Which sentence uses simple past tense?

Which sentence uses simple past tense?

• A. The guests left yesterday.
• B. The guests leave yesterday.
• C. The guests had left yesterday.
• D. The guests are leaving yesterday.

Answer: (A)

Simple past tense is used for actions that happened and were completed at a specific time in the past. In this sentence, the verb left is the simple past form of leave (and it’s irregular). The time word yesterday clearly places the action in the past, so the sentence communicates a completed action that occurred yesterday. The other sentences don’t fit this same pattern. The form leave is present tense, which doesn’t align with yesterday. The form had left uses the past perfect, which signals an action completed before another past moment, so it’s more complex than simple past. The form are leaving uses present progressive, which describes an ongoing action in the present, not something tied to yesterday.

Simple past tense is used for actions that happened and were completed at a specific time in the past. In this sentence, the verb left is the simple past form of leave (and it’s irregular). The time word yesterday clearly places the action in the past, so the sentence communicates a completed action that occurred yesterday.

The other sentences don’t fit this same pattern. The form leave is present tense, which doesn’t align with yesterday. The form had left uses the past perfect, which signals an action completed before another past moment, so it’s more complex than simple past. The form are leaving uses present progressive, which describes an ongoing action in the present, not something tied to yesterday.