Past Simple

Purpose: The action was finished in the past; the condition is no longer true.

Past simple is mainly used for things that happened in the past, that are finished, that are no longer true.

Active voice:               

• The kids damaged the iPad when they knocked it off the table.
• When I was three years old, I moved to England.

Passive voice:              

• The iPad was damaged when it was knocked off the table.
• The furniture was moved by the painters.

Important pronunciation note:

In general, the “e” in “ed” is silent, unless the word ends in “t” or “d”:

• Started
• Ended

Past simple vs Present perfect

Past simple deals with events that are finished. Present perfect deals with experiences. This is important: don’t use present perfect when mentioning a specific past time.

1. I’ve worked at 3 different companies in this field.

• This refers to experience.

I worked at Omni Mega Group when I was younger.

• This refers to a specific past event that is no longer true.

2. I’ve never dealt with this kind of issue. I’ll have to do some research.

• This refers to lack of experience.

I already dealt with this last week! Why is it broken again?

• This refers to a specific past event.