7 situations where the simple past tense is used

Besides talking about things that have finished, in English, the simple past tense is also used when we want something.

The simple past tense is used in 7 situations:

1. A single event that occurred and ended at a specific point in time:

We went to Hoi An three years ago.

The light bulb was invented in 1879.

2. A habit or action that was repeated in the past and is no longer practiced:

Before our son moved away to study, he often helped us look after our store.

The President always stayed up late to read books when he was young.

3. A fact, a truth from the past:

Early bicycles had wooden wheels.

4. Events that happened in quick succession in the past (possibly within a story):

He opened the door, took off his shoes, and threw the car keys on the table.

5. An event that took place a long time ago but has now ended:

He worked as a librarian for a few years.

Obama was the president of the United States for two consecutive terms.

6. Used in conditional sentences to talk about something that is not true in the present:

What would the world be like if we didn't have the Internet?

7. Used to express wishes, usually placed after:

Wish (to express a wish): I wish I had more money.

It's time (to talk about something that needs to be done now): It's time the government took action to solve this problem.

Would rather (to express a current wish): I would rather my father didn't smoke so much when he's at home (I wish my father smoked less when he was at home).

Khanh Linh

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