English grammar · level A2. Leggi la regola e gli esempi, guarda le forme (affermativa, negativa, interrogativa), evita gli errori comuni e poi mettiti alla prova con il quiz.
1 The rule
We use the past simple for finished actions in the past. We often use it with time markers like yesterday, last week or in 2010.
Regular verbs add -ed. Irregular verbs have a special form (go → went).
Regular: verb +
-ed · Irregular: special form · Neg/Question: did + base verb2 Forms
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Subject + verb-ed / irregular form | I worked. She went home. |
| Negative | Subject + didn't + base verb | They didn't work. He didn't go. |
| Question | Did + subject + base verb ? | Did you see it? |
| Spelling / irregulars | stop → stopped, study → studied; go→went, have→had, see→saw | We studied and then we had lunch. |
3 When we use it
Finished actions in the past
- I visited Rome last year.
- She bought a new car.
A sequence of events (a story)
- He woke up, had breakfast and left.
With past time markers
- We met two years ago.
- They arrived yesterday.
4 Common mistakes
✗ I didn't went home.
✓ I didn't go home.
After did/didn't use the base verb.
✗ Did you saw the film?
✓ Did you see the film?
Base verb in questions too.
✗ He goed to school.
✓ He went to school.
“Go” is irregular: went.
In italianoNelle frasi negative e nelle domande si usa did + verbo alla forma base: I didn't go, Did you go? (non «didn't went» né «did you went»).
5 Quiz — check your understanding
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Multiple choice
1 Choose: “Yesterday I ___ to the cinema.”
2 Negative: “She ___ come to the party.”
3 Question: “___ you finish the book?”
4 Regular past: “study” → ___
True or False
5 Regular verbs form the past with -ed.
6 “I didn't went” is correct.
7 After “did” we use the base form of the verb.
Suggerimento: crea 3 frasi tue con questa regola (una affermativa, una negativa, una interrogativa) e dille ad alta voce. Applicare subito la regola è il modo più veloce per fissarla.