Bring past tense: brought, brought
carry to a place
Bring is an irregular English verb: the past simple of bring is brought and the past participle is brought. Learn the three forms together — bring – brought – brought.
Verb forms
Base form
/brɪŋ/
Past Simple
/brɔːt/
Past Participle
/brɔːt/
Press the speaker button to hear each form. The transcription under each word shows the British pronunciation (IPA).
Example sentences
Base form · bring
Students bring their own laptops to class.
Past Simple · brought
He brought flowers to the dinner party.
Past Participle · brought
The internet has brought people closer together.
Key tenses
| Present Simple | Past Simple | Present Perfect |
|---|---|---|
I bring he / she / it brings | I brought | I have brought |
| Present Continuous:I am bringing · he / she / it is bringing | ||
Common collocations
bring up
to raise a topic, or to raise a child
bring back
to return something or revive a memory
Grammar guide
Bring belongs to the ABB group: the past simple and the past participle are the same (brought). This is the largest group of irregular verbs — you only need to learn one past form.
- Past simple – brought: a finished action at a definite time in the past. It is used on its own, without an auxiliary.
- Past participle – brought: 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 bring…? I didn’t bring.
Quick quiz
Which sentence is correct?
Questions about bring
- What is the past simple of bring?
- The past simple of bring is brought.
- What is the past participle of bring?
- The past participle of bring is brought.
- What are the three forms of bring?
- The three forms are bring – brought – brought: base form, past simple and past participle.
- Is bring a regular or an irregular verb?
- Bring is irregular: its past simple is brought, not bringed.