What's the past tense of "forget"?
The simple past tense of forget is forgot, and the past participle is forgotten. Use forgot for simple past and forgotten with auxiliary verbs like "have" or "had".
Definition of forget
The Cambridge Dictionary defines forget as "to not remember to do something that you ought to do, or to bring or buy something that you ought to bring or buy."
- The past tense of forget is forgot.
- The past participle of forget is forgotten.
Verb forms of 'forget'
Note Avoid using 'forget' in the past continuous, was + forgetting. As a stative verb, which represents mental or internal states of existence, we stick to the past simple and past perfect verb conjugations .
Is "forget" a regular or irregular verb?
Forget is an irregular verb because it doesn't follow the standard pattern of adding "-ed" to form the past tense. Instead, it changes to forgot for the simple past and forgotten for the past participle, following a similar pattern to verbs like get/got/gotten and beget/begot/begotten.
When to use forgot vs. forgotten
She forgot her friend's birthday due to all the recent stress in her life.
She'd forgotten to pack a toothbrush for her trip, and so asked to borrow mine.
The verb forget uses different forms for simple past tense and present or past perfect), it requires an auxiliary verb like have, has, or had. The simple past doesn't use a helper verb since it's a complete tense, so forgot can stand alone in sentences, whereas participles require an auxiliary verb.
Similar irregular verbs
Sentence examples: forget, forgot, forgotten
• I forget to buy milk every time I go to the store.
• She often forgets her keys at home.
• I feel like I'm forgetting something.
• I forgot to pick up the milk on my way home.
• They forgot to set their alarm clock and overslept.
• She forgot her friend's birthday and felt terrible about it.
• They had completely forgotten about their anniversary until their friends reminded them.
• He realized he had forgotten his wallet at home when he reached the cashier.
• Everyone had forgotten the details amidst the chaos of the day.
Synonyms & nearby words
Synonyms for forget
Practice: Forget, forgot, forgotten
She ______ to lock the door when she left the house.
I think I have ______ how to solve this type of math problem.
He always ______ to take out the trash on Tuesday mornings.
You keep ______ that we have a meeting scheduled for this afternoon.
Please don't ______ to bring the documents with you.
FAQs
What is the simple past tense of forget?
What is the past participle of forget?
When should I use "forgot"?
When should I use "forgotten"?
Is "has forgot" correct?
Sources
- Harper, Douglas. "Etymology of forget." Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/forget. Accessed 30 May, 2023.
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