How to Use Drank vs. Drunk (Irregular Verb Conjugations)

What's the past tense of "drink"?

The simple past tense of drink is drank, and the past participle is drunk. Use drank for simple past and drunk for past participle forms.

Definition of drink

The Oxford English Dictionary defines drink as: "to take liquid into your mouth and swallow it." The word can refer to consuming any kind of liquid, from water to coffee to alcoholic beverages.

The past tense of drink is drank.

The past participle of drink is drunk.

Verb forms of 'drink'

Simple Cont. Perfect Perfect Cont.

Present

I/you/they drink • He/she/it drinks

Past

I/you/they drank • He/she/it drank

Future

I/you/they will drink • He/she/it will drink

Present

I am/you are drinking • He/she/it is drinking

Past

I was/you were drinking • He/she/it was drinking

Future

I/you will be drinking • He/she/it will be drinking

Present

I/you have drunk • He/she/it has drunk

Past

I/you had drunk • He/she/it had drunk

Future

I/you will have drunk • He/she/it will have drunk

Present

I have been drinking • He/she/it has been drinking

Past

I had been drinking • He/she/it had been drinking

Future

I will have been drinking • He/she/it will have been drinking

Is "drink" a regular or irregular verb?

The verb drink is irregular. Its past tense and present or past perfect).

When to use drank vs. drunk

I drank three glasses of water yesterday.

She has drunk coffee every morning this week.

The participle form of a verb (shown in the second sentence) uses the auxiliary verb have (in its contraction, has). This indicates that the participle form is in use, not the simple past. The simple past doesn't use a helper verb since it's a complete tense, so drank can stand alone in sentences, whereas participles require an auxiliary verb.

Similar irregular verbs

drink

Past: drank

Past part: drunk

Sentence examples: drink, drank, drunk

Drink (present tense)

• I drink water every morning.

• She drinks coffee before work.

• They are drinking tea in the garden.

Drank (past simple)

• I drank coffee yesterday.

• She drank water after the workout.

• They drank tea at the café.

Drunk (present or past perfect)

• I have drunk three cups of coffee today.

• She has drunk all the water.

• They had drunk the entire bottle.

Synonyms & nearby words

Synonyms for drink

sip gulp swallow imbibe quaff consume

FAQs

What is the difference between "drank" and "drunk"?

"Drank" is the simple past tense of "drink," while "drunk" is the present or past perfect).

Can I use "drunk" as a simple past tense?

No, "drunk" cannot be used alone as a simple past tense. It must be used with auxiliary verbs like "have," "has," or "had." For example, "I have drunk" (not "I drunk").

What are some examples of correct usage?

Correct examples: "I drank water" (past simple), "I have drunk water" (present perfect), "I had drunk water" (past perfect). Incorrect: "I drunk water" or "I have drank water."

Is "drank" ever correct with auxiliary verbs?

No, "drank" should never be used with auxiliary verbs. Always use "drunk" as the past participle: "I have drunk," "She has drunk," "They had drunk."

What about "drunk" as an adjective?

"Drunk" can also be used as an adjective meaning "intoxicated" (He was drunk). This is different from its use as a past participle of "drink."

What about "drunken"?

"Drunken" is used as an adjective, not a verb form. For example, "a drunken sailor" or "drunken behavior." It's not used as a past tense or past participle of "drink."