What's the past tense of "ride"?
The simple past tense of ride is rode, and the past participle is ridden. Use rode for simple past tense and ridden for past participle forms.
Definition of ride
The Oxford English Dictionary defines ride as "to sit on and control a bicycle, motorcycle, etc." or "to sit on an animal, especially a horse, and control it as it moves." It's an irregular verb that doesn't follow the standard "-ed" pattern for past tenses.
- The past tense of ride is rode.
- The past participle of ride is ridden.
Verb forms of 'ride'
Is "ride" a regular or irregular verb?
The verb ride is irregular. Its past tense form is rode and past participle form is ridden, not "rided" or "riden." This follows the common irregular verb pattern where the vowel changes in different tenses.
When to use rode vs. ridden
He rode fifty miles on horseback.
She has ridden horses since she was a child.
The verb ride 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 rode can stand alone in sentences, whereas participles require an auxiliary verb.
Similar irregular verbs
Sentence examples: ride, rode, ridden
• He rides the subway home from school.
• I love to ride horses.
• They ride their bikes to work every day.
• He rode fifty miles on horseback.
• They rode along the narrow country lanes.
• She rode her bicycle to the park yesterday.
• She has ridden horses since she was a child.
• I have never ridden a motorcycle.
• They had ridden the roller coaster before.
Synonyms & nearby words
Synonyms for ride
Nearby phrases
Practice: "Ride" conjugations
We ______ our bikes all the way to the park.
She had never ______ a horse before her vacation to the ranch.
He ______ the subway to work every morning.
Look at them ______ the carousel with big smiles on their faces.
I learned to ______ a skateboard when I was a teenager.
FAQs
What is the past tense of "ride"?
What is the past participle of "ride"?
Is "ride" a regular or irregular verb?
When should I use "rode"?
When should I use "ridden"?
Sources
-
"Ride." Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ride. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.
-
Simpson, J. A., and E. S. C. Weiner. "Ride, v." Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Date of access 15 Jan. 2025.
Advertisement
.webp&w=3840&q=75)