Grammar: The Simple Past Tense Regular and Irregular Verbs – English – 2nd Year Middle School – Algeria

The Simple Past Tense

The simple past tense is used to talk about completed actions in the past. It is formed by adding -ed to regular verbs or using the second form of irregular verbs.

Regular Verbs

Add -ed to the base form: walk -> walked, play -> played, start -> started

• Verbs ending in -e: add -d only: like -> liked, dance -> danced
• Verbs ending in consonant + -y: change -y to -ied: study -> studied, carry -> carried
• Short verbs (CVC): double the consonant: stop -> stopped, plan -> planned

Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs change form completely. Common examples:

• go -> went, eat -> ate, see -> saw, come -> came, take -> took, buy -> bought, teach -> taught, write -> wrote, read -> read (pronounced “red”)

Formation

• Affirmative: Subject + past verb. Ex: “I visited Paris last year.”
• Negative: Subject + did not + verb (base). Ex: “She didn’t go to school yesterday.”
• Interrogative: Did + subject + verb (base)? Ex: “Did you see the film?”

Exercises

1. Complete with simple past: “Yesterday, I ___ (visit) my grandmother – She ___ (buy) a new dress”.
2. Make negative: “He played football – They went to the beach”.
3. Make questions: “You ate breakfast – She studied English”.

See also Grammar: Irregular Verbs (Common List) and Grammar: The Past Continuous Tense.

📍 دروس مشابهة:

• English — Grammar: Relative Pronouns (Who, Which, That) — 2nd Year Middle School — Algerian Curriculum
• English — Vocabulary: Daily Routines and Time Expressions — 2nd Year Middle School — Algerian Curriculum
• English — Comparative and Superlative — 2nd Year