What’s the past tense of “rise”?
The verb and action rise (simple present tense), refers to the action of, “to assume an upright position especially from lying, kneeling, or sitting”, as stated by Merriam-Webster. Also, “to get up from sleep or from one’s bed.”
| Tense | Examples: forms of “rise” used in sentences |
| present | The sun rises in the east. |
| past | Air bubbles rose to the surface of water. |
| past participle form | She has risen to a position of great responsibility. |
Verb forms of “rise”
| present | past | future | |
| simple | I rise | I rose | I will rise |
| continuous | I am rising | I was rising | I will be rising |
| perfect | I have risen | I had risen | I will have risen |
| perfect continuous | I have been rising | I had been rising | I will have been rising |
When to use “rose” vs. “risen”
| Word Form | Examples |
|---|---|
| Past Tense | Past tense: The mountain peaks rose to the west. |
| Other | Present perfect tense: Air pollution has risen above an acceptable level. |
The participle form of a verb, which is shown in the second sentence, uses the auxiliary verb has in the present simple third-person singular. When the past participle verb form is paired with the auxiliary has, this creates the present perfect tense. We write in the present perfect tense when actions or events from the past relate to the present, as is evidenced with the example sentence ‘air pollution has risen above an unacceptable level‘.
The simple past tense does not use a helper verb (or auxiliary verb) since the simple past is a whole tense and verb, which can standalone in a sentence as a verb. Participles, on the other hand, do not; as is showcased from the use of a form of was or have with the participle forms of verbs (bitten, written, frozen, etc.).
Why is the past tense of rise rose/risen?
The verb, to rise, while irregular in English (since it doesn’t end in –ed in either of its past forms), shows clear patterns of the Germanic ablaut: rise, rose, and risen. The ablaut, which sounds like ab-lowt, refers to the change certain verbs demonstrate in their past verb forms. Many verbs in English are originally Germanic, and show the Germanic ablaut pattern their verb forms: bite, bit, bitten; write, wrote, written; and ride, rode, ridden all demonstrate the same pattern as rise/rose/risen.
| Base verb | Past tense | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| do or does | did | done |
| hid | hidden | |
| rise | rose | risen |
| grow | grew | grown |
The more technical definition of the ablaut is understood as the, “systematic vowel alteration in the root of a word to indicate shades of meaning or tense”, from Etymonline. The word ablaut in its original German is literally “off-sound”. Since the verb rise has 2 past forms, it’s part of the same irregular class of verbs:
Sentence examples with rise, rose, risen
| Verb: Rise | Example sentences |
|---|---|
| Rise (rises/rising) |
Pensions rise in line with inflation. The flood waters are rising fast. The sun rises in the east. |
| Rose/risen | Bubbles rose rose to the surface of water. My anger rose as I thought about the insult. The people had risen to protest against the new law. |
Origin of the verb rise
Middle English risen, from Old English risan “to rise from sleep, get out of bed; stand up, rise to one’s feet; get up from table; rise together; be fit, be proper”
| Word | Similar words |
|---|---|
| rise | ascent, elevation, advancement, increase |
Idioms with rise
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| rise through the ranks | to move up in position within a company or organization, often quickly |
| the cream always rises to the top | those with the most skill, talent, or merit will stand out and succeed |
| a rising tide lifts/raises all boats | general improvements benefit everyone |
| be up/rise with the lark | to get out of bed at sunrise; to wake very early |
| early to bed and early to rise | keeping a healthy sleep schedule leads to good outcomes |
| rise from the ashes | to recover and succeed again after destruction or failure |
| make someone’s hackles rise | to anger or seriously annoy someone |
| rise and shine! | a cheerful way to tell someone to wake up and get going |
| think the sun rises and sets on (someone) | to think someone is exceptionally wonderful |
Worksheet
The sun ______ beautifully over the mountains this morning.
The dough had ______ perfectly in the warm kitchen.
Smoke ______ from the chimney of the small cottage.
The water level in the river is ______ after the heavy rain.
The audience will ______ to their feet for a standing ovation.
FAQs
What is the simple past of rise?
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When do you use ‘risen’?
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Is rise a regular verb?
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How is ‘rose’ different from ‘risen’?
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Why are the past forms rose & risen?
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Sources
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Wikipedia. 2023. “Indo-European ablaut.” Wikimedia Foundation. Last modified January 10, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-European_ablaut.
Yash, D. "How to Use Rose vs. Risen (Irregular Verb Forms)." Grammarflex, Sep 15, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/rose-vs-risen/.
