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Fight past tense: fought, fought
engage in combat
Fight is an irregular English verb: the past simple of fight is fought and the past participle is fought. Learn the three forms together — fight – fought – fought.
Verb forms
Base form
fight
/faɪt/
Past Simple
fought
/fɔːt/
Past Participle
fought
/fɔːt/
Press the speaker button to hear each form. The transcription under each word shows the British pronunciation (IPA).
Example sentences
Base form · fight
Firefighters fight fires and save lives.
Past Simple · fought
The two brothers fought over the inheritance.
Past Participle · fought
This disease has been fought for generations.
Key tenses
| Present Simple | Past Simple | Present Perfect |
|---|---|---|
I fight he / she / it fights | I fought | I have fought |
| Present Continuous:I am fighting · he / she / it is fighting | ||
Grammar guide
Fight belongs to the ABB group: the past simple and the past participle are the same (fought). This is the largest group of irregular verbs — you only need to learn one past form.
- Past simple – fought: a finished action at a definite time in the past. It is used on its own, without an auxiliary.
- Past participle – fought: 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 fight…? I didn’t fight.
Quick quiz
Which sentence is correct?
Questions about fight
- What is the past simple of fight?
- The past simple of fight is fought.
- What is the past participle of fight?
- The past participle of fight is fought.
- What are the three forms of fight?
- The three forms are fight – fought – fought: base form, past simple and past participle.
- Is fight a regular or an irregular verb?
- Fight is irregular: its past simple is fought, not fighted.