What is Past Indefinite Tense? Explained in Detail with Examples

The past indefinite tense, also known as the simple past tense, is used to describe an action that occurred in the past and has been completed. It is used to express a single event or action that happened at a specific point in the past.

In English, the past indefinite tense is formed by adding -ed to regular verbs or by using the second form of irregular verbs. 

Verb: 2nd (Only in Simple Sentence)

Helping Verb: Did (Except Simple Sentence)

For example:

 Regular verbs:

1. I walked to the store. (walk + -ed = walked)
2. He worked at the office. (work + -ed = worked)
3. Irregular verbs:
4.  I ate breakfast. (eat - second form of the verb)
5. She went to the park. (go - second form of the verb)

Present Indefinite: What is "Present Indefinite" Tense (englioramaacademy.blogspot.com)

Structure of Past Indefinite:

1) Simple: Subject + 2nd + Object

2) Negative: Subject + helping verb + not + 1st + object

3) Interrogative: Helping verb + Subject + 1st + object

4) Negative Interrogative: Helping verb + Subject + not + 1st + object.

1) The past indefinite tense is often used with time expressions such as "yesterday," "last week," or "in 1999." 

For example:

 

1. I visited my grandparents yesterday. (The action of visiting occurred in the past and has been completed.)
2. She studied for her exams last week. (The action of studying occurred in the past and has been completed.)
3. They got married in 1999. (The action of getting married occurred in the past and has been completed.)

2) In addition to describing past events, the past indefinite tense can also be used to describe past habits or routines. 

For example:

 

1. I always walked to work. (The action of walking to work was a past habit or routine.)
2. He often visited his grandparents on weekends. (The action of visiting his grandparents was a past habit or routine.)

3) It is important to note that the past indefinite tense is used to describe a single past event or action. If you want to describe an ongoing action that took place in the past, you will use the past continuous tense. 

For example:

 

1. I was walking to the store when I saw a cat. (The action of walking was ongoing when the speaker saw the cat.)
2. She was studying for her exams when her phone rang. (The action of studying was ongoing when the phone rang.)

In summary, the past indefinite tense is used to describe a single action or event that occurred in the past and has been completed. It is often used with time expressions such as "yesterday" or "last week," and can also be used to describe past habits or routines.