The Past Indefinite Tense is also known as the Simple Past Tense.

This tense is used to describe actions that occurred in the past. It generally refers to an action that occurred a short time ago. In such sentences, it may not always be intended to specify the exact time of the action; however, the purpose is to convey that the action took place a little while ago. Therefore, whether or not the speaker mentions the exact time, sentences in this tense often aim to state that the action was completed or finished a little while earlier.

This tense primarily expresses two types of past actions:

  An action that occurred a short time ago 
Examples:
I ate an apple.
I finished my homework.
They watched a movie.

 An action that occurred on regular basis in past.
Examples:
People paid fewer taxes in the past.
People believed in superstitions in ancient times.
They ran a small business in the town.

Note. For beginners, it is advisable to focus first on actions that occurred at a specific time in the past. Although the past indefinite tense can also describe habitual past actions, this usage may be confusing for new learners.

Main verb: 2nd form of verb (Past Indefinite form), e.g. wrote, went, saw.

Note: The 2nd form of the verb is used only in positive sentences. In negative and interrogative sentences, the 1st form (base form) of the verb is used along with the helping verb “did.”

 Subject + main verb + object.
 Subject + 2nd form of verb + object.

Examples:
I ate an apple.
He bought a laptop.
She broke the cup.
He gifted me a book.
I met him in the library.
We saw a joker in the street.
He solved the problem.
They won a prize.
I wrote him a letter.
They informed us.
She kissed the baby.
He laughed to hear the joke.
I gave him some food.
He caught a fish in the river.
She made tea for the guests.
I accepted his invitation.
He participated in the competition.
He surprised me.

In a negative sentence, ‘did not’ is used and 1st form of verb is used.

 Subject + helping verb + not + main verb + object
 Subject + did + not + 1st form of verb + object

Examples:
He did not go to school.
She did not eat the food.
He did not buy a car.
She did not win the game.
They did not complete the task.
I did not meet him.
You did not answer the question correctly.
They did not enjoy the party.
The dog did not bite him.
We did not finish our work.
The kids did not like the movie.
He did not pass the exam.
She did not make a painting.
He did not get the job.

The question sentence starts with ‘did’ and 1st form of verb is used in the sentence.

 Helping verb + subject + main verb + object
 Did + subject + 1st form of verb + object

Examples:
Did he bring his camera with him?
Did she go to the market?
Did he receive my letter?
Did she clean her room?
Did they move to a new house?

Did we play well?
Did he come here?
Did she sing a song?
Did I answer correctly?
Did they buy a car?
Did you see him?
Did he help you?
Did you ask any question?
Did they start their work?