Past Simple — Explained

The Past Simple is the most basic past tense in English. It describes completed actions or states that happened at a specific time in the past. You use it constantly when telling stories, describing events, or talking about your experience.

When to Use the Past Simple

• Use it for actions that started and finished at a definite time in the past: I visited Paris last summer. She finished her homework yesterday.
• Use it for a series of completed actions in the past: I woke up, drank coffee, and went to work.
• Use it for past states or situations that are now finished: He lived in London for ten years. The weather was cold all winter.
• Use it for repeated past habits: I played tennis every weekend when I was younger.
• Use it for past facts or historical events: The First World War ended in 1918. Shakespeare died in 1616.