Past Simple · Exercises
B2Upper intermediate practice
Past simple vs. present perfect and tricky questions.
Play
- Practice10 exercises at your own pace
- Time Attack60 seconds, as many as you can
- Survival3 lives, harder as you go
- Tense SortDrag sentences into their tense — 60 seconds
- Timelines10 sentences to match to their timelines
- B2 Boss12 hits before you lose 3 lives
- Irregular MatchPair verbs with their past forms — 60 seconds
Want to mix tenses, go endless or pick exercise types? Set up your own session.
What you’ll practise at B2
- Irregular verbs (went, saw, bought…)
- Negatives: didn’t / wasn’t
- Questions: Did you…?
- Short answers: Yes, I did / No, it wasn’t
- -ed: spelling and sound (stopped, studied, wanted)
- Wh- questions: Where did you go?
- used to
- Who called you? / Who did you call?
- Past simple or present perfect?
- Passive: was built, weren’t invited, Were you told?
- Timelines: what the tense means
Need a refresher? Learn the past simple: rules, tables and audio examples.
Sample exercises
A taste of what’s inside. In practice mode every exercise is freshly generated.
Past simple or present perfect?
Felix _____ (climb) a volcano a few times so far.
Show answer
Felix has climbed a volcano a few times so far.
“a few times so far” means up to now (the time isn’t finished), so use the present perfect.
Ask a question about the highlighted words, starting with “Who”.
My nephew led the project in July.
Show answer
Who led the project in July?
When “who” is the subject (who did the action), don’t use did: Who called you?
Make the past simple passive sentence negative.
The results were announced at midnight.
Show answer
The results weren't announced at midnight.
Passive negatives: wasn’t / weren’t + past participle. Questions: Was / Were + subject + past participle (no did).
Turn the past simple sentence into a question.
You were at the dentist an hour ago.
Show answer
Were you at the dentist an hour ago?
With was / were, don’t use did: just swap the subject and the verb. Were you at the dentist an hour ago?
Complete the question.
Did Adam _____ (smoke) when he was younger?
Show answer
Did Adam use to smoke when he was younger?
“Used to” + base form = a past habit or state that isn’t true now. Negatives and questions use did + use to: I didn’t use to… / Did you use to…?
Ask a question about the highlighted words.
Lucas organised a concert last month.
Show answer
When did Lucas organise a concert?
Wh- questions: question word + did + subject + base form. Where did you go?