Past indefinite tense exercises: 120+ questions with answers

The past indefinite tense, also commonly known as the simple past tense, is used to describe actions and events that started and finished in the past. In this article, you will find past indefinite tense exercises to help you strengthen your understanding of the tense more accurately. 

Review of past simple tense

The past indefinite tense, also known as the simple past tense, is commonly used to describe completed actions or situations in the past. It often appears with time expressions such as yesterday, last week, two days ago, and in + [exact time].

Past indefinite tense formula

Basic past indefinite exercises with answers

These past indefinite tense exercises in English cover the essential forms of the simple past tense, including affirmative and negative sentences, questions, sentence matching, and word order.

Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks

Complete each sentence with the correct simple past form of the verb in parentheses.

1. Emma _____ (visit) her grandparents last weekend.
2. We _____ (watch) a documentary yesterday evening.
3. He _____ (buy) a new laptop two days ago.
4. They _____ (go) to the beach last Sunday.
5. I _____ (finish) my assignment before dinner.
6. Sarah _____ (meet) her new manager yesterday.
7. My brother _____ (take) the bus to school this morning.
8. The students _____ (write) an English test last Friday.
9. Tom _____ (make) breakfast for his family yesterday.
10. We _____ (see) a beautiful rainbow after the rain.

Exercise 2: Choose the correct answer

Choose the correct option to complete each sentence.

1. Lisa _____ her room yesterday.
A. cleans
B. cleaned
C. cleaning
D. clean

2. We _____ dinner at a restaurant last night.
A. have
B. had
C. has
D. having

3. Mark _____ to work because his car broke down.
A. walks
B. walking
C. walked
D. walk

4. They _____ the football match last Saturday.
A. won
B. win
C. winning
D. wins

5. I _____ my keys on the kitchen table this morning.
A. leave
B. leaves
C. left
D. leaving

6. The movie _____ at 7 p.m. and ended at 9 p.m.
A. begins
B. began
C. beginning
D. begin

7. Anna _____ a letter to her friend last week.
A. sent
B. sends
C. sending
D. send

8. My parents _____ home late last night.
A. come
B. comes
C. came
D. coming

9. The weather _____ cold yesterday.
A. is
B. were
C. was
D. be

10. We _____ our teacher at the bookstore yesterday.
A. meet
B. met
C. meeting
D. meets

Exercise 3: Make negative sentences

Rewrite each sentence in the negative form of the simple past tense.

1. She called her friend yesterday.
2. They visited the museum last weekend.
3. He bought a new phone last month.
4. We watched the news last night.
5. Peter finished the report on Monday.
6. I saw James at the station.
7. The children played outside yesterday.
8. Anna went to the library after school.
9. My father cooked dinner last night.
10. The team won the final match.

Exercise 4: Make questions

Rewrite each statement as a yes/no question in the simple past tense.

1. She visited her aunt last weekend.
2. They played basketball yesterday.
3. David bought a new bicycle.
4. You finished the assignment on time.
5. The children watched a cartoon.
6. He went to the doctor yesterday.
7. Mary sent the email this morning.
8. The students passed the exam.
9. Your brother made dinner last night.
10. They were at the meeting yesterday.

Exercise 5: Match the sentences with the correct answers

Match each question in Column A with the most suitable answer in Column B.

Exercise 6: Rewrite the sentences

Rewrite each sentence according to the instruction in parentheses.

1. She visits her grandmother every Sunday. (Change to the simple past.)
2. They did not attend the meeting. (Change to the affirmative.)
3. Did he write the report? (Change to the affirmative.)
4. I am tired after the trip. (Change to the simple past.)
5. We go to the beach every summer. (Change to the simple past.)
6. He bought a new watch. (Change to the negative.)
7. They were happy with the results. (Change to the negative.)
8. Sarah studies English every evening. (Change to the simple past.)
9. Did you see the announcement? (Change to the negative statement.)
10. The bus arrives at 7 a.m. (Change to the simple past.)

Exercise 7: Put the words in the correct order

Rearrange the words to form grammatically correct sentences or questions.

