Live lesson reference
The forms that carry English timelines
Use the past form for a positive past-simple sentence. Use the past participle after have in perfect forms and after be in passive forms.
64 common verbs shown
| Base form | Past simple | Past participle | Natural example |
|---|---|---|---|
| be | was / were | been | She was here. / She has been here. |
| become | became | become | The process became easier. |
| begin | began | begun | The meeting has begun. |
| break | broke | broken | The screen is broken. |
| bring | brought | brought | I brought the documents. |
| build | built | built | They built a new office. |
| buy | bought | bought | We bought the tickets online. |
| catch | caught | caught | She caught the early train. |
| choose | chose | chosen | They have chosen a supplier. |
| come | came | come | He came home late. |
| cost | cost | cost | The repair cost $80. |
| cut | cut | cut | I cut the paper in half. |
| do | did | done | Have you done the report? |
| draw | drew | drawn | She drew a simple map. |
| drink | drank | drunk | I have drunk enough water. |
| drive | drove | driven | We drove to the airport. |
| eat | ate | eaten | They have already eaten. |
| fall | fell | fallen | Prices have fallen this month. |
| feel | felt | felt | I felt better yesterday. |
| find | found | found | Did you find your keys? |
| fly | flew | flown | She has flown to Chicago twice. |
| forget | forgot | forgotten | I forgot the appointment. |
| get | got | gotten / got | He got home at six. / It has gotten better. |
| give | gave | given | They have given us more time. |
| go | went | gone | Maya went to work early. |
| grow | grew | grown | The company has grown quickly. |
| have | had | had | We had a useful conversation. |
| hear | heard | heard | I heard the announcement. |
| hold | held | held | The team held a short meeting. |
| keep | kept | kept | She has kept every receipt. |
| know | knew | known | I have known him for years. |
| lead | led | led | Ana led the discussion. |
| leave | left | left | The bus left at nine. |
| lend | lent | lent | Could you lend me a charger? |
| let | let | let | They let us enter early. |
| lose | lost | lost | I have lost my card. |
| make | made | made | We made a decision. |
| mean | meant | meant | What did that message mean? |
| meet | met | met | I met the new manager. |
| pay | paid | paid | She paid by card. |
| put | put | put | He put the file on the desk. |
| read | read /red/ | read /red/ | I read the email yesterday. |
| ride | rode | ridden | Have you ever ridden a motorcycle? |
| rise | rose | risen | Costs have risen again. |
| run | ran | run | They ran a successful campaign. |
| say | said | said | She said the room was ready. |
| see | saw | seen | Have you seen this report? |
| sell | sold | sold | The store sold every ticket. |
| send | sent | sent | I sent the form yesterday. |
| set | set | set | We set a new deadline. |
| show | showed | shown | He has shown us the results. |
| sit | sat | sat | We sat near the window. |
| sleep | slept | slept | I slept well last night. |
| speak | spoke | spoken | Have you spoken to Maya? |
| spend | spent | spent | We spent two hours there. |
| stand | stood | stood | She stood by the entrance. |
| take | took | taken | They have taken the earlier train. |
| teach | taught | taught | He taught English online. |
| tell | told | told | I told her the truth. |
| think | thought | thought | We thought the office was closed. |
| understand | understood | understood | I understood the main point. |
| wear | wore | worn | She has worn that jacket before. |
| win | won | won | Their team won the contract. |
| write | wrote | written | I have written three emails. |
American English note
The usual American past participle of get is gotten when the meaning is become or obtain: It has gotten easier. She has gotten a new job. Use got in have got for present possession.
How to learn a form
Say three connected chunks, not three isolated spellings: take, took, have taken. Then create one true or fictional example with a clear time reference.