Past simple: finished past events

Approximate A1–A2 · editorial content label, not a certified rating.

Use the past simple to place an event in a finished past time. Regular verbs often add ed; irregular verbs need their own forms. Questions and negatives use did plus the base verb. Past be uses was or were without did.

Try the three exercise formats

Examples to compare

  • We visited the museum last Saturday.
  • Did you buy the ticket?
  • They were tired after work.

Watch the meaning and the limits

A date such as last Saturday makes the finished time clear. Did carries the past marking, so write Did you buy it? rather than Did you bought it? Regular ed spelling does not guarantee an extra spoken syllable.

Read each example aloud, then change one detail to make a sentence you could use. Continue with focused practice when you want a different set.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

Mistake: I did not went.

Use: I did not go.

Did not takes the base form go; did already marks the past.

Try the pattern

3 choose questions · 2 sentence completions · 2 word gaps. Read the reason after every answer. No timer.

Typed answers stay on this page. This guided set checks the requested construction; it does not judge general writing. Read the accepted answers and reasons.

Use it in your own sentence

Write one sentence about your own routine or situation. Check the subject, verb form and intended meaning against the rule above. A different sentence may need a different form: these exercises accept the reviewed answers for their stated context.

Try the next practice set, or choose another grammar point.

All drill answers and reasons

  1. We ___ the museum last Saturday.

    Choices: visited / visit / have visited

    Accepted: visited

    Last Saturday is a finished past time.

  2. Did you ___ the ticket?

    Choices: buy / bought / buying

    Accepted: buy

    Did is followed by the base form buy.

  3. They ___ not at home yesterday.

    Choices: were / did / are

    Accepted: were

    Past be with they is were.

  4. Complete the past-simple negative of go: We ___ yesterday.

    Accepted: did not go / didn’t go

    Use did not plus go, not went, in this negative.

  5. Complete the past-simple question: ___ the ticket yesterday? (you; buy)

    Accepted: Did you buy

    Use did before you and base-form buy.

  6. She ___ the rule yesterday. Use the past simple of learn.

    Accepted: learned / learnt

    Learned and learnt are both standard past forms; learnt is especially common in British English.

  7. They ___ home at nine last night. Use the past simple of come.

    Accepted: came

    Come has the irregular past form came.

Practice questions

How do the three exercise formats work?

Choose asks you to pick an answer. Complete the sentence asks you to type the missing phrase. Fill in the word asks for one word, or no article where stated. Every checked answer includes a reason.

Which typed answers are accepted?

Use the form and meaning requested in the prompt. Reviewed alternatives and contractions are accepted where they fit. Capital letters, surrounding spaces, straight or curly apostrophes and a final full stop, question mark or exclamation mark do not affect marking. The answer reference lists the accepted forms.

Are my typed answers sent or saved?

Typed answers stay on this page in your browser. They are not sent to the server or saved. If device progress is available, completing a set records only the activity and study points on this device.

Can this check my own writing or certify my level?

No. This is a small guided set with reviewed answers, not a general grammar checker or a level certificate. An unlisted answer does not mean it is always wrong in English. Read the prompt and the explanation for this construction.

Further reference: Cambridge English Grammar Today. The explanations, examples and exercises here are original; each lesson covers a useful pattern rather than every exception.