Past Simple Tense (Regular/Irregular Verbs) (Pasado Simple

What is the Past Simple? (¿Qué es el Pasado Simple?)

The Past Simple tense is used to talk about actions or situations that started and finished at a specific time in the past. We know when they happened.
El tiempo Pasado Simple se usa para hablar de acciones o situaciones que empezaron y terminaron en un momento específico del pasado. Sabemos cuándo sucedieron.

It's one of the most common tenses for telling stories or talking about past experiences.
Es uno de los tiempos verbales más comunes para contar historias o hablar de experiencias pasadas.

Formation: Regular Verbs (Formación: Verbos Regulares)

Most verbs in English are regular. To form the Past Simple of regular verbs, we usually add -ed to the base form of the verb. This form is the same for all subjects (I, you, he, she, it, we, they).
La mayoría de los verbos en inglés son regulares. Para formar el Pasado Simple de los verbos regulares, normalmente añadimos -ed a la forma base del verbo. Esta forma es la misma para todos los sujetos (I, you, he, she, it, we, they).

Regular Verb Rules (Reglas de Verbos Regulares):

Base Form + ed: work → worked, play → played, watch → watched
Verb ends in -e + d: live → lived, like → liked, move → moved
Consonant + y → ied: study → studied, cry → cried, try → tried
One vowel + One consonant (CVC) → Double consonant + ed: stop → stopped, plan → planned, chat → chatted
(Exception: Don't double w, x, y - e.g., fix → fixed, play → played) (Excepción: No duplicar w, x, y)

I worked late yesterday.
Trabajé hasta tarde ayer.

She lived in London for two years.
Ella vivió en Londres durante dos años.

They stopped the car.
Ellos pararon el coche.

Formation: Irregular Verbs (Formación: Verbos Irregulares)

Many common verbs are irregular. Their Past Simple form does not end in -ed and must be learned individually. The Past Simple form is the same for all subjects.
Muchos verbos comunes son irregulares. Su forma de Pasado Simple no termina en -ed y debe aprenderse individualmente. La forma de Pasado Simple es la misma para todos los sujetos.

Common Irregular Verbs (Past Simple Form):

be → was / were
go → went
have → had
do → did
come → came
see → saw
get → got
make → made
eat → ate
drink → drank
speak → spoke
write → wrote
read → read (pronounced /rɛd/)
know → knew
think → thought
take → took
give → gave
buy → bought
find → found
sleep → slept

Note (Nota): You need to memorize these common irregular forms. There are many more!
Necesitas memorizar estas formas irregulares comunes. ¡Hay muchas más!

He went to the park yesterday.
Él fue al parque ayer.

We ate pizza for dinner last night. 🍕
Nosotros comimos pizza para cenar anoche.

I saw that movie a week ago. 🎬
Yo vi esa película hace una semana.

Negatives & Questions (Negativas y Preguntas)

To make negative sentences and questions in the Past Simple (for both regular and irregular verbs, EXCEPT 'to be'), we use the auxiliary verb did + the base form of the main verb.
Para hacer oraciones negativas y preguntas en Pasado Simple (tanto para verbos regulares como irregulares, EXCEPTO 'to be'), usamos el verbo auxiliar did + la forma base del verbo principal.

For the verb 'to be', we use was/were + not (wasn't/weren't) for negatives, and invert for questions (Was/Were + Subject...?).
Para el verbo 'to be', usamos was/were + not (wasn't/weren't) para negativas, e invertimos para preguntas (Was/Were + Sujeto...?).

Past Simple Negatives & Questions (using did):

Negative (-): Subject + did not (didn't) + Base Form ...
Example: She didn't work yesterday. (Ella no trabajó ayer.)
Example: They didn't go out. (Ellos no salieron.)
Question (?): Did + Subject + Base Form ... ?
Example: Did you finish the report? (¿Terminaste el informe?)
Example: Did he eat lunch? (¿Comió él el almuerzo?)

Verb 'to be' in Past Simple:

(+) I/He/She/It was. You/We/They were.
(-) I/He/She/It wasn't. You/We/They weren't.
(?) Was I/he/she/it...? Were you/we/they...?

Regular Verb: She didn't like the movie. / Did she like the movie?
Verbo Regular: A ella no le gustó la película. / ¿Le gustó a ella la película?

Irregular Verb: We didn't see John. / Did you see John?
Verbo Irregular: Nosotros no vimos a John. / ¿Viste tú a John?

Verb 'to be': He wasn't tired. / Was he tired?
Verbo 'to be': Él no estaba cansado. / ¿Estaba él cansado?

Usage & Time Expressions (Uso y Expresiones de Tiempo)

Use the Past Simple for finished past actions where the time is stated or implied.
Usa el Pasado Simple para acciones pasadas terminadas donde el tiempo se indica o está implícito.

Common Time Expressions (Expresiones de Tiempo Comunes):

yesterday (ayer)
last night/week/month/year (anoche / la semana/mes/año pasado/a)
[number] minutes/hours/days/weeks ago (hace [número] minutos/horas/días/semanas)
in [past year] (e.g., in 1999, in 2010) (en [año pasado])
on [past day] (e.g., on Monday) (el [día pasado])
when I was a child (cuando era niño/a)

She called me yesterday.
Ella me llamó ayer.

We visited Paris last summer.
Visitamos París el verano pasado.

He bought that car three years ago.
Él compró ese coche hace tres años.