Simple past.

What is the simple past?

Simple past is nearly similar to the simple present tense, but it has a different rules to make a sentence. It is easy to make a sentence with the past simple, because 'did' never changes with 'he / she / it'. Here is described how to make and use it.

How to use the simple past tense?

We use the past simple to talk about a completed action and state in the past.

we are talking about a definite point in time .

• I came back yesterday.
• My father died, when I was a child.
• He did not agree to the agreement.

we are talking about a indefinite point in time.

• I came back the other day.
• My father died a long time ago.
• He lived in London a long time ago.

we are talking about Often, Always, Sometimes.

• My mother always read Qur’an .
• He often saw her in the street.
• Sometimes I went to her.
  
   
  

  
  

  Formation of simple past tense.

  
  

  Person/number	Affirmative	Interrogative	Negative
  1st person/singular	I ate rice.	Did I eat rice?	I did not eat rice.
  2nd person/singular	You ate rice.	Did you eat rice?	You did not eat rice.
  3rd person/singular	He/she ate rice.	Did he/she eat rice?	He/she did not eat rice.
  1st person/plural	We ate rice.	Did we eat rice?	We did not eat rice.
  2nd person/plural	You ate rice.	Did you eat rice?	You did not eat rice.
  3rd person/plural	They ate rice.	Did they eat rice?	They did not eat rice.

  
  

  Note: * Auxiliary verbs in the present simple are “do, does” and to be verbs are “am,is ,are.”

  
  

  * Auxiliary verb in the past simple is “did” and to be verbs are “was, were.”