Auxiliary verbs past simple. Difference between Past Simple and Present Perfect. Past Simple Markers

Variety of temporary forms in English allows you to describe the action being performed in more detail, but may also confuse you. The “Past Simple” table tells in detail how the English Simple Past tense is formed and when it is used.

Basic Rule

Before moving on to consider the formation of the affirmative, negative and interrogative forms of the English Past Simple, it is necessary to understand how it is translated into Russian and what action it describes. The tense form Past Simple is literally translated as Simple Past. The term Past refers to the past tense in in a broad sense. Simple is an aspect that indicates that the action being described is common and occurs regularly. It follows that the Past Simple describes ordinary, repeated actions, facts that happened in the past.

This meaning is also indicated by marker words such as yesterday, the day before yesterday, two weeks ago, last year and others.

Regular verbs

When considering the rule Education Past Simple (Simple Past) new ones appear language concepts- correct and irregular verbs. Regular verbs form the past simple by adding the -ed ending to the stem of the verb.

Basic rules and examples of Past Simple with regular verbs are presented in the following table:

Past Simple Tense: subjects + verb + -ed (2nd form regular verbs)
*Positive form* (Affirmative form)	*Negative form* (Negative form)	*Interrogative form* (Interrogative form)
I closed - I closed	I did not close - I didn’t close	Did I close? - Did I close it?
You closed -You (you) closed	You did not close - You (you) did not close	Did you close? - Did you close it?
He closed - He closed	He did not close - He did not close	Did he close? - Did he close it?
She closed - She closed	She did not close - She did not close	Did she close? - Did she close it?
It closed - He (about an animal or inanimate) closed	It did not close - He did not close	Did it close? - Did he close it?
We closed - We closed	We did not close - We did not close	Did we close? - Are we closed?
They closed - They closed	They did not close - They did not close	Did they close? - have they closed?

In a negative sentence, the subject is followed by an auxiliary verb with a negative particle - did not. In the question, the word order changes and the auxiliary verb comes first. In both cases, the main verb loses the past tense ending -ed.

Irregular verbs

There are not many irregular verbs in the English language - 470. Not all of them belong to the daily vocabulary. Many are outdated and not used. But the main thing is different - you need to know them by heart. In order to make a sentence with an irregular verb in the Past Simple, you need to look at the second column of the table of irregular verbs.

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Past Simple Tense: subjects + 2nd form of irregular verb
*Positive form* (Affirmative form)	*Negative form* (Negative form)	*Interrogative form* (Interrogative form)
I slept - I slept	I didn’t sleep - I didn’t sleep	Did I sleep? - Was I asleep?
You slept - You (you) slept	You didn’t sleep - You (you) did not sleep	Did you sleep? - Were you asleep?
He slept - He slept	He didn’t sleep - He didn’t sleep	Did he sleep? - Was he sleeping?
She slept - She slept	She didn’t sleep - She didn’t sleep	Did she sleep? - Was she sleeping?
It slept - He (it) was sleeping	It didn’t sleep - He didn’t sleep	Did it sleep? - Was he sleeping?
We slept - We slept	We didn’t sleep - We didn’t sleep	Did we sleep? - Were we asleep?
They slept - They slept	They didn’t sleep - They didn’t sleep	Did they sleep? - Were they asleep?

What have we learned?

The basic rules and examples of the Past Simple in the table help organize the acquired theoretical knowledge on the topic. It presents examples of the formation of affirmative, negative and interrogative forms, which can serve as an excellent “cheat sheet” if necessary.

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Affirmative form

Subject + Infinitive without to ending in -ed (form Past Simple for irregular verbs)

1. The lesson finished 5 minutes ago - The lesson ended 5 minutes ago.

finished – infinitive finish + ending -ed
ago (back) – an adverb indicating the use of Past Simple

2. I invited them to the party - I invited them to the party (before).

invited – infinitive invite + ending -ed

3. She paid for the tickets last week - She paid for the tickets last week.

paid – Past Simple form wrong verb pay
last week – indicates the use of Past Simple

Negative form

Subject + did + not + Infinitive without to

1. I did not buy any milk yesterday - Yesterday I did not buy milk.

not – negative particle
buy – infinitive without to

2. My friend did not pick me up - My friend did not pick me up.

did – auxiliary verb to do in the Past Simple form
not – negative particle
pick up – infinitive without to

