What is the Past Simple?

The Past Simple is a verb tense used to talk about actions or events that happened in the past and are now finished. For example: "I watched a movie yesterday."

Forming Negatives in the Past Simple

To form negatives in the Past Simple, we use did not (didn't) followed by the base form of the verb.

Structure: Subject + did not (didn't) + base verb

Examples:

• I did not (didn't) go to the park.
• She did not (didn't) eat breakfast this morning.
• We did not (didn't) play football yesterday.

Note: We always use the base form of the verb after "didn't." The past form is not used in the negative sentence. For example: "I didn't went" ❌ → "I didn't go" ✔.

Forming Questions in the Past Simple

To form questions in the Past Simple, we use did followed by the subject and the base form of the verb.

Structure: Did + subject + base verb?

Examples:

• Did you watch the movie?
• Did he visit his grandmother?
• Did they complete their homework?

Note: Just like with negatives, we use the base form of the verb after "did." The past form is not used in questions. For example: "Did you watched?" ❌ → "Did you watch?" ✔.

Key Differences: Affirmative, Negative, and Questions

Practice Makes Perfect!

Try forming your own sentences with the Past Simple. Convert these sentences into negatives and questions:

1. He read a book.
2. They played soccer.
3. We ate pizza for dinner.

Example:

Affirmative: He read a book.

Negative: He did not read a book.

Question: Did he read a book?