The past simple tenseA grammatical category that is marked by verb inflection. To express when an event or action happens in time or when a state exists, we use tenses. is used for actionA general term expressing that somebody or something does somethings which are completed not before, but at a point of timeA particular moment in time. E.g.: She came home at six. ("six") I was born in 1980. ("1980") in the past. This point can be stated or implied in the utteranceSomething that somebody says in a specific context. with a time expressionA word or group of words used in a particular situation. E.g.: Good morning, at six, on the sofa or a clauseA group of related words containing a subject and a verb..

I bought this car yesterday.
I was born in 1990.
Columbus discovered America. (i.e. in 1492)
How did it happen? (i.e. when it happened)
We ran out of space so we had to find a solution.
When I got gome I went to bed straight away.

With the word ago we use this tense to refer to a completed action, as it implies a definiteRelating to a specific or determined person, thing, idea or time. E.g.: I know the guy you are talking about. ("the guy you are talking about") point of time in the past.

I bought this processor two weeks ago. My computer needed to be upgraded.

Diagrams

Form: past simple
Past simple Past simple for past habits and states

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