Grammar: A2 - ⚙️ Verbs in Depth: ⏳ Past & Future Tenses (Basics) - Lesson 2: Past Simple with regular verbs (-ed endings) - Affirmative, Negative, Question

Grammar: Past Simple (Regular Verbs)

A2 Lesson 18: Talking About the Past with '-ed'

What you will learn: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to form positive statements, negative statements, and questions using regular past simple verbs.

Forming the Past Simple

To talk about finished actions in the past with most English verbs, we use the Past Simple. For regular verbs, this is easy: you just add -ed to the end of the verb. This rule is the same for all subjects (I, you, he, she, we, they).

The Grammar Rule 📖

How to Form the Past Simple

Form	Structure	Example
Positive (+)	Subject + Verb-ed	I visited the temples last week.
Negative (-)	Subject + didn't + Verb	They didn't watch the show.
Question (?)	Did + Subject + Verb?	Did she play football?

The most important rule: When you use the helping verb did or didn't, the main verb always goes back to its original base form. (e.g., "She didn't visit," NOT "She didn't visited.")

Spelling Rules for '-ed'

• For most verbs, just add -ed. (Example: work → worked)
• For verbs ending in -e, just add -d. (Example: live → lived)
• For verbs ending in [consonant] + y, change 'y' to -ied. (Example: study → studied)
• For one-syllable C-V-C verbs, double the final consonant. (Example: stop → stopped)

In Conversation

Let's see how the past simple is used in a conversation about a trip to Siem Reap.

Dara: Hello, Sophea! I called you yesterday, but you didn't answer.

Sophea: Hi, Dara! Sorry, I visited my family in the countryside. I didn't have my phone.

Dara: No problem! Did you enjoy the trip?

Sophea: Yes, I did! We cooked a big meal together.

Practice Your Grammar 🎯

Exercise: Create the Correct Form

Use the verb in parentheses ( ) to complete the sentence in the correct past simple form.

1. I ______ the temples yesterday. (visit)
   → visited
2. He ______ his homework last night. (not / finish)
   → didn't finish
3. ______ you ______ the food? (like)
   → Did you like
4. They ______ at a nice hotel near the river. (stay)
   → stayed
5. We ______ very hard last week. (work)
   → worked

Your Grammar Mission ⭐

What Did You Do Yesterday?

Write three sentences about your day yesterday. Use at least one positive sentence and one negative sentence.

Example: I played football with my friends. I didn't watch TV. I listened to music.

Key Vocabulary

• Regular Verb (Noun) | កិរិយាស័ព្ទធម្មតា
  A verb that forms its past tense by adding '-ed'.
• Base Form (Noun) | ទម្រង់ដើម
  The simplest form of a verb, with no endings like '-s' or '-ed'.