There are several tenses for speaking about the past in English, but the past simple is the most commonly used. It is used for actions completed in the past. In the past tense there are both regular verbs and irregular verbs.
There are several tenses for speaking about the past in English, but the past simple is the most commonly used. It is used for actions completed in the past. In the past tense there are both regular verbs and irregular verbs.
Grammatical Rules
Form
To form the past simple of regular verbs we add the ending “-ed” to the verb. The form is the same for all persons (I, you, he, she, it, we, they).
1. For verbs that end in “e”, we only need to add “-d”:
2. If the verb ends in a short vowel plus a consonant (except “y” o “w”), we double the final consonant:
3. When the verb ends in a consonant and “y”, the “y” becomes an “i”:
Note: There are many irregular verbs in English and unfortunately there are no fixed rules for forming them. See
here for a list of irregular verbs. Below are the three most commonly used irregular verbs which also are used as auxiliary verbs.
| Verb |
Past simple |
| be |
was (I, he, she, it)
were (you, we, they) |
| do |
did |
| have |
had |
Note: There are many irregular verbs in English and unfortunately there are no fixed rules for forming them. Below are the three most commonly used irregular verbs which also are used as auxiliary verbs.
| Verb |
Past simple |
| be |
was (I, he, she, it)
were (you, we, they) |
| do |
did |
| have |
had |
Pronunciation
The pronunciation of the ending “-ed” is different depending on the letter with which the verb ends. In general though, the “e” is silent.
1. For those verbs which end in “p”, “f”, “k” o “s” (voiceless consonants, except “t”), we pronounce the “-ed” as a “t”.
2. For those verbs which end in “b”, “g”, “l”, “m”, “n”, “v”, “z” (voiced consonants, except “d”) or a vowel, we pronounce only the “d”.
3. Verbs that end in “d” o “t”, we pronounce the “e” as an “i”.
Structure
Subject + principal verb…
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The keys were in the drawer.
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Subject + “to be” + “not”…
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The keys weren’t in the drawer.
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Note: The verb “to have got”, which in the present simple follows the same rules as “to be”, cannot be used in the past. To indicate possession in the past, we use the verb “to have”.
Subject + auxiliary verb (to do) + “not” + principal verb (in infinitive)…
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They didn’t learn English.
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Note: As in the present simple, in negative sentences in the past simple the auxiliary verb is conjugated (“did”) and the principal verb remains in the infinitive.
3. Interrogative Sentences
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Were the keys in the drawer?
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Auxiliary verb (to do) + subject + principal verb…?
Note: As with negative sentences, the auxiliary verb is conjugated (“did”) and the principal verb remains in the infinitive.
Uses
1. The past simple is used to talk about a specific action or event that began and ended in the past. It is generally used with adverbs of time such as “last year”, “yesterday”, “last night”…
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Tom stayed at home last night.
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Kate worked last Saturday.
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I didn’t go to the party yesterday.
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Did they walk to school this morning?
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2. The past simple is used to talk about a series of actions that occurred in the past.
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I received the good news and immediately called my husband.
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He studied for an hour in the morning, worked all afternoon and didn’t return home until 10 at night.
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3. We also use the past simple for repeated actions or habits in the past.
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We always traveled to Cancun for vacation when we were young.
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He walked 5 kilometers every day to work.
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4. The past simple is also used for narrations or actions that occurred over a long period of time in the past.
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I worked for many years in a museum.
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She didn’t eat meat for years.
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5. We use the past simple to speak about facts or things in the past in general.
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The Aztec lived in Mexico.
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I played the guitar when I was a child.
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Hay muchas maneras de hablar del pasado en inglés, pero el pasado simple es la forma más común. El pasado simple en inglés es equivalente al pretérito imperfecto y pretérito indefinido del español. Usamos el pasado simple para acciones completas en el pasado. El período de tiempo de estas acciones no es importante como en el español. En el pasado simple hay verbos regulares y verbos irregulares.
Hay muchas maneras de hablar del pasado en inglés, pero el pasado simple es la forma más común. El pasado simple en inglés es equivalente al pretérito imperfecto y pretérito indefinido del español. Usamos el pasado simple para acciones completas en el pasado. El período de tiempo de estas acciones no es importante como en el español. En el pasado simple hay verbos regulares y verbos irregulares.
Grammatical Rules (Reglas gramaticales)
Form (Forma)
Para formar el pasado simple con verbos regulares, usamos el infinitivo y añadimos la terminación “-ed”. La forma es la misma para todas las personas (I, you, he, she, it, we, they).
Ejemplos:
Excepciones:
1. Para verbos que terminan en una “e”, sólo añadimos “-d”.
Ejemplos:
2. Si el verbo termina en una vocal corta y una consonante (excepto “y” o “w”), doblamos la consonante final.
Ejemplos:
3. Con verbos que terminan en una consonante y una “y”, se cambia la “y” por una “i”.
Ejemplos:
Nota: Hay muchos verbos irregulares en inglés. Desafortunadamente, no hay una norma establecida para formarlos. Ver una lista de los verbos irregulares
aquí. A continuación tienes los tres verbos irregulares más comunes y los que actúan como verbos auxiliares.
| Verb |
Past simple |
| be |
was (I, he, she, it)
were (you, we, they) |
| do |
did |
| have |
had |
Nota: Hay muchos verbos irregulares en inglés. Desafortunadamente, no hay una norma establecida para formarlos. A continuación tienes los tres verbos irregulares más comunes y los que actúan como verbos auxiliares.
| Verb |
Past simple |
| be |
was (I, he, she, it)
were (you, we, they) |
| do |
did |
| have |
had |
Pronunciation (Pronunciación)
Pronunciamos la terminación “-ed” de forma diferente dependiendo de la letra que va al final del infinitivo. En general la “e” es muda.
