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A2 · grammar

Past Simple Exercises (A2) — Free

Past simple: affirmative, negative and questions

Use the past simple for finished actions at a finished time in the past (I visited my aunt last weekend). Regular verbs add -ed (work → worked), but watch the spelling: study → studied, stop → stopped. Many common verbs are irregular and have their own past form (go → went, buy → bought). In negatives and questions, use did/didn't + the base form for every subject: She didn't call. Did you enjoy it? A common mistake is to put the verb in the past twice, as in 'I didn't went' or 'Did you saw?' — after did, the verb goes back to its base form. The verb 'be' is different: it uses was/were and doesn't need did (I wasn't at home. Were you tired?).

  1. Last weekend we (visit) our grandparents.

  2. She (study) for her maths test last night.

  3. The bus (stop) right outside my school yesterday.

  4. My brother (buy) a new bike two weeks ago.

  5. I (not/watch) TV yesterday evening.

  6. you (enjoy) the concert on Saturday?

  7. We (be) very tired after the long walk yesterday.

  8. They (not/go) to the beach yesterday because it was raining.

  9. Where you (go) on holiday last summer?

  10. I (not/be) at home when you phoned.

  11. What time the film (start) yesterday?

  12. She (not/know) the answer, so she (ask) the teacher.

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