English Grammar
Past Tenses
English past tenses do different jobs — past simple narrates completed events, past continuous sets the scene, and past perfect reaches back before another past moment.
Textbook Past Tenses
The standard forms taught in English courses worldwide — illustrated with real clips from native speakers, not invented examples.
Past Simple
Subject + past verb (regular: -ed / irregular: went, saw, said…)
The backbone of storytelling in English. Used for completed actions at a specific time in the past — the tense you'll hear most in everyday conversation and narrative.
Past Continuous
Subject + was/were + verb-ing
Used for actions that were in progress at a specific past moment, or as a background for another event. Often pairs with past simple: "I was cooking when she called."
Past Perfect
Subject + had + past participle
Used to show that one past action happened before another. "She had already left when I arrived." Essential for clear sequencing in stories and explanations.