3. Last summer they did not go on holiday - Last summer they did not go on vacation.

did – auxiliary verb to do
not – negative particle
go – infinitive without to

Question form

did + Subject + Infinitive without to

1. Did they sing that funny song? – Did they sing that cheerful song? ( general question)

first
sing – infinitive without to

2. Did you teach her to read? -Did you teach her to read? (general question)

did – the auxiliary verb to do in the Past Simple form stands on first place to formulate a question
teach – infinitive without to

3. Why did she stop visiting you? – Why did she stop visiting you? (special question)

did – auxiliary verb to do is worth after question word why and before subject to
stop – infinitive without to

#2 Uses of Past Simple

1. To express an action that occurred at a certain moment in the past. Used with the following words and expressions: yesterday - yesterday, last week (month, year, etc.) - last week (last month, year, etc.), a week ago (an hour ago, a year ago, etc.) - week (hour , year) ago, the other day– recently, in 2014 – in 2014, and some others.

Someone knocked at the door half an hour ago - Someone knocked on the door half an hour ago.
It snowed yesterday - It snowed yesterday.

The time of action can also be expressed subordinate clause.

I noticed him when he called my name - I noticed him when he called me by name (when he called my name - subordinate clause).
My brother learned to swim when he was on holiday - My brother learned to swim when he was on holiday (when he was on holiday - subordinate clause).

2. For expression row past actions in the order in which they occurred.

They opened the door and entered the house“They opened the door and entered the house.
We went to the cinema, watched a film, then popped to a cafe and grabbed a couple of drinks - We went to the cinema, watched a film, then popped into a cafe and grabbed a couple of drinks.

3. For expression usual, repeated actions in the past.

When my sister was little she cried every day - When my sister was little, she cried every day.
At my previous workplace we had a staff meeting every Friday - At my previous job, meetings for employees were held every Friday.

#3 Verb TO BE in Past Simple

Linking verb TO BE has two forms in Past Simple:

was(used with nouns or pronouns in the 1st or 3rd person singular form);
were(used with nouns and pronouns in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd person plural).

I was very busy yesterday - Yesterday I was very busy.
They were in Rome in 2010 - They were in Rome in 2010.

During education negative And interrogative sentences with linking verb TO BE auxiliary verb did not used.

Was she in the office last Monday? – Was she in the office last Monday?
Did she be in the office last Monday?
Are you tired? – Were you tired?
Did you be tired?
The weather was not so nice as last time - The weather was not as good as last time.
The weather did not be so nice as last time
Probably they were not at home when you came - Perhaps they were not at home when you came.
Probably they did not be at home when you came

#4 Regular and irregular verbs

When using the Past Simple, you should pay attention special attention on the formation of semantic verb forms. In English, verbs are divided into correct And incorrect.

TO correct verbs are those verbs that form the past simple by adding the ending -ed to the stem of the verb. TO wrong Verbs include verbs that form the Past Simple in other ways.

She cut her finger when she was cooking dinner - She cut her finger when she was preparing dinner.
Everyone stood up when the teacher entered the classroom - Everyone stood up when the teacher entered the class.

We use the simple past tense when we say:

1. About events or actions that occurred in the past and the time for which has expired. That is, the action or event is complete.
(he bought a car last year, they went on vacation last month, the meeting was last week)

2. About events or actions in the past that were repeated regularly, but are not happening now.
(she danced at school, we went to the gym last year)

3. About events in the past that happened one after another.
(they met, walked in the park, went to the cinema)

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How is the affirmative form of the Past Simple formed?

When forming the Past Simple, we always look at the verb, as it will change. There are two types of verbs in English: right and wrong.

Depending on the verb, the past tense is formed as follows:

if the verb is correct, we add ending -ed(cook - cooked);
if the verb is irregular, we put it in second form (see - saw).

There is no rule by which we can determine the correct or irregular verb in front of us. You can only find out by looking it up in a dictionary or memorizing it.

The same goes for forms of irregular verbs. You need to memorize them or look them up in the dictionary. The Past Simple formation scheme is as follows:

The one we are talking about + a regular verb ending in ed or the 2nd form of an irregular verb.

