Elementary 📐 Grammar · #40 of 305

Past Simple: Regular Verbs

Add -ed to finish actions in the past.

Examples

  • I walked home.
  • She called me.

Key rules

  • Add -ed to the base verb: walk → walked
  • Verbs ending in -e add -d: live → lived
  • Consonant + y becomes -ied: study → studied
  • Short verbs with one vowel + consonant double it: stop → stopped
  • -ed sounds like /t/, /d/ or /id/

Common mistakes

  • I walk home yesterday → I walked home yesterday
  • She studyed → She studied
💡 Tip: Use the past form for finished actions with a time word like yesterday.
Practise this topic in the appPractise Elementary quiz
← Some and AnyPast Simple: Irregular Verbs →

Related Elementary topics

See all Elementary grammar lessons →

Past Simple: Irregular Verbs

Many common verbs have special past forms.

Past Simple: Negatives and Questions

Use did/didn't + base verb.

Was and Were

Past forms of be.

Past Continuous

was/were + -ing for actions in progress in the past.

Past Simple vs Past Continuous

Use continuous for background; simple for interrupting events.

Future with Going To

be going to + verb for plans and evidence-based predictions.