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70 Past Simple Questions [Did & Didn’t]

Published on May 25, 2021 | Updated on March 28, 2024

Past simple questions are frequently used in conversations since the simple past is one of the most used tenses of the twelve.

We used the simple past to talk about a definite time in the past

The structure to make simple past questions is the following:

DidDid
Personal Pronounyou
Verbmake
Complementa mistake
Question Mark?

Now let’s check what examples of simple past questions so you get familiar with them


Closed Questions with the Simple Past

In English, we have:

#1Closed Questions
#2Open Questions

Examples of closed questions with the simple past are:

  • Did you do any exercises?
  • Did you play video games last night?
  • Did she have good arguments?
  • Did she pay for the Netflix subscription?
  • Did she try to change the flat tire?
  • Did she buy more Pokemon cards?

These are examples of how to respond to closed questions with the simple past:

  • Did you do any exercises?
  • Yes, I did
  • Did she pay for the Netflix subscription?
  • Yes, she did
  • Did you play video games last night?
  • Yes, I did
  • Did she close her Facebook account?
  • No, She didn’t

Now let’s check what open questions with the simple past are


Open Questions with the Simple Past

A similar example using an open question in the simple past is

  • What exercises did you do?
  • Who did you meet there?
  • How many toys did you buy?
  • What cryptocurrency did you buy?

These are examples of open questions and answers with the simple past

  • What exercises did you do?
  • I only did push-ups
  • Who did you meet there?
  • I met my future wife there
  • How many toys did you buy?
  • I bought a toy for each one of my four kids
  • What cryptocurrency did you buy?
  • I bought Ethereum and Cardano

Open questions with simple past can be answered in different ways


Simple Past Questions: Movies and TV

These are some questions using the simple past in the context of entertainment.

  • Did you watch any movies?
  • What did you watch yesterday?
  • Did you watch any horror movies in October?
  • Did you go to the movies this year?
  • Did you watch any good shows last week?
  • Did you watch any good movies last week?
  • What programs did you use to watch when you were a little kid?

Simple Past Questions: Music

These are some simple past questions within the context of music

  • Did you discover any new music this week?
  • Did you find a good album this week?
  • Did she like the new album?
  • Did she enjoy my Spotify Playlist?
  • Did you enjoy some recommendations given by your friends?
  • Did you discover any new songs by checking YouTube recommendations?

Simple Past Questions: Friends, Love and Family

These are some questions related to friends, love, and family

  • Who was your first love?
  • Who was your first crush?
  • Who was your best friend in high school?
  • Who was your best friend at the university?
  • What games did you play when you were a little kid?

Simple Past Questions: School Times

These are some questions related to school

  • Who was your best teacher?
  • Who was your worst class?
  • Did you ever fail a class?
  • Were you good at math?
  • Were you good at science?
  • Were you good at Math?
  • Did you study hard for your high school tests?

Past Simple Questions: Last Vacations

These are some past simple questions about your last vacation

  • Where did you go on your last vacation?
  • Where did you stay?
  • How much money did you spend?
  • Who did you go with?
  • How many days did you stay there?
  • Did you stay in a hotel?
  • Where did you go during the night?

Past Simple Questions: Feelings

These are some questions about feelings in English

  • When was the last time that you felt really sad?
  • When was the last time that you felt really happy?
  • When was the last time that you felt really angry?
  • When was the last time that you had so much fun?
  • Did you feel nervous before your first job interview?
  • What made you feel happy yesterday?
  • What made you feel sad yesterday?
  • How did you feel when you achieved your goal?

Simple Past Conversation Questions: Party

These are some simple past conversation questions about parties

  • When was the last time you went to a party?
  • Who did you go with?
  • How did you get there?
  • How many people attended the party?
  • What did you eat or drink?
  • How many drinks did you have?
  • What time did the party start?
  • How many people were at the party?
  • Did you dance at the party?
  • Who did you talk to at the party?
  • Did you have a good time at the party?
  • When did the party end?

Simple Past Conversation Questions: School

These are some simple past conversation questions about school

  • What high school did you go to?
  • What university did you go to?
  • When did you finish high school?
  • When did you finish college?
  • Did you enjoy school?
  • Did you enjoy college?
  • What classes did you fail?
  • What classes were the most difficult for you?
  • What classes were the easiest for you?
  • Did you make really good friends?

Manuel Campos

Manuel Campos

I am Jose Manuel, English professor and creator of EnglishPost.org, a blog whose mission is to share lessons for those who want to learn and improve their English