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Swear past tense: swore, sworn
vow, curse
Swear is an irregular English verb: the past simple of swear is swore and the past participle is sworn. Learn the three forms together — swear – swore – sworn.
Verb forms
Base form
swear
/sweə/
Past Simple
swore
/swɔː/
Past Participle
sworn
/swɔːn/
Press the speaker button to hear each form. The transcription under each word shows the British pronunciation (IPA).
Example sentences
Base form · swear
Witnesses swear to tell the truth in court.
Past Simple · swore
He swore he had never seen the man before.
Past Participle · sworn
The new president has been sworn into office.
Key tenses
| Present Simple | Past Simple | Present Perfect |
|---|---|---|
I swear he / she / it swears | I swore | I have sworn |
| Present Continuous:I am swearing · he / she / it is swearing | ||
Grammar guide
Swear belongs to the ABC group: all three forms are different (swear – swore – sworn), so each form has to be learnt separately.
- Past simple – swore: a finished action at a definite time in the past. It is used on its own, without an auxiliary.
- Past participle – sworn: 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 swear…? I didn’t swear.
Verbs with the same pattern
Quick quiz
Which sentence is correct?
Questions about swear
- What is the past simple of swear?
- The past simple of swear is swore.
- What is the past participle of swear?
- The past participle of swear is sworn.
- What are the three forms of swear?
- The three forms are swear – swore – sworn: base form, past simple and past participle.
- Is swear a regular or an irregular verb?
- Swear is irregular: its past simple is swore, not sweared.