple past can be used on durations that start and end in the past. This duration is often expressed using words like all day, for two years, for two hours, all year, etc.

He lived in London for five years.
Elizabeth studied Italian for three years.
They worked on the project all night.
We talked on the phone for two hours.

4.When talking about habitual activities:
The simple past can be used to talk about habits which stopped in the past.

He learned the language when I he was a child.
She played the piano.
She didn’t play the guitar.
Did you play hide and seek when you were a kid?
She worked as a waitress after school.
They never saw the movie; they were always busy.

5. When talking about facts or general ideas:
We can also use the past tense to talk about facts or generalizations which happened in the past but are no longer valid: