.: Simple Past/Past Simple - Brief version:.

Use

1) action finished in the past

I visited Berlin last week.

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2) series of completed actions in the past

First I got up, then I had breakfast

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3) together with the Past Progressive/Continuous - The Simple Past interrupted an action which was in progress in the past.

They were playing cards when the telephone rang.

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Signal words

yesterday, last week, a month ago, in 2002

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Form

- with regular verbs: infinitive + -ed
- with irregular verbs: 2nd column of the table of the irregular verbs

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Examples

Affirmative sentences:

regular verbs	irregular verbs
I played football.	I went to the cinema.
We visited Alaska last year.	We were in Rome yesterday.

Negative sentences:

You must not negate a full verb in English. Always use the auxiliary did (Simple Past of to do) for negations.

I		played	football.
I	didn't	play	football.
He	didn't	play	football.

Questions:

Use the auxiliary did (Simple Past of to do).
Did you play football?