Definition of the simple past tense:

The simple past tense, sometimes called the preterite, is used to talk about a completed action in a time before now. The simple past is the basic form of past tense in English. The time of the action can be in the recent past or the distant past and action duration is not important.

Examples :

• John Cabot sailed to America in 1498.

• My father died last year.

• He lived in Fiji in 1976.

• We crossed the Channel yesterday.

Forming the Past Simple:

The past simple is usually formed by adding d, ed, or ied to the base form of the verb, however, in English there are many irregular verbs that take on a completely different form in the past tense. Some people call this the V2 form of the verb. The best thing to do is to try and memorize them.