Past Simple describes completed actions that started and finished at a specific time in the past. Unlike Present Perfect, Past Simple must always be used with — or clearly imply — a definite point in past time.
Completed in the past, at a specific momentGeçmişte tamamlanmış, belirli bir an
📐 Rule
When Do We Use It?Ne Zaman Kullanılır?
- Completed actions at a specific past time: I visited Paris in 2019.Geçmişte tamamlanmış, belirli bir zamandaki eylemler: I visited Paris in 2019.
- A series of actions in a story: I woke up, had breakfast, and left for work.Geçmişteki bir dizi ardışık eylem: I woke up, had breakfast, and left for work.
- Past habits or situations that are no longer true: I lived in London for two years.Artık geçerli olmayan geçmiş alışkanlık/durumlar: I lived in London for two years.
Affirmative SentencesOlumlu Cümle
- Regular verbs: verb + -ed — worked, played, studied.Düzenli fiiller: fiil + -ed — worked, played, studied.
- Irregular verbs: special forms that must be memorized — went, saw, ate, had.Düzensiz fiiller: ezbere öğrenilmesi gereken özel formlar — went, saw, ate, had.
Negative SentencesOlumsuz Cümle
- didn't + BASE verb, for all subjects: I didn't go. She didn't go.TÜM öznelerde didn't + fiil KÖKÜ: I didn't go. She didn't go.
- The verb never takes -ed here, because 'did' already carries the past tense.Fiil burada asla -ed almaz, çünkü zaman zaten 'did' tarafından taşınır.
QuestionsSoru Cümlesi
- Did + subject + base verb? — Did you call him? (never 'Did you called')Did + özne + fiil KÖKÜ? — Did you call him? ('Did you called' asla değil)
Common Signal WordsSık Kullanılan Zaman Belirteçleri
- yesterday, last week/month/year, in 2020, ago (two days ago), when I was young.yesterday, last week/month/year, in 2020, ago (two days ago), when I was young.
✏️ Examples
- I visited my grandmother last weekend.Geçen hafta sonu büyükannemi ziyaret ettim.
- She went to Paris in 2019.2019'da Paris'e gitti.
- We didn't watch the game.Maçı izlemedik.
- Did you call him yesterday?Dün onu aradın mı?
- They arrived two hours ago.İki saat önce vardılar.
⚠️ Common Mistakes
- ✗ I goed to school.✓ I went to school.
- ✗ Did you called him?✓ Did you call him?
📖 Reading Passage
~1 min readMy Trip to Italy
Last summer, my family and I traveled to Italy for two weeks. We landed in Rome and immediately visited the famous Colosseum. It was much bigger than I expected.
After three days in Rome, we took a train to Florence. We walked through narrow streets and ate delicious pasta every evening. My sister bought a beautiful leather bag there.
On our last day, we visited Venice and rode a boat through the canals. We didn't want to leave, but we promised ourselves that we would return again someday.
Geçen yaz, ailemle iki hafta boyunca İtalya'ya seyahat ettik. Roma'ya indik ve hemen ünlü Kolezyum'u ziyaret ettik. Beklediğimden çok daha büyüktü.
Roma'da üç günden sonra, Floransa'ya tren ile gittik. Dar sokaklarda yürüdük ve her akşam lezzetli makarna yedik. Kız kardeşim orada güzel bir deri çanta satın aldı.
Son günümüzde, Venedik'i ziyaret ettik ve kanallarda bir teknede gezdik. Ayrılmak istemedik ama bir gün tekrar döneceğimize kendimize söz verdik.
🧠 Test Yourself
📝 Mini Quiz
0/51. She ___ to Spain last year.
2. ___ you see that movie?
3. They ___ finish their homework.
4. We ___ (have) a great time at the party.
5. ___ she call you last night?
🔖 Summary — Quick Recap
- Completed action at a specific past time: I visited Paris in 2019.Geçmişte belirli bir zamanda tamamlanmış eylem: I visited Paris in 2019.
- Negative/question: didn't/Did + base verb (verb never takes -ed here).Olumsuz/soru: didn't/Did + fiil kökü (fiil burada asla -ed almaz).
- Signal words: yesterday, last week, in 2020, ago.Zaman belirteçleri: yesterday, last week, in 2020, ago.