Simple Past Tense–Grammar Rules | Grammarly
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/simple-past16.12.2020 · Get Grammarly. The simple past tense shows that you are talking about something that has already happened. Unlike the past continuous tense, which is used to talk about past events that happened over a period of time, the simple past tense emphasizes that the action is finished. Wolfgang admired the way the light glinted off his silver medal.