Past Tense of “eat”
The past simple of “eat” is “ate” and the past participle is “eaten”. Below are the pronunciation, three example sentences, the mistake learners make most often, and a short drill to check yourself.
Forms of “eat”
eat – ate – eaten
put food in your mouth and swallow it
- Base form
- eat/iːt/
- Past simple
- ate/eɪt/
- Past participle
- eaten/ˈiːtn/
- -ing form
- eating
- He / she / it
- eats
Pronunciation (US)
Quick practice
5 questions. Type the missing form.
Example sentences
Three everyday sentences that show how the forms are used.
Past simple
We ate at a Thai restaurant.
Past participle
Have you eaten breakfast?
Passive
All the cake was eaten in ten minutes.
The most common mistake
Wrong
I have ate already.
Correct
I have eaten already.
After “have”, use “eaten”. “Ate” is the past simple.
Verbs with the same pattern
All 3 forms different. Learn these together.