Past Tense

The past tense is one of the three main verb forms in the English language, alongside the present tense and the future tense.

What is the past tense?

The main functions of the past tense are: to express that an action / state of being happened in the past ( ' Ava went to the farm ') , to talk about habitual actions / events in the past that were repeated or occurred regularly (' we used to go to Wales all the time ') , to refer to the present ( ' I wish I had a dog ') or to refer to the future ( ' Imagine if we moved to Italy ').

The past tense has other uses such as talking about hypotheses / imagining something (' What if you fell ? ' ) or to be polite (' I was wondering if you could send me the file ').

Let's explore the past tense in more detail. We will also learn about the different types of past tense and look at plenty of examples along the way!

Examples of past tense

Here are some examples of the past tense in context:

Types of past tense

Let's explore the different types of the past tense a little further.

Each of the three main tenses (past, present, and future) is divided into four aspects. An aspect is a verb form concerned with time and indicates the completion , duration , or repetition of an action.

The four aspects are: simple, progressive (sometimes called 'continuous'), perfect, and perfect progressive (continuous).

Past simple tense

The past (simple) tense is the most common past form in the English language. It is used to talk about a completed action or event that started and ended in the past . In other words, the past simple tense describes a completed action in the past.

Notice how each of these examples contains a finished action / event that took place in the past (' traveled ', 'danced ' ) . We may also reference the specific point of time / frequency of the verb ( 'often', 'all night long ').

Things are a bit more tricky with irregular verbs such as 'run → ran' and 'be → was / were / been' which don't follow the same inflection rule. We just have to memorise the spellings for these irregular verbs. Here are some more examples of irregular past tense verbs.

Other ways to form the past simple tense include the following:

Past progressive (continuous) tense

The past progressive tense (also known as the past continuous) is used to describe an ongoing action or event in the past.

The past continuous can be used to 'set the scene' for another event and is often used to describe an action that was interrupted by another action. Like this:

You can use this formula to make the past perfect tense:

Notice how each sentence uses the past participle verb form (or verb type 3). In the example sentences, the part participle verbs are slept , taken , and gone . We always use past participles when forming perfect tenses.

We often use the past perfect to talk about an action / event that was completed before a second action / event occurred. Take a look at these examples:

Notice how each example includes two actions / events which are both in the past, one after the other.

Other ways of forming the past perfect include the following:

Past perfect progressive (continuous) tense

The past perfect progressive (continuous) tense describes an action that started in the past and continued into another time in the past. A past perfect progressive sentence is formed by using the auxiliary verbs had and been together with the main verb + -ing eg 'walking' . For example, 'I had been walking'.

We can form the past perfect progressive (continuous) tense by using this formula:

Check out these examples:

Like the past perfect, the past perfect progressive can also be used to 'set the scene' for another past action.

Other ways to form the past perfect progressive (continuous) tense include:

Past tense revision sheet

Uses of past tense

Literature

The past tense is the most commonly used tense in literature.

In fiction, writers use the past tense to show events that have already happened, even if the characters feel like it's happening in the present. A writer might also use the past tense in a flashback, as the tense places the events in the past. In nonfiction, writers are able to state facts and describe events that have already happened in the past.

Referring to the present or future

The past tense can be used to refer to the present or future in particular situations including:

• To express urgency eg. 'The train is here soon. It's time we left '.
• To talk about plans eg. 'I was thinking of booking a flight to Barbados for my birthday' . Here, the past continuous expresses uncertainty about plans (although it does sound like a good plan to us!).
• To be polite eg. 'I was wondering if you could send me the documents' or 'I was hoping that you'd come this weekend' . Here, the past continuous sounds more polite than the simple present 'I hope you come this weekend' as it is less direct. The past simple can be used in a similar way eg. 'Did you want to come the theater?'.
• To express possibility / wishes / hypothesise - eg. 'Suppose someone called me tomorrow', 'I wish I had a bigger TV', or 'What if you missed the train?'.