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Sing past tense: sang, sung

make musical sounds

Sing is an irregular English verb: the past simple of sing is sang and the past participle is sung. Learn the three forms together — sing – sang – sung.

Verb forms

Base form

sing

/sɪŋ/

Past Simple

sang

/sæŋ/

Past Participle

sung

/sʌŋ/

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

Example sentences

Base form · sing

She sings in the church choir on Sundays.

Past Simple · sang

The crowd sang the national anthem before the match.

Past Participle · sung

This song has been sung at every wedding I know.

Key tenses

Present SimplePast SimplePresent Perfect
I sing
he / she / it sings
I sangI have sung
Present Continuous:I am singing  ·  he / she / it is singing
Learn when to use these forms:Past Simple lesson →Present Perfect lesson →

Grammar guide

Sing belongs to the ABC group: all three forms are different (sing – sang – sung), so each form has to be learnt separately.

  • Past simple – sang: a finished action at a definite time in the past. It is used on its own, without an auxiliary.
  • Past participle – sung: 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 sing…? I didn’t sing.

Verbs with the same pattern

be — was/were — beendo — did — donego — went — goneknow — knew — knowntake — took — takensee — saw — seen

Quick quiz

Which sentence is correct?

Questions about sing

What is the past simple of sing?
The past simple of sing is sang.
What is the past participle of sing?
The past participle of sing is sung.
What are the three forms of sing?
The three forms are sing – sang – sung: base form, past simple and past participle.
Is sing a regular or an irregular verb?
Sing is irregular: its past simple is sang, not singed.
Sing past tense: sang, sung — irregular verb forms