I
You
We	worked
They	slept
She	went
He
It

For example

I went to the cinema yesterday.
I went to the cinema yesterday.

She moved last year
She moved last year.

They married three years ago.
They got married three years ago.

Verb endings -ed in the Past Simple

There are a few caveats when adding the -ed ending to regular verbs.

If the verb ends in -e, then it is added to the verb -d only:

chang e- chang ed- change;
clos e- clos ed- close.

If the verb ends to a consonant, in front of which stands stressed vowel, then the consonant is doubled:

sto p-sto pped- stop;
ba n-ba nned- forbid.

Exceptions: verbs ending in -x and -w:

fi x-fi xed- fix;
flo w-flo wed- leak.

Note: V British English, when a verb ends in -l, it is doubled regardless of where the stress falls:

travel l- travel lled- travel.

American version:

travel l- travel led- travel.

If the verb ends in -y and there is a consonant before it, then y changes to i+ed:

cr y-cr ied- cry;
tr y-tr ied- try.

Important: If there is a vowel before -u, then the ending -ed is added no change letters:

sta y-sta yed- stay;
pla y- pla yed- play.

Companion words Past Simple

These are clue words that help determine that this is the simple past tense:

yesterday,
last week / month / year,
in 1989 (2000, 2012, etc.) year,
two (three, four, etc.) days/month/years ago.

Examples

I saw him five days ago.
I saw him five days ago.

She watched this film yesterday.
She watched this film yesterday.

They lived in England in 1999 year.
They lived in England in 1999.

Negative sentences in Past Simple

Negation is formed using auxiliary verb did(this is the auxiliary verb do, but in past form) and particles not. In this case, the semantic verb is used in the initial form.

The combination did + not will be our particle “ Not". For example, he did not participate in the exhibition, they did not go to the club yesterday.

The scheme for constructing a negative sentence in the Past Simple is as follows:

The one we are talking about + did + not + verb in the initial form.

I
You
We			work
They	did	not	sleep
She			go
He
It

Important point: The auxiliary verb did already shows that the sentence is in the past tense, so it itself verb in a sentence(run/jump/work) we do not put in the past tense, but use the initial form. That is, we do not put it in the 2nd form and do not add the ending ed.

Why do you need to show twice that this is the past tense?

Didn't swim yesterday.
He didn't swim yesterday.

NOT: He didn't swam yesterday.

For example

They did not work last summer.
They didn't work last summer.

She did not run yesterday.
She didn't run yesterday.

What abbreviation can you use?

We can shorten the negative particle not as follows.

Did + not = didn’t

We didn't win this battle.
We didn't win this battle.

Interrogative sentences in Past Simple

The construction of questions in the Past Simple is the same as in other tenses of this group (Simple). To ask a question, you need to put the auxiliary verb did first in the sentence. The semantic verb, as in negation, is not put in the past tense, but is used initial form. There is no need to add the ending -ed.

Did + the person in question + the initial form of the verb.

	I
	you
	they	work?
Did	we	sleep?
	he	go?
	she
	it

Statement

He called me last week.
He called me last week.

They bought a new car.
They bought a new car.

Question

Did he called you last week?
Did he call you last week?

Did they buy a new car?
Did they buy a new car?

Short positive answer contains the auxiliary verb did, which replaces the action itself.

Yes, he did.
Yes, he called.

Yes, they did.
Yes, they bought it.

Complete positive answer is constructed as an affirmative sentence.

Yes, he called me last week.
Yes, he called me last week.

Yes, they bought a new car.
Yes, they bought a new car.

Short negative answer contains the auxiliary verb did and the negative particle not.

No, he did not.
No, he didn't call.

No, they did not.
No, they didn't buy it.

Complete negative answer is constructed as a negative sentence.

No, he did not call me last week.
No, he didn't call me last week.

No, they did not buy a new car.
No, they didn't buy a new car.

Special questions in the Past Simple

When we ask a question with the following question words:

what,
when,
where,
which,

Question word + did + the person in question + verb in the initial form?

		I
When		you
Where		they	work?
What	did	we	meet?
Why		she	buy?
		he
		it

Let's look at examples.

Why did did you steal this thing?
Why did you steal this thing?

