Draw past tense: drew, drawn
sketch, pull
Draw is an irregular English verb: the past simple of draw is drew and the past participle is drawn. Learn the three forms together — draw – drew – drawn.
Verb forms
Base form
/drɔː/
Past Simple
/druː/
Past Participle
/drɔːn/
Press the speaker button to hear each form. The transcription under each word shows the British pronunciation (IPA).
Example sentences
Base form · draw
Children love to draw pictures of their families.
Past Simple · drew
He drew a map to show us the way.
Past Participle · drawn
The curtains were drawn against the afternoon sun.
Key tenses
| Present Simple | Past Simple | Present Perfect |
|---|---|---|
I draw he / she / it draws | I drew | I have drawn |
| Present Continuous:I am drawing · he / she / it is drawing | ||
Common collocations
draw a conclusion
to reach a decision after thinking
draw attention
to make people notice something
Grammar guide
Draw belongs to the ABC group: all three forms are different (draw – drew – drawn), so each form has to be learnt separately.
- Past simple – drew: a finished action at a definite time in the past. It is used on its own, without an auxiliary.
- Past participle – drawn: 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 draw…? I didn’t draw.
Verbs with the same pattern
Quick quiz
Which sentence is correct?
Questions about draw
- What is the past simple of draw?
- The past simple of draw is drew.
- What is the past participle of draw?
- The past participle of draw is drawn.
- What are the three forms of draw?
- The three forms are draw – drew – drawn: base form, past simple and past participle.
- Is draw a regular or an irregular verb?
- Draw is irregular: its past simple is drew, not drawed.