This document provides information about forming and using the past simple tense in English. It discusses two types of verbs - regular and irregular. For regular verbs, the simple past is formed by adding "-ed" to the base verb. Irregular verbs have unique past forms that must be memorized. The document provides examples of forming affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences in the past simple tense. It also lists five common uses of the past simple tense, such as describing completed past actions and past habits.

1. PAST SIMPLE
Francisco José Valencia Gutiérrez

2. 2 types of verbs
• REGULAR
• IRREGULAR

3. Regular verbs form
• Verb (base form) + –ed
Play  played
Learn  learned
Want  wanted
• Same form for all persons: I
You
He/she/it
We
You
They
played
learned
wanted

4. Watch out!
• 1) Double the final consonant when there is a single
short vowel before the final consonant.
stop – stopped remain – remained root - rooted
• 2) Add only –d when the verb ends with –e
love – loved change – changed
• 3) Verbs ending in -y preceded by a consonant:
Change -y to -i and then add -ed.
worry – worried try – tried
• 4) Verbs ending in -y preceded by a vowel:
Just add –ed.
play – played stay – stayed

5. Pronunciation
ship sheep
/ʃɪp/ /ʃiːp/
Be careful, see how bad pronunciation leads to misunderstandings!!!

6. Pronunciation
• 1) When the infinitive ends in "p", "f", "k" or "s", the ending
–ed is pronounced as ‘’t’’ .
kissed – /kɪst / looked - /lʊkt/
• 2) When the infinitive ends in "b", "g", "l", "m", "n", "v", "z”,
or in vowel, the ending –ed is pronounced as ‘’d’’
tried – /traɪd/ saved – /seɪvd/
• 3) When the infinitive ends in d or t, the ending –ed is
pronounced as ‘’ɪd’’
ended - /endɪd/ waited - /weɪtɪd/

7. Irregular verbs form
• The form CHANGES from infinitives.
You must learn it by heart.
• Can be grouped according to certain
change patterns, which helps to
memorize them (see irregular verbs
sheet).

8. Affirmative Sentences
SUBJECT + VERB (past form)
Tom stayed at home last night.
Kate worked last Saturday.
I met my girlfriend in 1992.
We went to London for our holidays.

9. Negative Sentences
SUBJECT + DIDN´T + VERB (base form)
I didn’t work yesterday.
They didn't believe him.
INCORRECT: *I didn’t worked
*They didn't believed

10. Interrogative Sentences
(QUESTION WORD) + DID + SUBJECT + VERB (base form)
Did you play football yesterday?
When did she leave?
INCORRECT: *Did you played football yesterday?
*When she did leave?

11. PAST SIMPLE USES
1) Something that happened once in the
past
I went to the beach last Sunday.
I bought a new car yesterday.

12. Past Simple Use
2) Actions that happened one after the
other in the past (like in a story)
I finished work, walked to the beach,
and found a nice place to swim.
3) Habits in the Past
We always went to London for vacation
when we were young.

13. Past Simple Use
4) A longer action that started and finished
in the past
I lived in Germany for two years.
5) Past facts or generalizations
The Aztec lived in Mexico.

14. Practice
Complete these sentences with the corresponding form of the verb
in brackets.
1. I played (play) the guitar when I was a child.
2. Yesterday, you didn’t go (not/go) to school, you skipped (skip) class.
3. He arrived (arrive) from the airport at 8:00, checked (check) into
the hotel at 9:00, and met (meet) the others at 10:00.
4. Where did she live (she/live) before moving to Paris?
5. Paul married (marry) Lucy four years ago.
6. Did you watch (you/watch) the film yesterday?

15. Past Simple UseTHAT’S ALL!!!