Spend past tense: spent, spent
use up, expend
Spend is an irregular English verb: the past simple of spend is spent and the past participle is spent. Learn the three forms together — spend – spent – spent.
Verb forms
Base form
/spend/
Past Simple
/spent/
Past Participle
/spent/
Press the speaker button to hear each form. The transcription under each word shows the British pronunciation (IPA).
Example sentences
Base form · spend
We spend our holidays at the seaside.
Past Simple · spent
She spent the whole evening reading.
Past Participle · spent
Too much money has been spent on this project.
Key tenses
| Present Simple | Past Simple | Present Perfect |
|---|---|---|
I spend he / she / it spends | I spent | I have spent |
| Present Continuous:I am spending · he / she / it is spending | ||
Common collocations
spend time
to pass time doing something
spend money
to use money to buy things
Grammar guide
Spend belongs to the ABB group: the past simple and the past participle are the same (spent). This is the largest group of irregular verbs — you only need to learn one past form.
- Past simple – spent: a finished action at a definite time in the past. It is used on its own, without an auxiliary.
- Past participle – spent: 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 spend…? I didn’t spend.
Quick quiz
Which sentence is correct?
Questions about spend
- What is the past simple of spend?
- The past simple of spend is spent.
- What is the past participle of spend?
- The past participle of spend is spent.
- What are the three forms of spend?
- The three forms are spend – spent – spent: base form, past simple and past participle.
- Is spend a regular or an irregular verb?
- Spend is irregular: its past simple is spent, not spended.