How do I use the simple past tense?
The simple past tense is used to talk about completed actions in the past.
The simple past tense is used to describe actions that happened at a specific time in the past and are now finished. It is formed with the past form of the verb for all subjects. Regular verbs add -ed to the base form, while irregular verbs have specific past tense forms. When you use the simple past tense, remember to indicate when the action happened.
- I visited my grandmother last weekend.
- Claudia studied English when she was in college.
- Ben and his friends went to the beach yesterday.
Keep in mind the best way to remember this or any grammar / vocabulary in English is to take the word or phrase, write it in a sentence that’s true for you or true in your world, and then memorize your sentences.
You can even take your sentences and write them in the comments below. I would love to see your examples.
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I'm Michael, your human English teacher from New York and I’ve been teaching English learners around the world since 1994.
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