What’s the past tense of “bend”?
What’s the past tense of the present tense verb, to bend? The verb bend is defined by the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary as, “(especially of somebody’s body or head) to lean, or make something lean, in a particular direction: The doctor told me to avoid bending and stretching.“
She bent forward to pick up the newspaper.
The knives were bent out of shape.
He bended over to tie his shoe.
I have bended the rules for you.
Verb forms of bend
| present | past | future | |
|---|---|---|---|
| simple | I bend | I bent | I will bend |
| continuous | I am bending | I was bending | I will be bending |
| perfect | I have bent | I had bent | I will have bent |
| perfect continuous | I have been bending | I had been bending | I will have been bending |
Tenses of ‘bend‘.
Here’s a chart with verb forms similar to bend/bent, in that they likewise have two verb conjugations in total:
| Base Verb | Past Tense | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
| lean | leant/leaned | leant/leaned |
| leap | leapt/leaped | leapt/leaped |
| learn | learnt/learned | learnt/learned |
| lend | lent | lent |
| bend | bent | bent |
| deal | dealt | dealt |
Past tense vs. past participle of “bend”
What’s the difference between bent as a past tense form of bend, versus bent as a participle form?
Past tense: He bent and kissed her.
Past participle: I’ve bent over backwards to help him.
To have ‘bent over backwards‘ to help someone is a common phrase meaning that one has done everything they can to help. It’s clear from the sentences that the simple past tense, ‘bent‘, stands alone since it does not include an auxiliary/helping verb, such as have/had/has. The second sentence uses the participle form of the verb bend, and this is evident since there’s an auxiliary verb included (I’ve bent = I have bent).
Practice using the verb in different tenses with example sentences to memorize the correct forms.
Examples of “bend” and “bent” in sentences
| Word | Sentence examples |
|---|---|
| bend |
Lie flat and let your knees bend. Slowly bend from the waist and bring your head down to your knees. I had to bend double to get under the table. |
| bent |
She suddenly bent over, clutching her stomach. The knives were bent out of shape. She was bent over her desk writing a letter. |
Synonyms of bend/bent
- arched
- angled
- twisted
- bowed
Origin of the verb bend
Old English bendan “to bend a bow, bring into a curved state; confine with a string, fetter,” causative of bindan “to bind,” from Proto-Germanic base *band- “string, band”.
Practice: Forms of “Bend”
She ______ down to pick up the fallen coin.
The metal bar was ______ out of shape by the force of the impact.
He always ______ the rules to his advantage.
The branch ______ under the weight of the snow.
I have ______ over backwards to make this work.
Yash, D. "How to Use Bended or Bent (Explained, With Examples)." Grammarflex, Aug 24, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/bended-or-bent/.
