SIMPLE PAST

Subject-verb(ed) or irregular verb- complement

Afirmative/Interrogative/Negative
You called Paola. /Did you call Paola? /You did not call Paola.

• Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.
  Examples:
  I saw a movie yesterday.
  I didn't see a play yesterday

• We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.
  Examples:
  I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.
  He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00.

• The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.
  Examples:
  I lived in Brazil for two years.
  Shauna studied Japanese for five years.

• The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as "used to." To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.
  Examples:
  I studied French when I was a child.
  He played the violin.