Past Simple (Past Tenses)

EXAMPLE:
- I was sleepy.
- He didn't learn any Italian when he was in Italy two year ago.
- I went to the cinema, bought popcorn and watched a movie.
We use the Past Simple to talk about actions that happened at a specific time in the past. The actions can be short or long. There can be a few actions happening one ofter another.

USE 

1. Events in the past that are now finished
2. Situation in the past
3. A series of actions in the past

USE 1: Past actions that are now finished

The first use of the Past Simple to express actions that happened at a specific time in the past. The actions can be short [1] or long [2].
Examples:

• John cut his finger last week. [1]
• I went to college 3 years ago. [2]
• He ate the dinner 1 hour ago. [1]
• I slept well last night. [2]

USE 2: Situation in the past

Another use of this tense is talk about situations in the past.
Examples:

• I lived in New York for 10 years (I don't live there anymore).

USE 3: A series of actions in the past

The Past Simple can also be used with a few actions in the past happening one after another.
Examples:

• He entered a room, lit a cigarette and smiled at the guests.

Form
Forming a sentence in the Past Simple is easy. To form a declarative sentence, all you need is the subject of the sentence (e.g. I, you, he, a dog) and the past form of your verb (e.g. was, talked, swam). Questions and negative sentences are only a little more difficult, because they require an auxiliary verb.

Declarative Sentences

I saw two colorful fishes in the lake yesterday (Use 1)


Time Expressions
Common time expressions (time adverbials) in the Past Simple are:

• yesterday
• the other day
• just now
• the day before yesterday

Questions



Negative Sentences