Past simple negative and questions (all verbs)
For negatives and questions in the past simple tense, we use the auxiliary verb did — the past of "do".
Compare:
I don't like tomatoes. → I didn't like tomatoes.
Do you live in London? → Did you live in London?
did + not = didn't
In the negative sentences, we normally use the short word "didn't" instead of "did not".
If there is an auxiliary verb, it takes over the indication of the tense. The main verb comes in its infinitive form. In the negative and question sentences in the past simple, "did" takes over the tense, exactly like "does" in the present simple.
How to make negatives and questions in the past simple
Negative: subject + didn't + infinitive
Question: (question word) + did + subject + infinitive
| Infinitive | Past simple positive | |
|---|---|---|
| look | I you she he it we they |
looked |
| want | wanted | |
| go | went | |
| buy | bought | |
| do | did | |
| Past simple negative | ||
|---|---|---|
| I you she he it we they |
didn't (did not) |
look |
| want | ||
| go | ||
| buy | ||
| do | ||
| Past simple question | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Why What Where When ... |
did | I you she he it we they |
look? |
| want? | |||
| go? | |||
| buy? | |||
| do? | |||
Examples
I didn't go to the cinema last night.
Olivia didn't buy new clothes last month.
Did you like the film yesterday?
What did he do five years ago?
Short answers
You can give a short answer to a "yes/no" question in the past simple: "Yes, I did" or "No, I didn't".
Examples
A: Did you call me yesterday afternoon? B: Yes, I did.
A: Did Alex sell his car last month? B: No, he didn't.
A: Did you see Pete yesterday? B: No, we didn't.
A: Did the students get good test scores? B: Yes, they did.