35 Past Simple Tense Examples (Read This First)

There are many forms of tenses in English, one of which is the “Past Simple Tense”. Let us take a look into this topic with the help of some past simple tense examples.

Some examples of past simple tense are-

1. We baked some banana bread together this morning.
2. The team played hockey yesterday.
3. The horses galloped across the filed last week.
4. The kids ran outside their classrooms after the bell rang.
5. The couple walked along the lake together.
6. My friend and I talked for hours on the phone today.
7. We made our own hats for a school project.
8. We ate a lot at the breakfast buffet this morning.
9. I drank a whole mug of coffee yesterday.
10. The toddlers jumped on the trampoline.
11. They started the game without us.
12. He rated the film four out of five stars.
13. We stayed at a hotel for the night.
14. We saw a lion during our jungle safari.
15. She thought her boss was going to fire her.
16. The family heard a faint cry of an animal.
17. Our family laughed till three in the morning.
18. The baby smiled upon seeing her mother.
19. The little kid frowned since he didn’t get any ice-cream.
20. The students cried for help on their assignments.
21. They dipped their feet into the water.
22. He immersed himself into the new video game.
23. I washed the dished from two days ago.
24. He informed us about the new tasks.
25. We edited the final draft two months ago.

Past Simple Tense describes the events of the past. The above written sentences consist of past simple tense examples that structure-wise pan out in different forms. Now let us explore some more facts about it.

Past simple tense structure

Let us discuss the structure of past simple tense below.

base verb + ‘-ed’/’-d’

However, there are some words wherein the base verb does not change even in the past form. In some other cases, the base verb changes to something completely else in the simple past form.

26.     Example- She hurt his foot and went to her car like it was nothing.

In the above given example, the words ‘hurt’ and ‘went’ are past simple tense examples. As one can see, the verb ‘hurt’ is also the base verb and does not change in its past form. The verb ‘went’ is acquired from the base verb ‘go’ which is an example of the past form being completely different from the base form.

What is past simple tense?

Let us explore the definition of past simple tense.

Past simple tense is a tense form of a verb that describes the events or actions of the past. The actions and events being described by this tense are absolute in nature, that is, they have completely taken place in the past.

27.     Example- She read about five books in the past three days.

In the above written statement, the word ‘read’ is a past simple tense example. As one can see, the verb ‘read’ is also the base verb and does not change in its past form.

Where to use past simple tense?

Let us discuss where all the past simple tense can be used.

Past simple tense can be used in speech or writing wherein the person giving out information wants to refer to an event or action that took place in the past.

There is not many other ways that this particular tense can be used in.

28.     Example- Her daughter just finished her homework.

In this written statement, the word ‘finished’ is a past simple tense example. The past verb form ‘finished’ is derived from the base verb ‘finish’. Hence, this is a classic example of the ‘-ed’/’-d’ addition to the past form of a base verb.

When to use past simple tense?

Let us explore the times that this particular tense can be used.

Past simple tense can be used when the need arises to describe something that happened and got over in the past itself. It can be used when a writer has set their story in the past or when a speaker is describing certain events from the past and so on.

29.     Example- The two teens danced till their feet hurt.

In the above-mentioned sentence, the word ‘danced’ is a past simple tense example. The past verb form ‘danced’ is derived from the base verb ‘dance’. Hence, this is a classic example of the ‘-ed’/’-d’ addition to the past form of a base verb.

Why to use past simple tense?

Let us look into reasons to use past simple tense.

Past simple tense can be used as it is helpful to a speaker or writer to indicate something’s or someone’s action that in its entirety took place in the past. There are not many detailed reasons for past simple tense to be used except for the fact that it provides a more accurate timing of certain events that have already taken place.

30.     Example- The choir sang a song of their choice at the wedding.

In the written statement, the word ‘sang’ is a past simple tense example. The verb ‘sang’ is acquired from the base verb ‘sing’ which is an example of the past form being appropriately tweaked from the base form.

How to use past simple tense?

Let us dive deeper into how one can use this particular tense.

Past simple tense can be used more often than not in reference to the subjects actions, specifically past actions by appropriately turning the base verb into its ‘past’ version.

Let us look at a few more past simple tense examples below.