Grammar basics
Past simple
Use the past simple for actions that started and finished in the past. You often say when they happened.
Structure
| Sentence | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | Subject + V2 | I fixed the bug yesterday. |
| Negative | Subject + did + not + V1 | I didn't fix the bug. |
| Question | Did + subject + V1? | Did you fix the bug? |
Regular verbs add -ed: work → worked. Irregular verbs have their own V2: go → went, write → wrote, eat → ate.
After did, use V1
did already shows the past, so the main verb goes back to V1: Did you go?, not Did you went?
When to use
A finished action at a time in the past
I started learning English in 2023.
A list of actions, one after another
I woke up, made coffee and opened my laptop.
Past habits
When I was a child, I played football every evening.
Thai speakers, change the verb
In Thai, เมื่อวาน shows the past, and the verb stays the same. In English, the verb changes too: I went to work yesterday, not I go to work yesterday.
Time words
These words often go with the past simple.
Yesterday
The day before today.
I finished my blog post yesterday.
Ago
Before now. It goes after a length of time: two days ago.
I moved to Bangkok five years ago.
Last week
The week before this week. You can also say last month and last year.
I deployed my first website last week.