Past simple
El past simple es el tiempo de los hechos terminados en un momento terminado. En esta página repasas los verbos regulares e irregulares, la forma con did en preguntas y negaciones, y el punto en el que se confunde con el present perfect.
Aprendizaje rápido
El past simple es para hechos terminados en un tiempo terminado. Ese tiempo puede estar dicho o simplemente entenderse entre los dos hablantes.
Recuerda
- Los verbos regulares toman -ed; los verbos frecuentes son irregulares y se aprenden uno a uno.
- En preguntas y negaciones el pasado lo lleva did, así que el verbo vuelve a su forma base.
- yesterday, last week, in 2019 y ago pertenecen a este tiempo.
Ejemplos
- 1We visited our grandparents in the countryside last weekend.
- 2David bought a comfortable new bicycle from the local bike shop yesterday.
Error común que evitar
Una expresión de tiempo terminado descarta por completo el present perfect: con yesterday en la frase, have gone no puede ser correcto.
Profundiza
La regla
Finished time
The Past Simple is used to narrate events, completed actions, and past states that occurred at a definite, finished time in the past.
Regular and irregular forms
Regular verbs form the affirmative past by adding -ed to the base form: most verbs simply add -ed (work → worked, play → played); verbs ending in -e add only -d (live → lived, hope → hoped); short one-syllable verbs with a single vowel followed by a single consonant double that consonant (stop → stopped, plan → planned); verbs ending in consonant + y change -y to -ied (study → studied, carry → carried). High-frequency irregular verbs must be memorized individually (go → went, have → had, see → saw, buy → bought, take → took, give → gave, come → came).
Negatives and questions
Negative sentences use the auxiliary verb did not (didn't) followed by the bare base verb: Subject + didn't + base verb.
- I didn't watch television last night
- She didn't visit Paris
Question sentences place did before the subject: Did + Subject + base verb?
- Did you finish your homework?
- Where did they go on vacation?
Time words
Common finished time expressions include yesterday, last night, last week, three days ago, in 2021, and when I was young.
Anatomía de la frase
Frases de esta lección, separadas en sus partes en el orden que exige el inglés.
SujetoWeVerbovisitedObjetoour grandparentsLugarin the countrysideTiempolast weekend.
SujetoSheVerbo auxiliardidNegaciónnotVerboattendObjetothe morning meetingOraciónbecause her train was delayed.
Palabra interrogativaWhereVerbo auxiliardidSujetoyouVerbomeetObjetoyour best friendTiempofor the first time?
Guía visual
How to read this A2 topic
At A2, the challenge is choosing between similar time frames, pronouns, and quantity patterns.
1. Look for the time clue
Yesterday, now, every day, already, and since often decide the tense.
I watched it yesterday.
2. Choose the pattern first
Pick the whole grammar structure before choosing the final word.
I am going to study.
3. Check word position
Adverbs, objects, and pronouns must sit in natural English order.
I know him well.
Past simple
Use it for finished past events with a closed time frame.
| Type | Affirmative | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| regular verbs | worked | did not work | Did ... work? |
| irregular verbs | went / saw / made | did not go / see / make | Did ... go / see / make? |
| be | was / were | was not / were not | Was / Were ...? |
Decision path before answering
Use these checks before choosing between close options.
- 1Mark the subject, main verb, object, and any connector.
- 2Underline the time expression or discourse clue.
- 3Reject any option with the wrong agreement, tense, article, pronoun case, or word order.
- 4Read the whole sentence once more for naturalness and register.
Ejemplos
- 1We visited our grandparents in the countryside last weekend.
- 2David bought a comfortable new bicycle from the local bike shop yesterday.
- 3She did not attend the morning meeting because her train was delayed.
- 4Did you finish reading that mystery novel last night?
- 5The children played soccer in the community park until sunset.
- 6My sister studied computer science at university two years ago.
- 7They travelled to southern Italy during their summer holidays.
- 8I cooked a delicious vegetable soup for dinner on Tuesday evening.
- 9Where did you meet your best friend for the first time?
- 10The rain stopped suddenly, and the sun appeared in the afternoon sky.
Excepciones
The verb be is completely irregular in the Past Simple and does not use the auxiliary verb did. It has two forms: was (for I, he, she, it) and were (for you, we, they). Negatives and questions are formed directly with was/were without did: "She was not at home", "Were you tired after the journey?" (never "Did you be at home?").
Errores frecuentes
Double past marking in negatives
Error
I didn't went to school.
Correcto
I didn't go to school.
Did already expresses the past, so the main verb stays in base form.
Double past marking in questions
Error
Did you saw that movie?
Correcto
Did you see that movie?
Base verb follows did.
Over-regularizing irregular verbs
Error
She buyed a car.
Correcto
She bought a car.
Irregular verbs must use their specific past form.
Repaso
Lo esencial de la lección en una tarjeta, antes de ponerte a prueba.
Recuerda
- Los verbos regulares toman -ed; los verbos frecuentes son irregulares y se aprenden uno a uno.
- En preguntas y negaciones el pasado lo lleva did, así que el verbo vuelve a su forma base.
- yesterday, last week, in 2019 y ago pertenecen a este tiempo.
Errores frecuentes
Error: I didn't went to school.
Correcto: I didn't go to school.Error: Did you saw that movie?
Correcto: Did you see that movie?Error: She buyed a car.
Correcto: She bought a car.
Ponte a prueba
Cuenta lo que pasó ayer en seis frases y luego practica este tema.
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