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With most verbs the past tense is formed by adding -ed:
Verb | Past tense |
| Call | Called |
| Want | Wanted |
| Like | Liked |
Exceptions in spelling when adding -ed:
| After a final -e only add -d: | love – loved |
| Final consonant after a short, stressed vowel or -l as a final consonant after a vowel is doubled: | admit – admitted travel – travelled |
| -y after a consonant becomes -i | hurry – hurried |
But there are a lot of irregular past tenses in English. Here are some examples of irregular verbs in English, with their past tenses:
Infinitive | Irregular past |
| be | was/were |
| break | broke |
| bring | brought |
| buy | bought |
| choose | chose |
| cost | cost |
| go | went |
| have | had |
The verb 'to be' is irregular in the past simple. There are two simple past forms: 'was' and 'were'. It also has different question forms and negative forms. Always remember that you do not use 'did' with the verb 'to be' in the simple past.
Positive | Negative | Question |
| I was. | I was not. (I wasn't.) | Was I? |
| You were. | You were not. (You weren't.) | Were you? |
| We were. | We were not. (We weren't.) | Were we? |
| They were. | They were not. (They weren't.) | Were they? |
| He was. | He was not. (He wasn't.) | Was he? |
| She was. | She was not. (She wasn't.) | Was she? |
| It was. | It was not. (It wasn't.) | Was it? |
Modal verbs
'Must' becomes 'had to':
I must call my wife now. I had to call my wife yesterday.
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