1. Con los infinitivos que terminan en “p”, “f”, “k” o “s” (consonantes sordas, excepto “t”) pronunciamos la terminación “-ed” como una “t”.
Ejemplos:
2. Con los infinitivos que terminan en “b”, “g”, “l”, “m”, “n”, “v”, “z” (consonantes sonoras, excepto “d”) o una vocal, pronunciamos sólo la “d”.
Ejemplos:
3. Con los infinitivos que terminan en “d” o “t”, pronunciamos la “e” como una “i”.
Ejemplos:
Structure (Estructura)
1. Affirmative Sentences (Frases afirmativas)
Sujeto + verbo principal…
Ejemplos:
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She was a doctor.(Era doctora.)
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The keys were in the drawer.(Las llaves estaban en el cajón.)
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I wanted to dance.(Quería bailar.)
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They learned English.(Aprendieron inglés.)
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We believed him.(Le creímos.)
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I bought a blue car.(Compré un coche azul.)
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2. Negative Sentences (Frases negativas)
To be:
Sujeto + “to be” + “not”…
Ejemplos:
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She wasn’t a doctor.(Ella no era doctora.)
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The keys weren’t in the drawer.(Las llaves no estaban en el cajón.)
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Nota: El verbo “to have got”, que en el presente simple sigue las mismas reglas que el verbo “to be”, no puede ser utilizado en el pasado. Para indicar la posesión en el pasado, usamos el verbo “to have”.
Todos los verbos demás:
Sujeto + verbo auxiliar (to do) + “not” + verbo principal (en infinitivo)…
Ejemplos:
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I didn’t want to dance.(No quería bailar.)
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They didn’t learn English.(No aprendieron inglés)
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We didn’t believe him.(No le creímos.)
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I didn’t buy a blue car.(No compré un coche azul.)
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Nota: En frases negativas, el verbo auxiliar va en pasado (“did”) y el verbo principal se queda en el infinitivo.
3. Interrogative Sentences (Frases interrogativas)
To be:
“To be” + sujeto…?
Ejemplos:
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Was she a doctor?(¿Era doctora?)
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Were the keys in the drawer?(¿Estaban las llaves en el cajón?)
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Todos los demás verbos:
Verbo auxiliar (to do) + sujeto + verbo principal (en infinitivo)…?
Ejemplos
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Did you want to dance?(¿Querías bailar?)
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Did they learn English?(¿Aprendieron inglés?)
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Did you believe him?(¿Le creíste?)
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Did you buy a blue car?(¿Compraste un coche azul?)
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Nota: Al igual que en las frases negativas, el verbo auxiliar va en pasado (“did”) y el verbo principal se queda en el infinitivo.
Uses (Usos)
1. El pasado simple se utiliza para hablar de una acción concreta que comenzó y acabó en el pasado. En este caso equivale al pretérito indefinido español. Generalmente, lo usamos con adverbios de tiempo como “last year”, “yesterday”, “last night”…
Ejemplos:
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Tom stayed at home last night.(Tom se quedó en casa anoche.)
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Kate worked last Saturday.(Kate trabajó el sábado pasado.)
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I didn’t go to the party yesterday.(No fui a la fiesta ayer.)
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Did they walk to school this morning?(¿Han andado a la escuela esta mañana?)
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2. Se usa el pasado simple para un serie de acciones en el pasado.
Ejemplos:
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I received the good news and immediately called my husband.(Recibí la buena noticia y llamé de inmediato a mi marido.)
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He studied for an hour in the morning, worked all afternoon and didn’t return home until 10 at night.(Estudió durante una hora por la mañana, trabajó toda la tarde y no regresó a casa hasta las 10 de la noche.)
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3. También lo usamos para acciones repetidas o habituales en el pasado, como se usa el pretérito imperfecto español.
Ejemplos:
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We always traveled to Cancun for vacation when we were young.(Siempre viajábamos a Cancun durante las vacaciones cuando éramos jóvenes.)
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He walked 5 kilometers every day to work.(Caminaba 5 kilómetros hasta el trabajo cada día.)
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4. Lo usamos para narraciones o acciones de períodos de largo tiempo en el pasado, como el pretérito imperfecto español.
Ejemplos:
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I worked for many years in a museum.(Trabajaba en un museo durante muchos años.)
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She didn’t eat meat for years.(No comía carne durante años.)
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5. Se utiliza para hablar de generalidades o hechos del pasado.
Ejemplos:
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The Aztec lived in Mexico.(Los aztecas vivían en México)
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I played the guitar when I was a child.(Tocaba la guitarra cuando era niño.)
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