What is the Past Participle?
The Past Participle in English is the third form of a verb. In Polish, it is known as the passive participle. The word participle refers to a verbal adjective.
In English, there is also the Present Participle (-ing form).
| Base Form | Past Simple | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
| work | worked | worked |
| watch | watched | watched |
| buy | bought | bought |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| write | wrote | written |
Forming Regular Past Participles
The way we form a regular Past Participle depends on the ending of the verb.
1️⃣ Verbs ending in -e
For verbs ending in -e, we only add -d.
2️⃣ Verbs ending in consonant + y
For verbs ending in a consonant + y, we change “y” to “i” and add -ed.
3️⃣ Verbs ending in -ee, -ye, -oe
For verbs ending in -ee, -ye, -oe, we only add -d.
4️⃣ Verbs ending in vowel + consonant
For one-syllable verbs ending in a vowel + consonant, we double the final consonant before adding -ed.
Two or more syllables: If the stress is on the last syllable, we double the final consonant.
Exception
If the verb ends in a consonant after two vowels, we do not double the final consonant.
We never double the letters w, x, y.
5️⃣ Verbs ending in -c
For verbs ending in -c, we add -k before -ed.
When do we use the Past Participle in English?
1️⃣ To form the Perfect Tenses
All Perfect Simple tenses (Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Future Perfect) require the Past Participle.
Present Perfect:
subject + have/has + Past Participle
I finished my breakfast today.
She has been to Paris multiple times.
Past Perfect:
subject + had + Past Participle
I saw it for the first time yesterday.
They completed it before it was due.
Future Perfect:
subject + will have + Past Participle
My studies will be finished by next year.
She will be here before 5 PM.
2️⃣ To form the Passive Voice
To form the Passive Voice, we use to be in the correct tense + Past Participle.
Grandmother baked the cake.
Someone renovated the house recently.
3️⃣ As an Adjective
We use the Past Participle as an adjective to describe something that has been affected by an action.
The window has been damaged.
Glass that has been broken is on the floor.
People are familiar with this topic.
People respect her as a professor.
4️⃣ In the Third Conditional (Imaginary Past Situations)
We use the Past Perfect + Past Participle in third conditional sentences to talk about past hypotheticals.
But she didn’t study hard, so she failed.
But we left late, so we missed it.
5️⃣ In Participle Clauses (Advanced Structures)
Participle clauses help make sentences shorter and more natural.
Past Participle Clause:
She was shocked, so she cried.
He was surprised, so he stayed silent.
Perfect Participle (Active Voice):
having + Past Participle
After finishing work, he left.
After reading, she wrote a review.
Perfect Participle (Passive Voice):
having been + Past Participle
Because they were invited, they came.
After hearing the truth, he felt better.
Summary
| Usage of Past Participle | Example |
|---|---|
| Perfect Tenses | She has visited Rome before. |
| Passive Voice | The cake was baked by John. |
| As an Adjective | The glass is broken. |
| Third Conditional | If I had known, I would have come earlier. |
| Participle Clauses | Shocked, he stayed silent. |