Whendid she sell her phone?
When did she sell her phone?

Whatdid do they buy?
What did they buy?

So, we've looked at the simple past tense, which is actually not that simple. If you have any questions, ask them in the comments below the article.

Also, if you haven't done this yet, I advise you to read about other times Simple groups :

Now let's move on to practice.

Exercise to consolidate Past Simple

Translate the following sentences into English:

1. He built his house in 1997.
2. They went to a concert last month.
3. Did you give her a gift yesterday? Yes, I gave her a gift yesterday.
4. We didn't see each other last week.
5. My friend broke her phone last year.
6. The children didn’t go to camp last summer.
7. Why did he move?
8. Did you go hiking last weekend? No, we didn't go.

Write your answers in the comments, and I will definitely check them.

Here you can take a lesson on the topic: Simple past tense in English. Regular and irregular verbs. Past Simple. Regular and Irregular verbs.

In this lesson we will get acquainted with regular and irregular verbs in English and how to use them in sentences simple past tense. It is these verbs that in most cases are integral part past tense.

To express thoughts in the past, the British often resort to verbs was and were. Well, what if the main action is expressed by another verb, for example, swim, or play? In such cases, knowledge of right and wrong is required English verbs. We will look at each category of verbs separately:

Regular verbs Regular verbs are a special group of English verbs that easily form the past tense by adding the suffix -ed to the infinitive (the regular form of the verb). Here are some examples of such verbs:

talk - talked (talk - spoke)
jump - jumped (jump - jumped)
check - checked (check - checked)
look - looked (look - looked)
stay - remained (stop - stopped)
ask - asked (ask - asked)
show -showed (show - showed)
work - worked (work - worked)

Regular verbs ending in -ed do not change for person or number. Let's look at the example of the verb walk (walk, stroll):

I walked - I walked
you walked - you walked / You walked
he walked - he walked
she walked - she walked
it walked - he/she walked/walked (inanimate)
we walked - we walked
they walked - they walked

I. There are some spelling rules when adding the ending -ed.

1. So, for example, if the verb is already ends with a letter-e , then only -d is added to it. For example:

Change - changed (change - changed)
arrive - arrived (arrive - arrived)
smoke - smoked (smoking - smoked)

2. If the verb ends with the letter -y, then the ending, with rare exceptions, changes to -ied. For example:

study - studied (teach - taught)
tidy - tidied (clean - cleaned)
try - tried (try - tried)

The exceptions are the verbs: play - played (play), stay - remained (stop), enjoy - enjoyed (enjoy).

3. In some short verbs(in 1 syllable) by adding the ending -ed The consonant is doubled. This rule applies to verbs that ends with one vowel and one consonant letters. For example:

stop - stop ped (stop - stopped)
rob - rob bed (rob - robbed)

II. Regarding regular English verbs, there are also several reading rules.

1. So, for example, in verbs, ending in a voiceless consonant(f, k, p, t), the ending -ed is read softly, like /t/. For example:

walk ed /wɔ:kt/
look ed /lukt/
jump ed /dʒʌmpt/
ask ed /a:skt/

2. In verbs, ending in voiced and all other sounds, the ending -ed is pronounced voiced, like /d/. For example:

play ed /pleid/
show ed /ʃəud/
arrived /ə"raivd/
chang ed /tʃeindʒd/

3. The pronunciation of the verb ending -ed changes slightly when the verbs end with the sounds /t/ or /d/. Then the ending is pronounced /id/. For example:

decid ed /di"saidid/
wait ed /"weitid /
land ed /"lændid /
fad ed/"feidid/

Now let's look at the regular verbs in affirmative sentences. Here are some examples:

Miriam waited for Adam for several hours. - Miriam waited for Adam for several hours.
She walked towards the river. - She walked towards the river.
They changed their mind. - They changed their decision.
The woman carried a heavy bag. - The woman was carrying a heavy bag.
When I arrived the party was over. - When I arrived, the party was over.
The plane landed near the village. - The plane landed near the village.
The car stopped next to my house. - The car stopped next to my house.
Children played hide-and-seek. - The children played hide and seek.
We stayed at my grandmother's. - We stayed with my grandmother.
I looked around but there was noone. - I looked around, but there was no one there.
He studied German at school. - He studied German at school.

