Past Simple — form and use. Past-simple positives use a past form; questions and negatives use did + base form.
The idea
Use the past simple for completed events in a finished past time. Use did + base verb in questions.
Structure & examples
We visited the museum yesterday.
Did you enjoy the concert?
Notice the pattern
Regular verbs end in -ed, but common verbs have irregular forms: buy → bought, go → went, take → took. In questions and negatives, did supplies the past tense, leaving the main verb unchanged: Did you go? I did not go.
I lost my keys yesterday.
Did you enjoy the party?
Important notes & common mistakes
Say did you go, not did you went.
Before you practice
First choose a form from the options. Then produce it yourself using the word or structure in the instruction. Finally, build complete sentences. Check the explanation after each answer and revisit any mistakes in your review list.
Extended topic: Past Simple — form and use
Past-simple positives use a past form; questions and negatives use did + base form. Be instead uses was/were directly. Use the tense for completed actions and past states, not only short events.
Examples in context
Notice how each form fits its sentence. Read the context before choosing a form.
He lived in Berlin for five years, then moved to Rome.
Did she open the window?
We didn't catch the train.
Were you tired last night?
They came home at midnight yesterday.
Your progress
Ready to move on?
Mark this lesson as studied when you have finished the explanation.
Use the past simple for completed events in a finished past time. Use did + base verb in questions.
Last night, we ___ a film.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: watched
Completed sentence: Last night, we watched a film. Use the past simple for completed events in a finished past time. Use did + base verb in questions.
Did she ___ you yesterday?
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: call
Completed sentence: Did she call you yesterday? Use the past simple for completed events in a finished past time. Use did + base verb in questions.
I ___ him at the party.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: did not see
Completed sentence: I did not see him at the party. Use the past simple for completed events in a finished past time. Use did + base verb in questions.
They ___ home an hour ago.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: went
Completed sentence: They went home an hour ago. Use the past simple for completed events in a finished past time. Use did + base verb in questions.
Question 1 of 50% complete
We ___ the museum yesterday.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: visited
Use the past simple for completed events in a finished past time. Use did + base verb in questions.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: watched
Completed sentence: Last night, we watched a film. Use the past simple for completed events in a finished past time. Use did + base verb in questions.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: call
Completed sentence: Did she call you yesterday? Use the past simple for completed events in a finished past time. Use did + base verb in questions.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: did not see
Completed sentence: I did not see him at the party. Use the past simple for completed events in a finished past time. Use did + base verb in questions.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: went
Completed sentence: They went home an hour ago. Use the past simple for completed events in a finished past time. Use did + base verb in questions.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: bought
Completed sentence: Use buy in the past simple: I bought a coat yesterday. Use the past simple for completed events in a finished past time. Use did + base verb in questions.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: stopped
Completed sentence: Use stop in the past simple: The bus stopped outside our house. Use the past simple for completed events in a finished past time. Use did + base verb in questions.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: did not come
Completed sentence: Use not come in the past simple, without contractions: She did not come last night. Use the past simple for completed events in a finished past time. Use did + base verb in questions.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: took
Completed sentence: Use take in the past simple: We took a taxi on Monday. Use the past simple for completed events in a finished past time. Use did + base verb in questions.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: finished
Completed sentence: Use finish in the past simple: He finished the report last week. Use the past simple for completed events in a finished past time. Use did + base verb in questions.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: Did you enjoy the concert?
Use the past simple for completed events in a finished past time. Use did + base verb in questions. Say did you go, not did you went.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: I lost my keys yesterday
I lost my keys yesterday. Use the past simple for completed events in a finished past time. Use did + base verb in questions. Say did you go, not did you went.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: Did you enjoy the party
Did you enjoy the party? Use the past simple for completed events in a finished past time. Use did + base verb in questions. Say did you go, not did you went.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: She did not visit us
She did not visit us. Use the past simple for completed events in a finished past time. Use did + base verb in questions. Say did you go, not did you went.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: We arrived before lunch
We arrived before lunch. Use the past simple for completed events in a finished past time. Use did + base verb in questions. Say did you go, not did you went.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: lived
Completed sentence: He lived in Berlin for five years, then moved to Rome. Past-simple positives use a past form; questions and negatives use did + base form. Be instead uses was/were directly. Use the tense for completed actions and past states, not only short events.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: open
Completed sentence: Did she open the window? Past-simple positives use a past form; questions and negatives use did + base form. Be instead uses was/were directly. Use the tense for completed actions and past states, not only short events.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: catch
Completed sentence: We didn't catch the train. Past-simple positives use a past form; questions and negatives use did + base form. Be instead uses was/were directly. Use the tense for completed actions and past states, not only short events.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: Were
Completed sentence: Were you tired last night? Past-simple positives use a past form; questions and negatives use did + base form. Be instead uses was/were directly. Use the tense for completed actions and past states, not only short events.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: came
Completed sentence: They came home at midnight yesterday. Past-simple positives use a past form; questions and negatives use did + base form. Be instead uses was/were directly. Use the tense for completed actions and past states, not only short events.
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