Hurt past tense: hurt, hurt
cause pain
Hurt is an irregular English verb: the past simple of hurt is hurt and the past participle is hurt. Learn the three forms together — hurt – hurt – hurt.
Verb forms
Base form
/hɜːt/
Past Simple
/hɜːt/
Past Participle
/hɜːt/
Press the speaker button to hear each form. The transcription under each word shows the British pronunciation (IPA).
Example sentences
Base form · hurt
Tight shoes hurt your feet.
Past Simple · hurt
She hurt her back lifting the heavy box.
Past Participle · hurt
No animals were hurt during the filming.
Key tenses
| Present Simple | Past Simple | Present Perfect |
|---|---|---|
I hurt he / she / it hurts | I hurt | I have hurt |
| Present Continuous:I am hurting · he / she / it is hurting | ||
Grammar guide
Hurt belongs to the AAA group: all three forms are the same (hurt – hurt – hurt). As the verb never changes, the context shows the tense — an auxiliary such as have or had, or a time expression such as yesterday.
- Past simple – hurt: a finished action at a definite time in the past. It is used on its own, without an auxiliary.
- Past participle – hurt: 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 hurt…? I didn’t hurt.
Verbs with the same pattern
Quick quiz
Which sentence is correct?
Questions about hurt
- What is the past simple of hurt?
- The past simple of hurt is hurt.
- What is the past participle of hurt?
- The past participle of hurt is hurt.
- What are the three forms of hurt?
- The three forms are hurt – hurt – hurt: base form, past simple and past participle.
- Is hurt a regular or an irregular verb?
- Hurt is irregular: its past simple is hurt, not hurted.