TOEIC पर पास्ट टेंस (Past Tense): 90% जाल से बचने के लिए स्पष्ट गाइड
Flow Exam team
The simple past tense (or preterite) refers to an action that was completed at a specific time in the past.
In the TOEIC®, it appears in a large number of Part 5 questions concerning verb tenses. For example:
- "The manager approved the budget yesterday"
मैनेजर ने कल बजट को मंजूरी दे दी।
The most common trap? Confusing the simple past with the present perfect when there is a specific time marker in the sentence.
How to form the simple past in English
The simple past follows simple rules, but irregular verbs require special attention in the TOEIC®.
Regular verbs: adding -ed
For most verbs, you add -ed to the base form. This form remains identical for all subjects (I, you, he, she, it, we, they):
- "She worked late on the project last Monday."
उसने पिछले सोमवार को प्रोजेक्ट पर देर तक काम किया।" - They launched the new product in June."
उन्होंने जून में नया उत्पाद लॉन्च किया।
Watch out for spelling changes:
- Verb ending in -e → add only -d: close → closed
- One-syllable verb (consonant-vowel-consonant) → double the final consonant: stop → stopped
- Verb ending in -y preceded by a consonant → change to -ied: study → studied
Irregular verbs: list to memorize
About 200 English verbs have an irregular form in the simple past. And guess what? These are exactly the verbs you often find in the professional contexts of the TOEIC®.
- "The CEO went to Singapore for the conference."
सीईओ कॉन्फ्रेंस के लिए सिंगापुर गए। - "We sent the documents to all stakeholders."
हमने सभी हितधारकों को दस्तावेज़ भेजे।
The most tested irregular verbs in the TOEIC®: go/went, send/sent, make/made, take/took, have/had, come/came, see/saw, write/wrote, get/got, give/gave.
You can find the list of all irregular verbs right here.
Negative and interrogative form
To construct the negative or interrogative, you use did (auxiliary) + base verb (without -ed).
- "The supplier did not deliver the order on time."
आपूर्तिकर्ता समय पर ऑर्डर डिलीवर नहीं कर पाया। - "Did the team meet the deadline?"
क्या टीम ने समय सीमा पूरी की?
Recurring TOEIC® trap in Part 5: candidates choose "didn't delivered" instead of "didn't deliver". The auxiliary did already carries the past tense marker, so the main verb remains in the base form.
Time markers for the simple past
The simple past is always accompanied by time clues that place the action at a bygone moment in the past. These keywords are decisive signals in Part 5.
| Time Marker | TOEIC® Example |
|---|---|
| Yesterday | The board met yesterday. |
| Last + period (week, month, year) | She resigned last week. |
| Ago (il y a) | They opened the branch two years ago. |
| In + specific year | The company expanded in 2018. |
| When (in a narrative sentence) | When I arrived, the meeting had already started. |
- "The sales team exceeded targets last quarter."
सेल्स टीम ने पिछले तिमाही में लक्ष्यों को पार कर लिया। - "He joined the company three years ago."
वह तीन साल पहले कंपनी में शामिल हुआ था।
Based on our experience with candidates we coach, the confusion between "ago" and "for/since" constantly recurs.
Ago requires the simple past, for/since requires the present perfect. Yet, this distinction is tested in almost every official test.
Simple Past vs Present Perfect: TOEIC® Traps
Many candidates get tripped up here. The difference lies in one criterion: link to the present or complete break.
When to choose the simple past?
You use the simple past when the action is completely finished, with no connection to now.
The time is specified (or clearly implied).
- "The director announced the restructuring plan yesterday."
निदेशक ने कल पुनर्गठन योजना की घोषणा की।
Here, "yesterday" marks a clear break with the present. The announcement took place in the completed past.
When to choose the present perfect?
You use the present perfect (have/has + past participle) when the action has a connection to the present or when the specific time is not mentioned.
- "The director has announced several changes this year."
निदेशक ने इस साल कई बदलावों की घोषणा की है।"
"This year" is a period that includes the present (we are still in 2026), so the present perfect is required.
