| Positive | Negative | Interrogative | |||||||
| I we you they he she it | played started watched had saw did went | I we you they he she it | did not (didn’t) | play start watch have see do go | Did | I we you they he she it | play? start? watch? have? see? do? go? | ||
The Past Simple tense describes:
| 1. A single action or a state, or a succession of single past actions with time adverbials such as ago, last year (week, month), yesterday, the other day, in 1997, last (time), for five years, for a week, etc. | Ann spenta lot of money on books yesterday. Itdidn’t rain last night. When didyou goto the cinema last? She startedplaying the piano at the age of five. They lived in Brest for five years before the war. Ienteredthe office,lookedaround and cameup to the secretary. |
| 2. A contrast between the past and the present, or something that was true but is not true any more used to + Infinitive áûâàëî, ðàíüøå | Heused to smokeforty cigarettes a day and then he finally gave up smoking. Do you play golf? – No, but Iused towhen I lived in the country. She used to besuch a happy lively girl (but no longer now). The shops didn't use to open on Sundays in those days. |