Past Simple: negatives & questions
didn't and did...? with the base verb.
To make a negative sentence in the Past Simple, we use 'did not' (short form: didn't) followed by the base form of the main verb — never the past form. For example, we say 'She didn't go to school' (NOT 'She didn't went'). This rule applies to all subjects: I, you, he, she, it, we, they. To form a yes/no question, move 'did' to the front: 'Did you eat breakfast?' The main verb stays in its base form. Short answers use 'did' or 'didn't' without repeating the main verb: 'Yes, I did' / 'No, I didn't'. Wh- questions (What, Where, When, Why, Who, How) are formed by placing the question word before 'did': 'Where did he go?' — again, the main verb stays as the base form. The most common mistake at this level is using the past form after 'did': students write 'Did she went?' instead of the correct 'Did she go?' For example: 'They didn't watch TV last night — did they go to the park instead? Yes, they did.'
Key terms
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Negative | subject + didn't + base verb | She didn't go to school. |
| Negative | subject + didn't + base verb | They didn't watch TV last night. |
| Yes/No Question | Did + subject + base verb? | Did you eat breakfast? |
| Yes/No Question | Did + subject + base verb? | Did she drink juice? |
| Affirmative short answer | Yes, subject + did. | Yes, I did. / Yes, she did. |
| Negative short answer | No, subject + didn't. | No, I didn't. / No, they didn't. |
| Wh- Question | Wh- word + did + subject + base verb? | Where did they go? |
| Wh- Question | Wh- word + did + subject + base verb? | How long did Anar study? |
The same structure works for ALL subjects: I, you, he, she, it, we, they.
| Auxiliary | Tense | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| didn't | Past Simple | action verbs, ALL subjects | He didn't come yesterday. |
| don't | Present Simple | I / you / we / they + action verbs | They don't watch TV (now). |
| doesn't | Present Simple | he / she / it + action verbs | She doesn't go to school (now). |
| wasn't / weren't | Past Simple | verb 'be' only | He wasn't at home. (NOT an action verb) |
Use 'didn't' — NOT 'don't', 'doesn't', or 'wasn't' — to negate a past action verb.
| Question word | Asks about | Example question | Possible answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | place | Where did they go? | They went to Gəncə. |
| When | time | When did you arrive? | I arrived at 8 o'clock. |
| What | thing / action | What did your teacher say? | She said 'Well done!' |
| Why | reason | Why didn't you come? | Because it was a holiday. |
| Who | person | Who did she call? | She called her mum. |
| How | manner / method | How did you travel? | By bus. |
| How long | duration | How long did Anar study? | For two hours. |
After the question word, always use: did + subject + BASE verb (never the past form).
- 1Start with the affirmative: She went to school.
- 2Step 1: add the auxiliary 'didn't': She didn't + ...
- 3Step 2: use the BASE form of the verb (remove the past form 'went' → 'go'): She didn't go to school.
- 4Result: She didn't go to school. (NOT 'She didn't went to school.')
- 1Start with the statement: Nigar and Aysel went to the cinema last week.
- 2Step 1: identify the information you want to ask about (place: 'to the cinema'): Question word → Where
- 3Step 2: put 'did' before the subject; use the base form of the verb: Where did Nigar and Aysel go last week?
- 4Note: 'went' becomes 'go' because 'did' already carries the past tense. Never write 'Where did they went?'
Never use the past form after 'didn't' or 'Did'. Students often write 'She didn't went' or 'Did they played?' — both are wrong. 'didn't' and 'Did' already show the past; the main verb must stay in the BASE form: 'She didn't go', 'Did they play?'
Do not confuse 'didn't' (past) with 'don't' / 'doesn't' (present). If the sentence has a past time word (yesterday, last week, last night), always use 'didn't'.
Use 'didn't' — NOT 'wasn't' — to negate action verbs in the past. 'Wasn't' is only for the verb 'be'. Compare: 'He wasn't at home.' (be) vs. 'He didn't come.' (action verb come).
In Wh- questions, never put 'did' twice. The sentence already contains 'did', so just add the question word before it. Correct: 'Where did you go?' — NOT 'Where did did you go?'
Rules
- 1For negatives use didn't + base verb (NOT past form): 'He didn't come', NOT 'He didn't came'.
- 2For yes/no questions use Did + subject + base verb: 'Did she travel to Baku?'
- 3Short answers: 'Yes, I/you/he/she/it/we/they did.' or 'No, I/you/he/she/it/we/they didn't.'
- 4Wh- questions: question word + did + subject + base verb: 'Where did they eat?'
- 5The rule is the same for ALL subjects — never add -s, -ed, or irregular past after 'did' or 'didn't'.
Practice
10 easy · 10 medium · 10 hard
10 random questions per test