What did you do? The past simple
Regular and irregular past forms, and questions and negatives with did
What you'll be able to do
Say what you did yesterday, last weekend or on holiday, and ask other people about their past.
The idea
The past simple is for finished actions and situations at a finished time: yesterday, last week, in 2020, two days ago.
- I watched a film last night.a finished action, a finished time
- We went to the beach on Sunday.an irregular verb
- Did you sleep well?a question with did
- She didn't call me yesterday.a negative with didn't
| Form | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| Positive (regular) | verb + -ed | I worked, she played, they stopped |
| Positive (irregular) | special form | I went, she saw, they ate |
| Negative | didn't + base form | I didn't go |
| Question | Did + subject + base form | Did you go? |
After did and didn't, use the base form: Did you go?, never Did you went?
Spelling of -ed
- most verbs: add -ed (work → worked)
- verbs ending in -e: add -d (live → lived)
- consonant + y: -ied (study → studied)
- one short vowel + one consonant: double it (stop → stopped, plan → planned)
Common irregular verbs
| Base | Past | Base | Past |
|---|---|---|---|
| go | went | see | saw |
| have | had | eat | ate |
| make | made | buy | bought |
| take | took | think | thought |
| come | came | write | wrote |
Common mistakes
Did you went to work?After did, the base form: Did you go to work?I didn't saw him.→ I didn't see him.I goed home.Go is irregular: I went home.Yesterday I study for three hours.A finished time needs the past: Yesterday I studied for three hours.
Practice
- We _____ pizza last night.Options: ate · eated · eat
Show the answer
ate — Eat is irregular: eat, ate.
- _____ you see the match on Saturday?Options: Did · Do · Were
Show the answer
Did — A question about a finished time: Did + subject + base form.
- She didn't _____ to the party.Options: come · came · comes
Show the answer
come — After didn't, the base form.
- I _____ (study) for my exam all weekend.
Show the answer
studied — Consonant + y → -ied.
- They _____ (stop) at a café on the way.
Show the answer
stopped — One short vowel + one consonant: double it.
In the app, this lesson is taught one idea at a time with the examples read aloud, then practised with questions you answer by choosing or typing. It comes back for review on later days, until you can use it without help.
More on this topic: Present perfect or past simple? · Talking about the past: English past tenses