The simple past tense shows something we did in the past and we are not interested in the duration of the action. The personal endings of the simple past of the active voice are:
-α, -ες, -ε, -αμε, -ατε, -αν.

1. The letters σ, ξ (κ+σ), ψ (π+σ) before the endings are typical letters of the simple past. Verbs in this tense are typically stressed on the antepenult.

The past tense in this category of verbs is created by replacing the last letter of the stem of the word with letters σ, ξ (κ+σ), ψ (π+σ), using the following rules:

a vowel or ν –>σ
τ, δ, θ, σ, ζ –>σ or ξ
κ, γ, χ, χν –>ξ
π, β, φ, πτ, φτ, αυ, ευ –>ψ (exception: πέφτω-έπεσα)

Συμμαζεύ-ω -> Συμμάζεψα = I tidied
Κοροϊδεύ-ω -> Κορόιδεψα = I mocked
Ταξιδεύ-ω -> Ταξίδεψα = I travelled
Καθαρίζω -> καθάρισα = I cleaned

2. Verbs in this category take the letters before the endings -ησ- or sometimes -ασ-, -εσ-, -υσ-, -αξ-, -ηξ-, -εψ-. These verbs in principle do not need the augment έ-. Exception: ζω -> έζησα.

Περπατάω -> Περπάτησα = I walked
Αγαπάω -> Αγάπησα = I loved
Κολυμπάω -> Κολύμπησα = I swam
Φοράω -> Φόρεσα = I wore
Πονάω -> Πόνεσα = I hurt
Γελάω -> Γέλασα = I laughed

3. Two-syllable verbs take in έ- with the stress mark on it, therefore they are stressed on the antepenult. The augment disappears in the first and second person plural.

Πείθω ->Έπεισα = I convinced
Πέφτω ->Έπεσα = I fell
Ψάχνω ->Έψαξα = I searched
Παίζω ->Έπαιξα = I played
Φέρνω ->Έφερα = I brought
Γέρνω ->Έγυρα = I tilted
Πλένω ->Έπλυνα = I washed

(εγώ) καθάρισα
(εσύ) καθάρισες
(αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) καθάρισε
(εμείς) καθαρίσαμε
(εσείς) καθαρίσατε
(αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά) καθάρισαν


(εγώ) έπαιξα
(εσύ) έπαιξες
(αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) έπαιξε
(εμείς) παίξαμε
(εσείς) παίξατε
(αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά) έπαιξαν