Hear past tense: heard, heard
perceive sound
Hear is an irregular English verb: the past simple of hear is heard and the past participle is heard. Learn the three forms together — hear – heard – heard.
Verb forms
Base form
/hɪə/
Past Simple
/hɜːd/
Past Participle
/hɜːd/
Press the speaker button to hear each form. The transcription under each word shows the British pronunciation (IPA).
Example sentences
Base form · hear
I hear birds singing outside my window every morning.
Past Simple · heard
We heard a strange noise coming from the basement.
Past Participle · heard
Have you heard the news about the new school?
Key tenses
| Present Simple | Past Simple | Present Perfect |
|---|---|---|
I hear he / she / it hears | I heard | I have heard |
| Present Continuous:I am hearing · he / she / it is hearing | ||
Common collocations
hear from
to receive news from someone
hear about
to learn news of something
Grammar guide
Hear belongs to the ABB group: the past simple and the past participle are the same (heard). This is the largest group of irregular verbs — you only need to learn one past form.
- Past simple – heard: a finished action at a definite time in the past. It is used on its own, without an auxiliary.
- Past participle – heard: 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 hear…? I didn’t hear.
Quick quiz
Which sentence is correct?
Questions about hear
- What is the past simple of hear?
- The past simple of hear is heard.
- What is the past participle of hear?
- The past participle of hear is heard.
- What are the three forms of hear?
- The three forms are hear – heard – heard: base form, past simple and past participle.
- Is hear a regular or an irregular verb?
- Hear is irregular: its past simple is heard, not heared.