Past Simple
We use the past simple tense to talk about something that started and ended in the past.
- I finished my lunch.
- He sold his watch.
- She broke the glass.
We use the base form of the verb in negative and interrogative sentences.
- I didn’t finish my lunch.
- Did he sell his watch?
- Did she break the glass?
| Affirmative | Negative | Question |
| I played. | I didn’t play. | Did I play? |
| You played. | You didn’t play. | Did you play? |
| He played. | He didn’t play. | Did he play? |
| She played. | She didn’t play. | Did she play? |
| It played. | It didn’t play. | Did it play? |
| We played. | We didn’t play. | Did we play? |
| They played. | They didn’t play. | Did they play? |
We can use question words (who, what, when, where, why, how) before the helping verb “did” in interrogative sentences.
- Where did you park?
- What did she cook?
- How did they come?
- When did you go?
We can use the past simple tense with a time expression.
- I met him last week.
- We arrived an hour ago.
- She came home a little while ago.
- I washed my car yesterday.
- They left for New York a long time ago.
Short answers in simple past tenses
Did he sell his watch?
- Yes, he did. [We cannot use any contraction in positive answers.]
- No, he didn’t.
Did she break the glass?
- Yes, she did.
- No, she didn’t.
