Past simple
Le past simple parle d'événements achevés dans un moment précis et terminé. Sur cette page tu revois les verbes réguliers et irréguliers, la forme en did à la question et à la négation, et le point où il se confond avec le present perfect.
Apprentissage rapide
Le past simple sert à des événements terminés dans un temps terminé. Le moment peut être nommé, ou laissé de côté parce que les deux personnes le connaissent.
À retenir
- Les verbes réguliers prennent -ed ; les verbes courants sont irréguliers et s'apprennent un par un.
- A la question et à la négation, c'est did qui porte le passé, donc le verbe revient à sa forme de base.
- yesterday, last week, in 2019 et ago appartiennent à ce temps.
Exemples
- 1We visited our grandparents in the countryside last weekend.
- 2David bought a comfortable new bicycle from the local bike shop yesterday.
Piège courant à éviter
Une expression de temps terminée exclut complètement le present perfect : avec yesterday dans la phrase, have gone ne peut pas être correct.
Approfondir
La règle
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.
Anatomie de la phrase
Des phrases de cette leçon, découpées dans l'ordre qu'exige l'anglais.
SujetWeVerbevisitedObjetour grandparentsLieuin the countrysideTempslast weekend.
SujetSheAuxiliairedidNégationnotVerbeattendObjetthe morning meetingPropositionbecause her train was delayed.
Mot interrogatifWhereAuxiliairedidSujetyouVerbemeetObjetyour best friendTempsfor the first time?
Guide visuel
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.
Exemples
- 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.
Exceptions
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?").
Erreurs fréquentes
Double past marking in negatives
Erreur
I didn't went to school.
Correct
I didn't go to school.
Did already expresses the past, so the main verb stays in base form.
Double past marking in questions
Erreur
Did you saw that movie?
Correct
Did you see that movie?
Base verb follows did.
Over-regularizing irregular verbs
Erreur
She buyed a car.
Correct
She bought a car.
Irregular verbs must use their specific past form.
Récap
L'essentiel de la leçon sur une carte, avant de te tester.
À retenir
- Les verbes réguliers prennent -ed ; les verbes courants sont irréguliers et s'apprennent un par un.
- A la question et à la négation, c'est did qui porte le passé, donc le verbe revient à sa forme de base.
- yesterday, last week, in 2019 et ago appartiennent à ce temps.
Erreurs fréquentes
Erreur: I didn't went to school.
Correct: I didn't go to school.Erreur: Did you saw that movie?
Correct: Did you see that movie?Erreur: She buyed a car.
Correct: She bought a car.
Teste-toi
Raconte ta journée d'hier en six phrases, puis entraîne-toi sur ce point.
Points de grammaire associés
Poursuivez votre apprentissage avec d'autres notions de ce niveau.