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Bend past tense: bent, bent

curve, flex

Bend is an irregular English verb: the past simple of bend is bent and the past participle is bent. Learn the three forms together — bend – bent – bent.

Verb forms

Base form

bend

/bend/

Past Simple

bent

/bent/

Past Participle

bent

/bent/

Press the speaker button to hear each form. The transcription under each word shows the British pronunciation (IPA).

Example sentences

Base form · bend

Trees bend in the strong wind.

Past Simple · bent

He bent down to tie his shoelaces.

Past Participle · bent

The rules have been bent too many times.

Key tenses

Present SimplePast SimplePresent Perfect
I bend
he / she / it bends
I bentI have bent
Present Continuous:I am bending  ·  he / she / it is bending
Learn when to use these forms:Past Simple lesson →Present Perfect lesson →

Grammar guide

Bend belongs to the ABB group: the past simple and the past participle are the same (bent). This is the largest group of irregular verbs — you only need to learn one past form.

  • Past simple – bent: a finished action at a definite time in the past. It is used on its own, without an auxiliary.
  • Past participle – bent: after have, has or had (present perfect, past perfect) and after be in the passive voice.
  • Questions and negatives in the past simple use did + the base form: Did you bend…? I didn’t bend.

Verbs with the same pattern

have — had — hadsay — said — saidget — got — got/gottenmake — made — madethink — thought — thoughtfind — found — found

Quick quiz

Which sentence is correct?

Questions about bend

What is the past simple of bend?
The past simple of bend is bent.
What is the past participle of bend?
The past participle of bend is bent.
What are the three forms of bend?
The three forms are bend – bent – bent: base form, past simple and past participle.
Is bend a regular or an irregular verb?
Bend is irregular: its past simple is bent, not bended.
Bend past tense: bent, bent — irregular verb forms