1. yesterday / visited / we / the art gallery
2. did / what / buy / you / at the store
3. not / he / the email / send / did
4. last night / watched / they / a comedy
5. did / why / leave / she / early
6. was / the weather / yesterday / pleasant
7. the match / our team / won / last Sunday
8. where / stay / did / you / during the trip
9. did / not / the students / understand / the question
10. at 9 p.m. / home / they / were / last night

Exercise 8: Choose the correct verb form

Choose the correct verb form to complete each sentence.

1. She _____ (go / went / gone) to the dentist yesterday.
2. We _____ (didn't see / didn't saw / not saw) the announcement.
3. _____ (Did / Were / Do) you finish the book last week?
4. The baby _____ (sleep / slept / sleeping) for eight hours last night.
5. I _____ (was / were / am) at home when you called.
6. They _____ (take / took / taken) a taxi to the airport.
7. He _____ (didn't understand / didn't understood / doesn't understood) the instructions.
8. _____ (Was / Did / Does) she at the office yesterday?
9. My friends _____ (came / come / coming) to my birthday party.
10. Where _____ (did you put / did you putted / you did put) my notebook?

Advanced past indefinite tense exercises with answers

These advanced past indefinite tense exercises in English focus on using the simple past in context, distinguishing it from other tenses, correcting common errors, and completing a story. Pay attention to time expressions and the sequence of events.

Exercise 1: Complete the sentences in context

Complete each sentence with the correct form of the verb in parentheses.

1. When I _____ (arrive) at the station, the train was already there.
2. Maya _____ (not attend) the workshop because she was ill.
3. The manager _____ (ask) us to submit the report before noon.
4. While we were walking home, it _____ (start) to rain.
5. He _____ (realize) that he forgot his wallet after he reached the café.
6. The company _____ (launch) its new product in March 2024.
7. I _____ (not recognize) her because she looked very different.
8. After the concert ended, the audience _____ (leave) the hall quietly.
9. The teacher _____ (explain) the instructions, and then the students began the test.
10. Why _____ you _____ (choose) that topic for your presentation?

Exercise 2: Choose the correct tense

Choose the most appropriate answer based on the context.

1. Yesterday, I _____ my old teacher at the supermarket.
A. have met
B. meet
C. met
D. had met

2. While she _____ dinner, the lights went out.
A. was cooking
B. cooked
C. has cooked
D. cooks

3. By the time we arrived, the movie _____.
A. starts
B. has started
C. started
D. had started

4. He _____ in London for five years before he moved to Canada.
A. lives
B. had lived
C. lived
D. has lived

5. I _____ my homework, then I went out with my friends.
A. have finished
B. finish
C. was finishing
D. finished

6. When the phone rang, Mark _____ a shower.
A. took
B. has taken
C. was taking
D. takes

7. She _____ the job offer last Monday.
A. accepted
B. had accepted
C. accepts
D. has accepted

8. We _____ to the museum last weekend, but it was closed.
A. had gone
B. have gone
C. go
D. went

9. The students _____ the test when the fire alarm rang.
A. took
B. were taking
C. have taken
D. take

10. He _____ his passport at home, so he returned to get it.
A. leaves
B. has left
C. left
D. was leaving

Exercise 3: Find and correct the mistakes

Each sentence contains one mistake related to the simple past tense. Rewrite it correctly.

1. She go to the office yesterday.
2. They didn't went to the party last night.
3. Did he finished his homework?
4. I were very tired after the trip.
5. We buyed a new table last week.
6. My sister not called me yesterday.
7. Where you did stay during your holiday?
8. The children was excited about the school trip.
9. He didn't knew the answer.
10. Did they saw the new exhibition last Sunday?

Exercise 4: Complete the story with the appropriate tense

Complete the story using the correct form of the verbs in parentheses.

Past indefinite tense exercise in English PDF

Want to practice offline? Use the exercises in this guide as a past indefinite tense exercise with answers. You can copy the questions into a document, print them, and complete each section before checking the answer keys.

For effective practice:

• Review the affirmative, negative, and question forms before starting.
• Complete the basic exercises first, then move on to the advanced activities.
• Write down irregular verbs that you often confuse.
• Check each answer and review the explanation for any mistakes.

Mastering the past indefinite tense helps you describe completed actions, share personal experiences, and tell stories about past events with greater accuracy. Practice all 12 exercises, review the explanations, and pay special attention to irregular verbs and questions with did. For more grammar lessons and exercises, explore the Grammar category on the ELSA Speak blog.