Comparison Table: Frequent Errors
| Error | Correction | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| I have seen him yesterday. | I saw him yesterday. | Yesterday requires the simple past. |
| She worked here for five years. (context: she still works here) | She has worked here for five years. | For indicates a duration that continues, hence present perfect. |
| We didn't received the invoice. | We didn't receive the invoice. | Didn't already carries the past tense marker, the verb stays in the base form. |
| The meeting started already. | The meeting has already started. | Already indicates a link to now (present result of a past action). |
Simple Past in Part 6 and 7: spotting the narrative context
In Part 6 (fill-in-the-blanks) and Part 7 (reading comprehension), the simple past structures narratives of past events. Identify the overall timeframe of the text.
Part 6 Typical Example
- "Last month, our company launched a new training program. The HR department organized three sessions. More than 50 employees participated in the workshops."
पिछले महीने, हमारी कंपनी ने एक नया प्रशिक्षण कार्यक्रम शुरू किया। मानव संसाधन विभाग ने तीन सत्र आयोजित किए। पचास से अधिक कर्मचारियों ने कार्यशालाओं में भाग लिया।
All verbs are in the simple past because the text narrates a completed event (last month). If a sentence in the text mentions a current consequence, it will switch to the present perfect.
Trap: mixing tenses in the same text
Even among candidates who already have access to a preparation platform via their school, confusion between simple past and present perfect comes up very often in Part 5.
The reason is simple: these tools emphasize the rule, but rarely instill the reflex needed under pressure.
- "The company hired 20 new employees in March. Since then, productivity has increased by 15%."
कंपनी ने मार्च में 20 नए कर्मचारियों को काम पर रखा। तब से, उत्पादकता में 15% की वृद्धि हुई है।
First sentence: simple past (specific time: March).
Second sentence: present perfect (since = starting point in the past with an effect up to now).
Decision Checklist: Simple Past or Another Tense?
Ask yourself these 3 questions in order to never hesitate again.
| Question | YES Answer → Tense | NO Answer → Continue |
|---|---|---|
| Is there a specific time marker (yesterday, last week, in 2020, ago)? | Simple Past | Proceed to question 2 |
| Does the action have a link to now (present result, continuing duration)? | Present Perfect | Proceed to question 3 |
| Was the action in progress at a certain moment in the past (description, context)? | Past Continuous (was/were + -ing) | Simple Past by default if action is simple and completed |
- "When the phone rang, I was preparing the report."
जब फ़ोन बजा, मैं रिपोर्ट तैयार कर रहा था।
Rang → simple past (brief and completed action).
Was preparing → past continuous (action in progress at that time).
Typical TOEIC® Errors
Candidates' native languages sometimes use the passé composé in contexts where English requires the simple past. And we see this constantly in candidates.
We do not systematically translate "J'ai fait" as "I have done"
For example, in some languages, "J'ai envoyé le mail hier" (I sent the email yesterday) is correct.
In English, "I have sent the email yesterday" is wrong.
The presence of "yesterday" requires the simple past."
- I sent the email yesterday."
मैंने कल ईमेल भेजा।
The simple past is sufficient to express a simple past action
You do not need the present perfect if you mention a specific time.
- "The conference took place last Friday."
कॉन्फ्रेंस पिछले शुक्रवार को हुई थी।
No need for "has taken place" here. The simple past is more natural and correct.
Watch out for irregular verbs hidden in common expressions
Verbs like "meet" (rencontrer), "deal with" (traiter), "hold" (tenir, organiser) are irregular and very frequent in TOEIC® contexts.
- "The manager held a meeting to address the issue."
मैनेजर ने समस्या का समाधान करने के लिए एक बैठक की।
Not "holded", but "held".
Ready to practice?
The simple past is the most tested verb tense in TOEIC® Part 5, often mixed with the present perfect or the past continuous to create traps.
If you master the distinction between these tenses well, you will easily secure 20 to 30 points.
On Flow Exam, you can practice directly on the Past Tenses theme in Part 5, with thousands of questions in the same format as the official TOEIC® ones. So if you have difficulties with this theme, you will never make the same mistakes again.
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