📖 Lesson 1.2: Past Simple — Regular Verbs (-ed)

One Ending for Everyone

Here is the good news. The past simple is easier than the present. Regular verbs use the same form for every person. No extra -s for he/she/it. No changes at all. You learn one past form and it works for everyone.

Look at that past column: worked, worked, worked — the same word every time. Say it out loud. It's easy:

⚠️ Important Note: This lesson is about affirmative (positive) sentences only — the plain "I worked" form. To make negatives and questions, English uses a helper: didn't and Did…? (for example, "I didn't work" / "Did you work?"). That is the next lesson (1.3), so don't worry about it yet — just enjoy the -ed.

Spelling Rules for -ed

Adding -ed is usually easy, but four small spelling rules cover every case. Here they all are in one table:

The Three Sounds of -ed

This is the most important part of the lesson. It surprises many learners. We spell the -ed ending the same way, but we say it three different ways. The sound you use depends on the sound just before the -ed.

A quick way to feel the difference: put your hand on your throat. Voiced sounds (like the end of play, live, call) make your throat buzz, so the ending buzzes too → /d/. Voiceless sounds (like the end of work, watch, like) have no buzz, so the ending is a soft /t/.

graph TD
    A["Verb + ed"] --> B{"Ends in a t or d sound?"}
    B -->|Yes| C["/ɪd/ = extra syllable (wanted)"]
    B -->|No| D{"Voiceless sound before?"}
    D -->|"Yes (k, p, s, ch...)"| E["/t/ (worked)"]
    D -->|"No (voiced)"| F["/d/ (played)"]
                

Regular Verb Wordlist

Here are sixteen useful regular verbs in their past form. These are everyday words. You'll use them to describe your own days. Say each one out loud and notice which of the three endings it takes.

• worked /t/
• played /d/
• watched /t/
• studied /d/
• cooked /t/
• cleaned /d/
• walked /t/
• talked /t/
• listened /d/
• arrived /d/
• started /ɪd/
• finished /t/
• wanted /ɪd/
• visited /ɪd/
• stayed /d/
• called /d/

Take a few of these and make sentences with a partner or in class. Here are some phrases to help you start:

Using It: Talk About a Past Day

Regular verbs are great for telling the story of a day. Put a few together with time words, and you have a little story. Here is one about yesterday:

Now listen to two people using regular past verbs in a natural conversation:

🔊 Hear It & Repeat — Model Sentences

Listen to each model sentence, then say it back. Use the 🎧 Audio control (bottom-right) to choose a UK or US voice and slow the speed down. These sentences use regular past simple verbs that end in -ed.

Practice & Project

Tips & Common Mistakes

✅ Do's

• Use the same -ed form for every person — no extra -s for he/she/it.
• Check the spelling first, then the sound — they're two separate steps.
• Only add the /ɪd/ syllable after a t or d sound (wanted, needed, visited).

❌ Common Mistakes

📓 Learning Journal

📝 Lesson Summary

🎉 What You've Accomplished

You can now put thousands of action verbs into the past — and you know how to say them too. Telling someone what you did yesterday is one of the most common things we do in conversation, and you can do it now. That's real, everyday English. 🎉

❓ Common Questions at This Stage

🔭 Looking Ahead

Now that positive regular verbs feel easy, Lesson 1.3 adds two things: the very common irregular verbs (went, saw, had, made…) and how to make past negatives and questions with didn't and Did…? — the parts we saved for later.

✅ Before the Next Lesson

• Say six true sentences about yesterday using regular past verbs.
• Practice the three -ed sounds out loud: worked, played, wanted.
• Write your Learning Journal entry for this lesson.