What is the past tense?
Past tense tells about an action that already happened. It shows that something took place before now.
- Today I walk to school.
- Yesterday I walked to school.
When we talk about the past, we are talking about something that is already finished.
What are regular past tense verbs?
Regular past tense verbs are verbs that end in -ed when they tell about the past.
- play → played
- jump → jumped
- help → helped
If a verb follows the same rule and adds -ed, it is a regular past tense verb.
How to form the regular past tense
To make a regular verb show the past, add -ed to the end of the verb.
- Start with the verb: talk
- Add -ed: talked
- The action already happened
Say the word out loud. If it sounds like it ends in -ed, you are using the past tense.
Regular past tense in sentences
Regular past tense verbs help tell what someone did before now in a complete sentence.
- I cleaned my room.
- She laughed at the joke.
- We watched a movie.
Look for time words like yesterday, last night, or before. These words often tell you a verb should be in the past tense.
Be careful with spelling
Some regular verbs change a little when -ed is added.
- like → liked
- love → loved
- stop → stopped
Even when the spelling changes, these verbs are still regular because they follow a rule.