Hear past tense

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Meaning of hear

perceive with the ear the sound made by (someone or something).

Infinitive

Word: hear /hɪər/
Examples:
  • 1. I always hear birds singing early in the morning.
  • 2. She hears a strange noise every night in her attic.
  • 3. They hear the bell ring and know it's time for class.

Past Simple

Word: heard /hɜːd/
Examples:
  • 1. I heard a strange noise outside my window last night.
  • 2. She heard the news on the radio and immediately called me.
  • 3. We heard him playing the piano beautifully from across the hall.

Past Participle

Word: heard /hɜːrd/
Examples:
  • 1. The new album has been heard by millions of fans worldwide.
  • 2. The instructions had been heard clearly by everyone in the room.
  • 3. The defendant's testimony was heard by the jury before making their decision.

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Bare infinitive

  1. Habitual Actions or Universal Truths
    Example. 'I hear the birds sing every morning.'
    Example. 'Elephants hear sounds that are inaudible to humans.'
  2. Use to discuss habits or actions that are routinely occurring or universally true facts.
    Example. 'I hear the birds sing every morning.'
    Example. 'Elephants hear sounds that are inaudible to humans.'
  3. General Statements of Fact
    Example. 'I hear the birds sing every morning.'
    Example. 'Elephants hear sounds that are inaudible to humans.'
  4. Use to express a general truth or fact that is not limited to any specific time.
    Example. 'I hear the birds sing every morning.'
    Example. 'Elephants hear sounds that are inaudible to humans.'

Past Simple

  1. Completed Actions in the Past
    Example. 'I heard a strange noise last night.'
    Example. 'I opened the door, heard a scream, and ran away.'
    Example. 'When I lived in the countryside, I often heard wolves howling.'
  2. Use to talk about actions or events that were completed at a specific time in the past.
    Example. 'I heard a strange noise last night.'
    Example. 'I opened the door, heard a scream, and ran away.'
    Example. 'When I lived in the countryside, I often heard wolves howling.'
  3. A Series of Completed Actions
    Example. 'I heard a strange noise last night.'
    Example. 'I opened the door, heard a scream, and ran away.'
    Example. 'When I lived in the countryside, I often heard wolves howling.'
  4. Use to list actions that happened sequentially in the past.
    Example. 'I heard a strange noise last night.'
    Example. 'I opened the door, heard a scream, and ran away.'
    Example. 'When I lived in the countryside, I often heard wolves howling.'
  5. Habit or State in the Past
    Example. 'I heard a strange noise last night.'
    Example. 'I opened the door, heard a scream, and ran away.'
    Example. 'When I lived in the countryside, I often heard wolves howling.'
  6. Use to describe a habit or state in the past, often with time expressions such as “when I was a child”.
    Example. 'I heard a strange noise last night.'
    Example. 'I opened the door, heard a scream, and ran away.'
    Example. 'When I lived in the countryside, I often heard wolves howling.'

