Simple Past Tense

The simple past refers to things that have already happened, and are finished doing their thing.

World War II was from 1939-1945.

Mom cooked supper.

I did the dishes.

Margaret aced her math exam.

Regular Verbs

Regular verbs are changed to the simple past by adding ‑ed to the end of the root form. If the verb already ends in ‑e, we just add ‑d.

• Play – played
• Type – typed
• Listen – listened
• Push – pushed
• Love – loved

Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs follow no pattern when they change to the simple past tense. You’ll have to check a dictionary if you’re unsure as to what the past tense might be.

• See – saw
• Build – built
• Go – went
• Do – did
• Leap – leapt
• Rise – rose
• Dig – dug

Some verbs don’t change from their present form.

• Put – put
• Cut – cut
• Set – set
• Cost – cost
• Hit – hit