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Bet past tense: bet, bet
wager
Bet is an irregular English verb: the past simple of bet is bet and the past participle is bet. Learn the three forms together — bet – bet – bet.
Verb forms
Base form
bet
/bet/
Past Simple
bet
/bet/
Past Participle
bet
/bet/
Press the speaker button to hear each form. The transcription under each word shows the British pronunciation (IPA).
Example sentences
Base form · bet
I bet you can't eat that whole pizza.
Past Simple · bet
He bet ten pounds on the wrong horse.
Past Participle · bet
Millions have been bet on this match.
Key tenses
| Present Simple | Past Simple | Present Perfect |
|---|---|---|
I bet he / she / it bets | I bet | I have bet |
| Present Continuous:I am betting · he / she / it is betting | ||
Grammar guide
Bet belongs to the AAA group: all three forms are the same (bet – bet – bet). As the verb never changes, the context shows the tense — an auxiliary such as have or had, or a time expression such as yesterday.
- Past simple – bet: a finished action at a definite time in the past. It is used on its own, without an auxiliary.
- Past participle – bet: 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 bet…? I didn’t bet.
Verbs with the same pattern
Quick quiz
Which sentence is correct?
Questions about bet
- What is the past simple of bet?
- The past simple of bet is bet.
- What is the past participle of bet?
- The past participle of bet is bet.
- What are the three forms of bet?
- The three forms are bet – bet – bet: base form, past simple and past participle.
- Is bet a regular or an irregular verb?
- Bet is irregular: its past simple is bet, not betted.