Learn the past tense of READ (30 Real Examples, Audio, Quiz)
The past tense of the verb to read is read. [Pronounced RED] The present tense, past tense, and past participle of READ are spelled the same but they are pronounced differently.
- “We read history books at school.” Present [REED]
- “I read 6 books last summer.” Past [RED]
- “They have read all the books in the library.” Past Participle [RED]
Students often ask me – What is the past tense of read? How do you pronounce it correctly?
Great questions deserve great answers. Let me share what I found!
Table of Contents
- The verb TO READ
- The Difference Between The Past Tense And The Past Participle
- Pronunciation QUIZ
- New READ story and PDF Download
- READ – Past tense and Past Participle infographic
- FREE 27-page “To Read – Past and Past Participle” PDF
The verb TO READ
The verb to read means – to look at and understand the meaning of written or printed words or symbols
Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries read
TO Read – Verb Conjugations
| Infinitive to read [pronunciation] TO REED |
| “I like to read crime novels.” |
| Present tense read [pronunciation] REED |
| “We read history books at school.” |
| Present tense third-person singular reads [pronunciation] REEDS |
| “He reads history books at school.” |
| Past tense read [pronunciation] RED |
| “I read 6 books last summer.” |
| Past participle read [pronunciation] RED |
| “They have read all the books in the library.” |
| Future tense (Just decided) will read [pronunciation] REED |
| “If you can’t sleep I’ll read to you before bed.” |
| Future tense (Planned activity) TO BE reading [pronunciation] REEDING |
| “I love the new book by Dan Brown. I’m reading it as soon as I get home tonight, I can’t wait.” |
| Continuous reading [pronunciation] REEDING |
| “I’m reading the biography of Steve Jobs now.” |
| The Continuous form, reading, can be used as a noun. (This is called a gerund in English grammar) |
| “My grandfather always loved reading books, he read 3 books every week.” *In this sentence, the verb is loved, reading books is a noun phrase, not a verb. |
TO Read – Verb Conjugations Audio
Read can be a confusing verb because the present tense, the past tense, and the past participle are spelled the same but they are pronounced differently.
READ Present Tense pronunciation
The present tense of READ sounds like REED ~ “I read the newspaper every morning.”
READ Past Tense pronunciation
The past tense of READ sounds like RED ~ “I read that book when I was in high school.”
READ Past Participle pronunciation
The past participle of READ also sounds like RED ~ “These books are read all over the world.” (This example is the passive voice.)
So the 3 forms of the verb read look like this
read (REED) present
read (RED) past
read (RED) past participle
Let’s read (REED) some more present tense, past tense, and past participle examples.
- A: “Have you read [RED] the new Harry Potter book?”
B: “Not yet. My Dad read [RED] it and he said it was good. I will read [REED] it on the flight to Canada in August.”
Past, Past, Present
- “I bought the new Dan Brown book but I haven’t read [RED] it yet.”
Past Participle
The difference between the past tense and the past participle
“How can I tell the difference between the past tense and the past participle?”
This is a great question. We can tell the difference by looking at the words used in the sentences and understanding the grammar.
When to use the Past Tense of READ
Simple Past tense will follow a subject.
My Dad read the book and he said it was good.
(My Dad is the subject of this sentence, READ is the simple past tense.)
Mark Twain was an American writer. He lived from 1835 to 1910. He wrote many popular books and traveled across Europe and America.
(Mark Twain is the subject of these sentences. The verbs in the story are all the simple past tense – was, lived, wrote, and traveled.)
More simple past tense examples:
- We read Shakespeare when we were in high school.
- Did you know that there are 3 private companies flying people to space now? I read about it on the Internet.
- Jerry was bored so he read one of his sister’s fashion magazines.
When to use the Past Participle of READ
The past participle is used with the Passive Voice and the Perfect Tense.
Passive voice uses the verb TO BE (am, is, are, was, were) plus the past participle form of the verb in the main action.
If the subject of our sentence gets or receives something – something happens to the subject of our sentence – we use the Passive Voice.
“These books are read all over the world.” are + the past participle = Passive voice
More Passive voice examples:
- “The hotel room was cleaned at 9:30 AM.”
- “The lost and found office at the station is full of umbrellas that were forgotten on the train.”
- “The flowers will be delivered next Tuesday.”
*cleaned, forgotten, and delivered are all verbs in the past participle form.
More READ past participle examples in the Passive Voice:
- Allen’s screenplay was read by 3 Hollywood producers. Hopefully one of them will be interested in buying it.
- Romeo and Juliet is read by most Canadian high school students.
You can learn more about the passive voice here.
Passive Voice English Grammar – 20 REAL examples (Video)
Present Perfect Tense is HAVE/HAS + the past participle form of a verb.
This verb tense is called the present perfect, but it is still talking about a past action. The auxiliary verb TO HAVE will be used in the present tense.
“Have you read the new Harry Potter book?” HAVE + the past participle = Present perfect
More examples:
- “I have just eaten lunch so I’m not hungry.”
- “Have you been to the new café on Front Street? I heard it’s really good.”
- “Erica’s contact lens has fallen out.”
*eaten, been, and fallen are all verbs in the past participle form.
More READ past participle examples in the Perfect tense:
- Ryan has read every novel and short story written by Steven King. Have you read any?
- Chris hasn’t read any new books since January.
- I have seen all the Jason Bourne movies but I have never read the books.
You can learn more about the Present Perfect tense.
How to use the Present Perfect Tense (25 Real Examples + PDF)
READ Pronunciation QUIZ
NEW! Video QUIZ!
You can choose the best quiz presentation for your learning style. Fill in the blank or video.
READ Pronunciation – Text Quiz
9 read (REED) or read (RED) questions with 9 short video answers.
New READ story and PDF Download
Maya’s Favorite Place
The little bookstore on the corner is Maya’s favorite place. Every Saturday, she walks there and reads the new children’s books.
She likes to read picture books with bright colors and funny stories. Sometimes, she reads books about brave kids and exciting adventures. Maya reads quietly to herself, moving her lips a little as she follows the words on the page. She loves the way reading makes her feel.
Last week, Maya read a book about a cat who travels to the moon. She read it in just one hour because it was so interesting! She has read many books before, but this one is special.
Maya’s mom read to her every night when she was little. That’s how Maya learned to love reading. Now, Maya reads to her little brother. She hopes he will love reading as much as she does.
Maya has read almost every book in the children’s section. Her favorite book is about a girl who learns to fly. She has read it three times! Maya wants to be a writer when she grows up. She wants to write stories that other kids will love to read.
She knows that reading is important. It helps her learn new things and makes her imagination strong.
Maya Loves to READ – Free PDF Download
Dave Stinson
Author Bio: Dave is a Canadian English teacher living in Japan. He has taught English as a second language since 2006 and specializes in clear, practical explanations. His lessons focus on natural English with real examples that learners can start using immediately.
Learn more about Dave → https://worldenglishblog.com/about/
READ – Past tense and Past Participle infographic
