Guide to the Past Simple Tense - TOEIC® Preparation

1. How to form the Past Simple (Prétérit)?

The English language distinguishes between two categories of verbs:

• Irregular verbs: a list of about 200 verbs to memorize
• Regular verbs: all other verbs in the English language

This distinction is fundamental because conjugation in the past simple differs completely depending on the verb category...

Irregular verbs can be intimidating, as we have often been asked to learn them mechanically without a method. However, if you assimilate them intelligently (our platform offers a dedicated game), they constitute a major asset for the TOEIC®, as they provide you with an extremely rich lexical base.🔗 Discover the complete list of irregular verbs and the game we created to facilitate your learning here: Irregular Verbs

1.1. Construction with a regular verb

• In the affirmative form, you just need to add the ending "-ed" (or just "-d") to the verb.
• In the negative form, we insert "did not" (or the contraction "didn't") between the subject and the verb (which remains in the infinitive without "to").
• In the interrogative form, the structure becomes "did" + subject + verb in the infinitive + ?

Common Pitfalls

• Conjugating the verb in the past after "did" in negative and interrogative forms:
  • Incorrect: I didn't traveled to London.
  • Correct: I didn't travel to London.
• Mixing regular and irregular conjugations: (see next section)
  • Incorrect: She buyed a new car.
  • Correct: She bought a new car.
• Neglecting subject-auxiliary inversion in questions:
  • Incorrect: You did visit Paris?
  • Correct: Did you visit Paris?

1.2. Construction with an irregular verb

1.2.1. Conjugation of irregular verbs

• In the affirmative form, we use the irregular past simple form (in irregular verb tables, this is generally the second column).
• In the negative and interrogative forms, the construction remains identical to that of regular verbs.

1.2.2. Special case of the verb "be"

• "Were" is used for all persons, except for the 1st and 3rd person singular where "was" is used.
• Special attention: the verb "be" conjugated in the past simple does not require the auxiliary "did". We directly use "was" and "were" to construct the negative and interrogative forms.

2. In which situations to use the Past Simple?

2.1. Events completely finished in the past

The past simple is used to refer to actions definitively completed in the past. These events have no link with the present moment.

• I completed my assignment last night.
• They relocated to a different city in 2015.

Time Indicators

As soon as you spot one of these time markers in a sentence, you can be almost certain that the verb is conjugated in the past simple:

• at
  • I completed at 9 o'clock
  • I completed at 3.30
  • I completed at the end of the week
  • I completed at Christmas
• on
  • I completed on Tuesday
  • I completed on 23rd March
  • I completed on the 15th
  • I completed on Christmas Day
• in
  • I completed in February
  • I completed in 1976
  • I completed in the 1990s
  • I completed in winter / summer…
• Without preposition:
  • I completed yesterday
  • I completed yesterday afternoon
  • I completed last Friday
  • I completed a few days ago
  • I completed the day before yesterday
  • I completed when I was young
  • I lived in London for five years. (for five years, I no longer live there now)

2.2. Past Habits

The past simple expresses repeated actions in the past that no longer occur today.

• When I was younger, I walked to school every day.
• He traveled to Spain every summer during his childhood.

2.3. Sequence of Past Events

The past simple can also be used to describe a series of consecutive actions that took place in the past.

• She opened the door, walked in, and turned on the light.
• He closed his laptop, grabbed his coat, and left the office.

2.4. Actions that lasted for a defined period in the past

The past simple is also used to talk about actions that lasted for a certain period in the past, but are now finished.

• I studied at this university for three years.
• They worked for that organization from 2010 to 2015.

2.5. Interruption of an ongoing action in the past

The past simple describes a specific action that interrupted another ongoing action in the past. The ongoing action is generally expressed using the past continuous.

• I was reading a book when the doorbell rang.
• She was working on her project when her colleague called.

⚠️ This structure also relates to a conditional form; we will explore it further in the dedicated course

Conclusion

If you wish to deepen your mastery of past tenses to optimize your score on the TOEIC®, we recommend these complementary resources:

1. 🔗 The Past for the TOEIC® - Overview
2. 🔗 The Past Continuous for the TOEIC®

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