Simple Past Tense

We use the past simple for an action in the past.

The shop opened last week.

I bought some gloves yesterday.

The earthquake happened in 1905.

I slept badly.

When did the first Winter Olympics take place?

The time of the action (last week) is over.

The past is the normal tense in stories.

Once upon a time a Princess went into a wood and sat down by a stream.

Some typical time expressions with the past simple are yesterday, this morning/

evening, last week/year, a week/month ago, that day/afternoon, the other day/week, at eleven o'clock, on Tuesday, in 1990, just, recently, once, earlier, then, next, after that.

Some of these are also used with the present perfect. • (5)

NOTE

a With the past simple we often say when the action happened.

/ bought some gloves yesterday.

I went in the shop yesterday.

It's really good.

I bought some gloves.

It is clear from the context that the action bought happened yesterday.

Sometimes there is no phrase of time, but we understand a definite time in the past.

I didn't eat any breakfast.

My sister took this photo.

b A phrase with ago means a finished time. It does not include the present, even though we measure it from the present.

Compare these sentences.

I saw that film on Wednesday/two days ago.

I've seen that film.

b We can also use the past simple for repeated actions.

We went to Austria a few times.

The children always played in the garden.

We can also use the past simple for states.

I was younger then. The Romans had a huge Empire.

We stayed on the Riviera for several weeks.

NOTE

a There are other ways of expressing repeated actions in the past. • 100

We used to go to Austria.

The children would always play in the garden.

b For the past tense in a tentative request, e.g. /

wanted to ask you something, •61(1) Note.

For the past tense expressing something unreal, e.g.

I wish I had more money, • 241(3).

For the past tense expressing a possible future action, e.g.

If I told you, you'd laugh, • 257(4c)