O Past Participate (past participle) is a verb form used as complementary structures of some verb tenses and can also play the role of adjectives.
Grammatical Uses
Verbal Structures: the past participle can be used as part of some verb tenses, especially the perfect tenses.
Examples:
- Present Perfect: My parents have been to Italy three times. (My parents have been to Italy three times)
- Past Perfect: you had changed your clothes before the end of the party. (You had changed your clothes before the end of the party)
- Future Perfect: I will have read the book by the end of the week. (I will have read the book by the end of the week)
Modal verbs: with Modal verbs, the past participle is used with the helper have to express past actions, for example:
you could have bought before. (You could have bought it before)
passive voice: a passive voice also uses the verbs in the past participle. Remember that verbal voices are divided into active and passive.
The difference is the emphasis given to each of them. In active duty, the focus is on the subject who performs the action. In the passive, the focus is on the action performed by the subject, for example:
The Tower of London was built in 1078. (The Tower of London was built in 1078)
Adjectives: as adjectives, the past participle qualify something or even someone.
that city doesn’t have paved streets. (that city has no streets paved.)
You can’t drive if you’re drunk! (You cannot drive if you are drunk!)
Read too: English verbs
Regular and irregular verbs
For regular verbs, the past participle is formed by adding –d or –ed, for example: agree – agreed; ask – asked; call – called, etc.
Irregular verbs, on the other hand, have different forms, for example, be – been; sell – sold; speak – spoken, etc.
To facilitate the study of the English language, below is a list of 50 regular and 50 irregular verbs in English with their forms in simple past and past participle.
Regular Verbs (Regular verbs)
| Verb (Verb) | Simple Past (Simple Past) | Past Participle (Past Participle) | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| agree | agreed | agreed | to agree |
| answer | answered | answered | answer |
| Apologize | Apologized | Apologized | apologize |
| ask | asked | asked | to ask |
| Awaken | Awakened | Awakened | wake up; awakening |
| breath | breathed | breathed | breathe |
| brush | brushed | brushed | to brush |
| Call | Called | Called | Call; to phone |
| Care | cared | cared | to care; call to |
| Change | Changed | Changed | change; to exchange |
| clean | Cleaned | Cleaned | clean |
| Clear | Cleared | Cleared | release; lighten; lighten |
| close | Closed | Closed | close |
| cook | Cooked | Cooked | to cook |
| cross | Crossed | Crossed | pass through |
| Cry | created | created | to cry; shout out; cry out |
| dance | danced | danced | to dance |
| deliver | Delivered | Delivered | deliver |
| describe | described | described | to describe |
| Desire | Desired | Desired | Wish |
| die | Died | Died | die |
| Disagree | Disagreed | Disagreed | disagree |
| Disappear | Disappeared | Disappeared | to vanish |
| Dislike | Disliked | Disliked | not like (of) |
| End | Ended | Ended | finish |
| enjoy | enjoyed | enjoyed | to have fun; appreciate |
| Establishment | Established | Established | establish |
| Exchange | exchanged | exchanged | to exchange |
| fail | failed | failed | fail; fail |
| Fear | Feared | Feared | to fear; fear |
| Guess | Guessed | Guessed | guess |
| Hate | Hated | Hated | to hate |
| Help | Helped | Helped | help; help |
| invite | invited | invited | to invite |
| join | Joined | Joined | to get together; login to |
| kill | killed | killed | kill |
| learn | learned | learned | learn |
| Lie | Lied | Lied | to lie |
| like | Liked | Liked | like) |
| listen (to) | listened | listened | listen carefully |
| live | Lived | Lived | to live; to live |
| look | looked | looked | to look |
| love | Loved | Loved | love |
| Miss | Missed | Missed | lose; miss |
| move | moved | moved | move |
| Study | studied | studied | to study |
| walk | walked | walked | qndar; to walk |
| want | wanted | wanted | to want |
| work | Worked | Worked | work; work |
| Worry (about) | Worried | Worried | worry about) |
Irregular Verbs (Irregular verbs)
| Verb (Verb) | Simple Past (Simple Past) | Past Participle (Past Participle) | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| well | was/were | been | to be; be |
| bear | bore | born | born; to produce |
| become | became | become | become; transform |
| begin | began | begun | to start |
| break | broke | broken | to break; break up |
| bring | brought | brought | bring; to execute |
| build | built | built | ramp up; manufacture |
| buy | bought | bought | purchase |
| choose | chose | chosen | to choose; to prefer |
| eats | cam | eats | come over; to arrive |
| of | did | done | to do; to care; work |
| drink | drank | drunk | drink |
| drive | drove | driven | to drive; guide |
| eat | until | eaten | eat; to chew |
| feed | fed | fed | to feed; nurture |
| feel | felt | felt | to feel; to notice |
| find | found | found | meet; discover |
| forbid | forbad | forbidden | forbid; prevent |
| forget | forgot | forgotten | to forget |
| get | got | gotten | receive; get |
| give | gave | given | to give; deliver |
| go | went | gone | go; leave |
| have | had | had | to have; to possess |
| hear | heard | heard | to hear; to listen |
| hide | hid | hidden | hide; to hide |
| keep | kept | kept | keep; save |
| know | knew | known | to know; to meet |
| lead | led | led | to command; guide |
| learn | learned | learned | learn; to study |
| lose | lost | lost | lose; to waste |
| make | made | made | to do; to create |
| mean | meant | meant | think; to mean |
| meet | met | met | to meet; meet |
| pay | paid | paid | pay; pay off |
| put | put | put | per; put on |
| read | read | read | to read; learn |
| ride | rotate | ridden | walk; to stroll |
| run | ran | run | run; to run away |
| say | left | left | to say; tell |
| see | saw | seen | to see; observe |
| sell | sold | sold | sell; Negotiate |
| send | sit | sit | submit; to send |
| sleep | slept | slept | to sleep; rest |
| speak | spoke | spoken | speak; to say |
| take | took | taken | to take; to throw |
| tell | awning | awning | tell; to know |
| think | thought | thought | think; believe |
| wake | woke up | waked | wake up; awakening |
| win | won | won | to win; get |
| write | wrote | written | write; write down |
Simple Past x Past Participate
There is a lot of confusion about the difference and uses of these two verb types. First, we must look at the table of verbs and note that they are identical for regular verbs. The difference between them is in the irregular verbs, although some are the same, for example: put, read, lost, etc.
Remember that the simple past is a tense used to express specific past actions, while the past participle basically complements various verbal structures.
Examples:
Simple Past: She called you last night. (She called you last night)
Past Participate: She has called you all day long. (She's been calling you all day)
Read too:
- Simple Present exercises
- Regular and Irregular English Verbs
- Verbal Tenses in English
- Simple Past Exercises
- Present Perfect (exercises with commented feedback)
- Passive voice (exercises with commented feedback)
