What is the past participle of set?

The past participle of set is set.

What are the three forms of set?

The three forms are set – set – set: base form, past simple and past participle.

Is set a regular or an irregular verb?

Set is irregular: its past simple is set, not setted.

Set past tense: set, set

place, establish

Set is an irregular English verb: the past simple of set is set and the past participle is set. Learn the three forms together — set – set – set.

Verb forms

Base form

set

/set/

Past Simple

set

/set/

Past Participle

set

/set/

Press the speaker button to hear each form. The transcription under each word shows the British pronunciation (IPA).

Example sentences

Base form · set

I set my alarm for six every weekday.

Past Simple · set

She set the table for dinner guests.

Past Participle · set

A new world record has been set in the marathon.

Key tenses

Present Simple	Past Simple	Present Perfect
I set he / she / it sets	I set	I have set
Present Continuous:I am setting · he / she / it is setting

Learn when to use these forms:Past Simple lesson →Present Perfect lesson →

Common collocations

set a goal

to decide on an aim

set the table

to lay out plates for a meal

set an example

to behave so others can copy you

Grammar guide

Set belongs to the AAA group: all three forms are the same (set – set – set). 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 – set: a finished action at a definite time in the past. It is used on its own, without an auxiliary.
Past participle – set: 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 set…? I didn’t set.

Verbs with the same pattern

let — let — let read — read — read cut — cut — cut hit — hit — hit hurt — hurt — hurt cost — cost — cost

Quick quiz

Which sentence is correct?

Questions about set

What is the past simple of set?: The past simple of set is set.
What is the past participle of set?: The past participle of set is set.
What are the three forms of set?: The three forms are set – set – set: base form, past simple and past participle.
Is set a regular or an irregular verb?: Set is irregular: its past simple is set, not setted.