Fold past tense
Meaning of fold
to bend something flexible over upon itself so that one part of it covers another.
Infinitive
- 1. Every evening, she folds her clothes neatly before going to bed.
- 2. He always folds the letters carefully before putting them in envelopes.
- 3. In the origami class, the instructor demonstrates how to fold paper into various shapes.
Past Simple
- 1. She neatly folded the clothes before putting them away in the drawer.
- 2. He folded the letter carefully and placed it in the envelope.
- 3. They folded the map after figuring out the route to their destination.
Past Participle
- 1. The laundry has been neatly folded and put away in the drawers.
- 2. By the time we arrived, all the chairs had already been folded and stored.
- 3. The map will have been folded so many times, its creases will be worn.
Learn more words on the go
Master verb forms with Promova!
Bare infinitive
- To describe habits or things that happen repeatedly.Example. 'I fold my clothes every Sunday.'Example. 'Paper folds easily.'Example. 'First, you fold the paper in half.'Example. 'The workshop on origami folds starts at 3 PM tomorrow.'
- To state facts or general truths.Example. 'I fold my clothes every Sunday.'Example. 'Paper folds easily.'Example. 'First, you fold the paper in half.'Example. 'The workshop on origami folds starts at 3 PM tomorrow.'
- To give instructions or directions.Example. 'I fold my clothes every Sunday.'Example. 'Paper folds easily.'Example. 'First, you fold the paper in half.'Example. 'The workshop on origami folds starts at 3 PM tomorrow.'
- To talk about scheduled events in the near future (usually related to a timetable or fixed schedule).Example. 'I fold my clothes every Sunday.'Example. 'Paper folds easily.'Example. 'First, you fold the paper in half.'Example. 'The workshop on origami folds starts at 3 PM tomorrow.'
Past Simple
- To talk about completed actions or events at a specific time in the past.Example. 'She folded her letter carefully and sealed it in an envelope.'Example. 'He folded the map, put on his sunglasses, and left the house.'Example. 'As a child, I folded paper airplanes all the time.'
- To describe a sequence of past events or actions.Example. 'She folded her letter carefully and sealed it in an envelope.'Example. 'He folded the map, put on his sunglasses, and left the house.'Example. 'As a child, I folded paper airplanes all the time.'
- To mention past habits or states that are no longer the case.Example. 'She folded her letter carefully and sealed it in an envelope.'Example. 'He folded the map, put on his sunglasses, and left the house.'Example. 'As a child, I folded paper airplanes all the time.'
Past Participle
- To form the perfect tenses.Example. 'The neatly folded clothes were packed into the suitcase.'Example. 'The napkins were folded by the staff before the event started.'
- Present Perfect. 'I have already folded all the clothes.'Example. 'The neatly folded clothes were packed into the suitcase.'Example. 'The napkins were folded by the staff before the event started.'
- Past Perfect. 'By the time we arrived, she had folded every piece of paper.'Example. 'The neatly folded clothes were packed into the suitcase.'Example. 'The napkins were folded by the staff before the event started.'
- Future Perfect. 'By tomorrow, we will have folded a thousand origami cranes.'Example. 'The neatly folded clothes were packed into the suitcase.'Example. 'The napkins were folded by the staff before the event started.'
- As adjectives describing the state of something.Example. 'The neatly folded clothes were packed into the suitcase.'Example. 'The napkins were folded by the staff before the event started.'
- In passive voice constructions, indicating an action performed upon the subject by someone else.Example. 'The neatly folded clothes were packed into the suitcase.'Example. 'The napkins were folded by the staff before the event started.'
Common mistakes
— 01
Confusing Forms
Mistake. Many learners confuse the past simple and past participle forms of the verb 'fold'. While the past simple form is 'folded', the past participle is also 'folded'. However, some might incorrectly use 'fold' as the past participle or invent a non-standard form like 'folden'. Correct Use. Past Simple. Yesterday, I folded the clothes after laundry. Past Participle. By the time you arrived, I had already folded all the laundry.
— 02
Misuse of Past Participle
Mistake. A common error is using the past participle 'folded' without an auxiliary verb, such as 'have' or 'had', in perfect tenses. Some learners might say 'I folded the napkins' intending to use the present perfect, but they accidentally use the past simple instead. Correct Use. Incorrect for Present Perfect. 'I folded the napkins just now.' Correct for Present Perfect. 'I have folded the napkins just now.'
— 03
Regular Verb Rules
Mistake. Although 'fold' follows the regular verb pattern by adding -ed for its past forms, some learners incorrectly apply this rule to irregular verbs, assuming all verbs follow the same pattern. This mistake around 'fold' can lead to broader errors with other verbs. Correct Use. For 'fold'. 'She folded the paper crane beautifully.' Understanding Irregular Verbs. 'He drove to the store.' (Not 'drived')
Past tense quiz
Check your skills and find areas for improvement