As can be seen from the examples, the place of subjects and verbs in affirmative sentences is fixed, and the remaining members of the sentences can be used depending on the context. When reading the examples, pay attention to the spelling of regular verbs and their pronunciation.

In contrast to regular verbs, English also has a number of irregular verbs, which do not obey the rule of adding the ending -ed, but are formed completely unexpectedly and in different ways. For example:

find - found (find - found)
take - took (take - took)
sleep - slept (sleep - slept)
fight - fought (fight - fought)
get - got (receive - received)
give - gave (give - gave)
buy - bought (buy - bought)
catch - caught (catch - caught)
lose - lost (lose - lost) and many others.

Here you can find the complete
The simple past tense uses verbs from the second column (Past Simple).

In affirmative sentences, irregular verbs are used in the same way as regular ones. The order of the sentence is fixed: Subject - Predicate - Object - Adverbial modifier. Let's look at examples:

He lost his key a day ago. - He lost his key a day ago.
Simon took my phone number yesterday. - Simon took my phone number yesterday.
I gave her a birthday present. - I gave her a present for her birthday.
They slept for eight hours last night. - They slept eight hours last night.

For the formation of negative and interrogative sentences with regular and irregular verbs (except to be and modal verbs) the auxiliary verb did is required.

So, for example, in interrogative sentences comes first auxiliary verb did, then the subject and verb, but in its original form (infinitive), since the auxiliary verb did takes on the function of the past tense. Let's look at a few examples:

(+) Her watch stopped working. - Her watch stopped working.
(?) Did her watch stop working? - Has her watch stopped working?

(+) He caught a big fish. - He caught big fish.
(?) Did he catch a big fish? - Did he catch a big fish?

(+) They played cards in the evening. - They played cards in the evening.
(?) Did they play cards in the evening? - Did they play cards in the evening?

(+) Mr.Right found a purse with money. - Mr. Wright found a wallet with money.
(?) Did Mr.Right find a purse money? - Did Mr. Wright find a wallet with money?

(+) His father called him yesterday. - His father called him yesterday.
(?) Did his father call him yesterday? - Did his father call him yesterday?

As can be seen from the examples, the auxiliary verb did does not change in persons or numbers, such as the verbs do and does, was and were. Also, these questions belong to the general category, and require short answers, which, unlike Russian “yes” and “no,” depend largely on the question itself and the auxiliary verb. Let's take a closer look:

Did you leave early last night? -Yes, I did. -No, I didn't. -Did you leave early last night? -Yes. -No.
Did they like the cake? -Yes, they did. -No, they didn't. - Did they like the cake? - Yes. - No.
Did their children break the remote control? -Yes, they did. -No, they didn't." -Did their children break the remote control? -Yes. -No.

Special questions with regular and irregular verbs are formed in the same order as common ones, but with the addition question word at the beginning. For example:

Where did you find the map? - Where did you find the map?
Why did they call us last night? - Why did they call us last night?
Who did you invite to the party? -Who did you invite to the party?
What did she cook fro dinner? - What did she cook for dinner?

Negative sentences with regular and irregular verbs are also formed using the auxiliary verb did, and negative particle"not". The main verbs in such sentences remain in their original form, i.e. in the infinitive. Let's look at examples:

(+) He didn’t want us to go. - He wanted us to leave.
(-) He didn't (did not) want us to go. - He didn't want us to leave.

(+) They enjoyed the concert. - They liked the concert.
(-) They didn’t enjoy the concert. - They didn’t like the concert.

(+) Albert promised me something. - Albert promised me something.
(-) Albert didn’t promise me anything. - Albert didn’t promise me anything.

(+) My friend paid t he fine. - My friend paid the fine.
(-) My friend didn't pay the fine. - My friend did not pay the fine.

(+) It broke after all. - And yet it broke.
(-) It didn’t break after all. - And yet it didn’t break.

As can be seen from the examples, the word did can be combined with the particle not, and then the abbreviated form is obtained - didn't.

Thus, we examined regular and irregular verbs in English, and also became familiar with their use in affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences. The category of regular verbs does not require targeted memorization, but it is recommended to learn irregular verbs several times a day and try to use them in your sentences.