Feel past tense: felt, felt
experience emotion
Feel is an irregular English verb: the past simple of feel is felt and the past participle is felt. Learn the three forms together — feel – felt – felt.
Verb forms
Base form
/fiːl/
Past Simple
/felt/
Past Participle
/felt/
Press the speaker button to hear each form. The transcription under each word shows the British pronunciation (IPA).
Example sentences
Base form · feel
I feel more energetic after morning exercise.
Past Simple · felt
He felt nervous before the job interview.
Past Participle · felt
She has never felt happier in her life.
Key tenses
| Present Simple | Past Simple | Present Perfect |
|---|---|---|
I feel he / she / it feels | I felt | I have felt |
| Present Continuous:I am feeling · he / she / it is feeling | ||
Common collocations
feel free
to be welcome to do something
feel like
to want to do something
Grammar guide
Feel belongs to the ABB group: the past simple and the past participle are the same (felt). This is the largest group of irregular verbs — you only need to learn one past form.
- Past simple – felt: a finished action at a definite time in the past. It is used on its own, without an auxiliary.
- Past participle – felt: 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 feel…? I didn’t feel.
Quick quiz
Which sentence is correct?
Questions about feel
- What is the past simple of feel?
- The past simple of feel is felt.
- What is the past participle of feel?
- The past participle of feel is felt.
- What are the three forms of feel?
- The three forms are feel – felt – felt: base form, past simple and past participle.
- Is feel a regular or an irregular verb?
- Feel is irregular: its past simple is felt, not feeled.