Past Participle

  1. Perfect Tenses
    Example. 'I have heard that song before.'
    Example. 'I had already heard the news before she told me.'
    Example. 'By this time next week, I will have heard the outcome of the interview.'
    Example. 'The song was heard by everyone in the hall.'
    Example. 'If I had heard the alarm, I would have woken up on time.'
  2. Present Perfect. Use to indicate an action that occurred at an indefinite time in the past or has relevance to the present moment.
    Example. 'I have heard that song before.'
    Example. 'I had already heard the news before she told me.'
    Example. 'By this time next week, I will have heard the outcome of the interview.'
    Example. 'The song was heard by everyone in the hall.'
    Example. 'If I had heard the alarm, I would have woken up on time.'
  3. Past Perfect. Use to discuss an action that was completed before another took place.
    Example. 'I have heard that song before.'
    Example. 'I had already heard the news before she told me.'
    Example. 'By this time next week, I will have heard the outcome of the interview.'
    Example. 'The song was heard by everyone in the hall.'
    Example. 'If I had heard the alarm, I would have woken up on time.'
  4. Future Perfect. Use to indicate an action that will be completed before a specified future time.
    Example. 'I have heard that song before.'
    Example. 'I had already heard the news before she told me.'
    Example. 'By this time next week, I will have heard the outcome of the interview.'
    Example. 'The song was heard by everyone in the hall.'
    Example. 'If I had heard the alarm, I would have woken up on time.'
  5. Passive Voice
    Example. 'I have heard that song before.'
    Example. 'I had already heard the news before she told me.'
    Example. 'By this time next week, I will have heard the outcome of the interview.'
    Example. 'The song was heard by everyone in the hall.'
    Example. 'If I had heard the alarm, I would have woken up on time.'
  6. Use to describe an action that happens to the subject, indicating the subject is the receiver of the action.
    Example. 'I have heard that song before.'
    Example. 'I had already heard the news before she told me.'
    Example. 'By this time next week, I will have heard the outcome of the interview.'
    Example. 'The song was heard by everyone in the hall.'
    Example. 'If I had heard the alarm, I would have woken up on time.'
  7. Conditional Sentences
    Example. 'I have heard that song before.'
    Example. 'I had already heard the news before she told me.'
    Example. 'By this time next week, I will have heard the outcome of the interview.'
    Example. 'The song was heard by everyone in the hall.'
    Example. 'If I had heard the alarm, I would have woken up on time.'
  8. Use in the third conditional to talk about hypothetical situations in the past.
    Example. 'I have heard that song before.'
    Example. 'I had already heard the news before she told me.'
    Example. 'By this time next week, I will have heard the outcome of the interview.'
    Example. 'The song was heard by everyone in the hall.'
    Example. 'If I had heard the alarm, I would have woken up on time.'

Common mistakes

— 01

Regular Verb Patterns

A common mistake with the word 'hear' in its past forms is treating it like a regular verb by adding the '-ed' ending to make its past simple and past participle forms. 'Heared' is often mistakenly used instead of the correct forms. The correct past simple and past participle form of 'hear' is 'heard' for both. This mistake stems from the tendency to regularize irregular verbs, especially for learners navigating the complexities of English verb conjugation.

— 02

Confusing forms

Another frequent error involves confusing the past simple form with the past participle, or vice versa. With the word 'hear,' this mistake is somewhat mitigated because both the past simple and past participle forms are the same ('heard'). However, learners may incorrectly use 'heard' as if the forms were different or apply rules from other verbs, believing they need to use 'have heard' in simple past contexts (e.g., 'Yesterday, I have heard a strange noise') instead of the correct 'I heard a strange noise.'

— 03

Misusing the Past Participle

A mistake related to the use of 'heard' involves its application in perfect tenses without the auxiliary verb 'have.' Some may say 'I heard' intending to express an action completed at an unspecified time in the past, which requires the present perfect tense ('I have heard'). This error reflects a misunderstanding of the construction of perfect tenses and the role of past participles within them.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the past simple and past participle forms of 'hear'?

The past simple form of 'hear' is 'heard'. Similarly, the past participle form is also 'heard'. Both forms are the same, which can sometimes be a source of confusion for English learners, but it simplifies things once remembered.

How do I use 'heard' in a past simple tense sentence?

When using 'heard' in the past simple tense, you are referring to an action that happened at a specific time in the past. For example, 'I heard a strange noise last night.' In this sentence, 'heard' indicates that the act of hearing happened at a specific moment, which is last night.

How is 'heard' used in a sentence with a past participle?

The past participle form 'heard' is often used in perfect tenses. For instance, in the present perfect tense, you might say, 'I have heard the news.' Here, 'have heard' suggests that the action of hearing the news occurred at some unspecified time in the past but has relevance to the present moment. Similarly, in the past perfect tense, you could use it as 'I had heard the news before you told me,' indicating that the hearing occurred before another past action.

Can you give an example of a sentence using 'heard' that shows the difference between past simple and past participle usage?

Yes, of course. Let's consider two sentences. Past Simple. 'Yesterday, I heard a new song on the radio.' This sentence specifies when the action took place, which is yesterday, making it a clear example of past simple usage. Past Participle in Present Perfect. 'I have heard that song before.' In this sentence, 'have heard' is used in the present perfect tense, indicating an action that happened at an unspecified time in the past with relevance to the present. The focus is on the experience of hearing the song at some point, not when it happened.