Why Do Learners Make These Mistakes?
The simple past tense is tricky because English has two types of verbs: regular and irregular. Regular verbs follow a pattern (add -ed), but irregular verbs change completely. Many learners forget the -ed ending or try to make irregular verbs regular. Don't worry—these mistakes are very common, and practice helps!
Common Mistakes and Corrections
1. Missing -ed ending (regular verbs)
| Example | Sentence |
|---|---|
| Wrong | She work until midnight last Friday. |
| Correct | She worked until midnight last Friday. |
Why: Regular verbs form the simple past by adding -ed to the base form. "Work" is a regular verb, so the past tense is "worked".
| Example | Sentence |
|---|---|
| Wrong | They watch a film together yesterday evening. |
| Correct | They watched a film together yesterday evening. |
Why: "Watch" is regular. Add -ed to form the past tense. The time marker "yesterday evening" confirms we need simple past.
| Example | Sentence |
|---|---|
| Wrong | He walk to school when he was young. |
| Correct | He walked to school when he was young. |
Why: The phrase "when he was young" places the action firmly in the past. Regular verb "walk" → walked.
2. Adding -ed to an irregular verb
| Example | Sentence |
|---|---|
| Wrong | I buyed a new laptop last week. |
| Correct | I bought a new laptop last week. |
Why: "Buy" is an irregular verb. Its past form is bought, not "buyed". Irregular verbs must be memorised — they do not follow the -ed rule.
| Example | Sentence |
|---|---|
| Wrong | She taked the bus to the airport. |
| Correct | She took the bus to the airport. |
Why: "Take" is irregular. The correct past tense is took. Learners often mistakenly apply the regular -ed rule to irregular verbs.
| Example | Sentence |
|---|---|
| Wrong | The children goed to the zoo on Saturday. |
| Correct | The children went to the zoo on Saturday. |
Why: "Go" has the highly irregular past form went. This is one of the most common errors for learners at all levels.
3. Using base form instead of past form
| Example | Sentence |
|---|---|
| Wrong | We see a great concert last night. |
| Correct | We saw a great concert last night. |
Why: "Last night" signals a completed past event, so the verb must be in simple past. The past form of "see" is saw, not the base form "see".
| Example | Sentence |
|---|---|
| Wrong | My brother write a letter to his teacher two days ago. |
| Correct | My brother wrote a letter to his teacher two days ago. |
Why: "Two days ago" is a past time expression. "Write" is irregular; its past form is wrote. Never use the base form for a completed past action.
4. Negatives and questions — using past form instead of base form after did
| Example | Sentence |
|---|---|
| Wrong | She didn't went to the party. |
| Correct | She didn't go to the party. |
Why: In negative sentences, did/didn't already carries the past tense. The main verb must stay in the base form — never use a past form after "didn't".
| Example | Sentence |
|---|---|
| Wrong | Did you saw the news this morning? |
| Correct | Did you see the news this morning? |
Why: In questions formed with did, the main verb always returns to the base form. "Did" signals the past tense — using "saw" here is a double-marking error.
| Example | Sentence |
|---|
Examples
I walked to school this morning.
Regular verb · Past action completed
She wrote an email yesterday.
Irregular verb · Simple past form
We didn't play football last Sunday.
Negative past · Base verb after 'did'
Did you eat breakfast?
Question form · Base verb with 'did'
Signal words
yesterday
last week
last month
last year
ago
in 2020
last Sunday
on Monday
Common Mistakes
✕
Wrong
I go to the store yesterday.
✓
Correct
I went to the store yesterday.
Use simple past form 'went', not present 'go'. Time word 'yesterday' shows past action.
✕
Wrong
She buyed a new book last week.
✓
Correct
She bought a new book last week.
'Buy' is irregular. The past form is 'bought', not 'buyed'. Never add -ed to irregular verbs.
✕
Wrong
He didn't went to school.
✓
Correct
He didn't go to school.
With 'did', use the base verb form 'go', not the past form 'went'.
✕
Wrong
They eated dinner at 7 o'clock.
✓
Correct
They ate dinner at 7 o'clock.
'Eat' is irregular. Past form is 'ate', not 'eated'.
✕
Wrong
Did you went to the park?
✓
Correct
Did you go to the park?
In questions with 'did', use base form 'go', not past form 'went'.
✕
Wrong
I see him yesterday.
✓
Correct
I saw him yesterday.
'See' is irregular. Use 'saw' for past, not present form 'see'.
✕
Wrong
She doesn't came to the party.
✓
Correct
She didn't come to the party.
Use 'didn't' + base verb 'come', not 'doesn't' + past form.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
What to Remember
- Regular verbs form the simple past by adding -ed to the base verb form.
- Irregular verbs do not follow the -ed pattern and must be memorized individually.
- Do not add -ed to irregular verbs; they change completely in the past tense.
- Use the simple past tense to describe completed actions that happened at a specific time.
- Always check if a verb is regular or irregular before forming the simple past.