Past Participle
Learn how the past participle builds perfect tenses and the passive voice, how it can also work like an adjective, and why irregular verbs need their own participle memorised.
Never standing alone
The past participle always needs another verb beside it.
The past participle combines with have, has or had to build a perfect tense, and with a form of be to build the passive voice. Unlike the past form, it never stands alone as the only verb in a sentence.
In She has worked here for five years., worked is the past participle, and it depends entirely on has to complete the present perfect tense.
This lesson covers how the past participle builds these structures, and how irregular verbs often have a distinct participle of their own.
Before you begin
The past participle is one of five topics on verb forms.
This lesson focuses on the past participle specifically. Verb forms as a whole include four other topics, each covered in its own lesson.
If you would like an overview of verb forms in general, begin with the Verb Forms page.
The central idea
The past participle needs a partner to complete the sentence.
Compare the past form standing alone with the past participle, which does not.
01
Past form, alone
She worked yesterday.
02
Past participle, with has
She has worked here before.
The useful question is: does this verb depend on another word to complete the sentence?
Worked alone completes the first sentence. In the second, worked depends entirely on has.
Building perfect tenses
Have, has or had, plus the past participle.
Present perfect: She has worked here for five years.
Past perfect: She had worked here before the company moved.
Future perfect: By next year, she will have worked here for a decade.
Building the passive voice
A form of be, plus the past participle.
The same past participle also combines with a form of be to build the passive voice, where the subject receives the action rather than performing it.
The report was written by her.
This structure is covered in full detail in its own section.
Past participle as an adjective
A past participle can also describe a noun directly.
a broken window
a written agreement
a tired traveller
No auxiliary verb is needed here
Used this way, the past participle functions like an ordinary adjective, placed directly before the noun it describes.
Regular versus irregular past participles
Irregular verbs often have a participle that differs from every other form.
Regular: the past form and past participle match
work → worked → worked
Irregular: all three forms can differ
go → went → gone
These forms need to be learned individually. The full range of patterns is covered in the Irregular Verbs lesson.
A useful decision guide
Ask what auxiliary verb accompanies this participle, and why.
01
Does have, has or had appear alongside it?
This signals a perfect tense.
02
Does a form of be appear alongside it?
This signals the passive voice.
03
Is it describing a noun directly, with no auxiliary verb?
It is functioning as an adjective.
04
Is the verb irregular?
If so, check its participle individually, since it may differ from the past form.
Common mistakes
An irregular past participle is easy to confuse with the past form.
The past participle is not replaced with the simple past form.
Not: She has went to the store.
Correct: She has gone to the store.
Went is the past form; gone is the past participle needed after has.
The past participle does not stand alone as the only verb.
Not: She worked here for five years, but gone now.
Correct: She worked here for five years, but she is gone now.
Has, not have, is used with a singular subject.
Not: She have worked here for years.
Correct: She has worked here for years.
Check your understanding
Which form correctly completes each sentence?
Choose the correct answer for each sentence.
Have you __________ this film before?
✅ Exactly! “Seen” is the past participle needed after “have”.
❎ Not quite. “Saw” is the past form, not the past participle.
What comes after “have” here?
The window was __________ during the storm.
✅ Exactly! “Broken” is the past participle needed after “was” in the passive voice.
❎ Not quite. “Broke” is the past form, not the past participle.
What form of “be” appears before this word?
Which phrase correctly uses a past participle as an adjective?
✅ Exactly! “Tired” is the past participle, used here as an adjective.
❎ Not quite. This word needs the -ed ending to function as a past participle.
Compare this to “a broken window”.
Choose the best explanation
Select the sentence that explains the mistake correctly.
Why is “She has went to the store.” not correctly formed?
✅ Exactly! “Go” is irregular, with a distinct past participle.
❎ Not quite. “Has” correctly matches the singular subject “she”.
Why is “The window was broke during the storm.” not correctly formed?
✅ Exactly! The passive voice always uses the past participle, not the past form.
❎ Not quite. “Window” is singular, so “was” is correct here.
Quick review
The past participle always works alongside another verb, or as an adjective.
The past participle combines with have, has or had to build perfect tenses, and with a form of be to build the passive voice.
It can also function as an adjective, describing a noun directly with no auxiliary verb needed.
For regular verbs, the past participle matches the past form; for many irregular verbs, it is a distinct form of its own.
Remember
Look for its partner: have, has, had, or a form of be.
A past participle rarely stands entirely alone. Finding the auxiliary verb it depends on is the fastest way to confirm it has been used correctly.