Simple past
The simple past allows you to describe something happened in the past. It is "simple" because it is formed by inflection of a single word: there is no auxiliary verb such as be or have (unlike the present perfect and past perfect tenses).
The simple past tense is also called the preterite (occasionally preterit) tense. It is also known more simply as just the past tense.
Compare: present perfect, past perfect, past participle, past continuous.
