Lean past tense

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Meaning of lean

to incline, deviate, or bend from a vertical position.

Infinitive

Word: lean /liːn/
Examples:
  • 1. She always leans against the fence while waiting for the bus.
  • 2. He leans on his experience to make tough decisions.
  • 3. The tower leans to one side due to its faulty foundation.

Past Simple

Word: leaned /liːnd/
Examples:
  • 1. He leaned against the wall, trying to catch his breath.
  • 2. She leaned towards me to whisper a secret.
  • 3. They leaned out of the window to enjoy the fresh air.

Past Participle

Word: leant or leaned /lɛnt/ or /liːnd/
Examples:
  • 1. The bike was leaned against the wall by its owner.
  • 2. The old fence has been leaned upon by many weary travelers.
  • 3. Every portrait in the gallery had been carefully leaned against the backdrop for the exhibition's setup.

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Bare infinitive

  1. Habitual Actions
    Example. He leans against the doorway every morning to greet us.
    Example. The Tower of Pisa leans to one side because of its faulty foundation.
    Example. The seminar leans towards discussions on renewable energy next week.
  2. General Truths
    Example. He leans against the doorway every morning to greet us.
    Example. The Tower of Pisa leans to one side because of its faulty foundation.
    Example. The seminar leans towards discussions on renewable energy next week.
  3. Scheduled Events (in the near future)
    Example. He leans against the doorway every morning to greet us.
    Example. The Tower of Pisa leans to one side because of its faulty foundation.
    Example. The seminar leans towards discussions on renewable energy next week.

Past Simple

  1. Completed Actions in the Past
    Example. He leaned against the fence and watched the sunset yesterday evening.
    Example. When she lived in Italy, she often leaned out the window to chat with neighbors.
    Example. He leaned over, picked up the coin, and handed it back to the woman.
  2. Past Actions without specific time
    Example. He leaned against the fence and watched the sunset yesterday evening.
    Example. When she lived in Italy, she often leaned out the window to chat with neighbors.
    Example. He leaned over, picked up the coin, and handed it back to the woman.
  3. In a Series of Past Events
    Example. He leaned against the fence and watched the sunset yesterday evening.
    Example. When she lived in Italy, she often leaned out the window to chat with neighbors.
    Example. He leaned over, picked up the coin, and handed it back to the woman.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect Tenses (Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Future Perfect)
    Example. Present Perfect. They have leaned on each other for support since childhood.
    Example. Past Perfect. She had leaned out the window before the rain started.
    Example. Future Perfect. By next year, they will have leaned into the digital transformation fully.
    Example. The tree was leaned against the house to prevent it from falling during the storm.
  2. Passive Voice
    Example. Present Perfect. They have leaned on each other for support since childhood.
    Example. Past Perfect. She had leaned out the window before the rain started.
    Example. Future Perfect. By next year, they will have leaned into the digital transformation fully.
    Example. The tree was leaned against the house to prevent it from falling during the storm.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing Forms

A prevalent mistake with the past simple and past participle forms of the word 'lean' involves treating it as a regular verb. However, 'lean' is an irregular verb, and its correct past simple form is 'leaned' or 'leant' (British English), and the past participle form is also 'leaned' or 'leant'. Mistakenly applying the regular verb rule, some might incorrectly form the past simple and past participle as 'leaned' in all contexts, not recognizing 'leant' as an acceptable variant, especially in British English.

— 02

Incorrect Past Participle

Another common mistake is using the past participle form when the past simple form is required. This often occurs in simple past tense sentences. For example, saying 'I have leant against the wall yesterday' instead of 'I leaned/leant against the wall yesterday.' The confusion arises because the forms can be similar, but their usage depends on the sentence structure and tense, not interchangeable without affecting grammatical correctness.

— 03

Forgetting the Contextual Meaning

The word 'lean' can also change in meaning depending on its form and context. When 'lean' is used in its base form, it primarily means to incline or bend from a vertical position. However, its past forms, 'leaned' or 'leant,' can also imply a reliance or dependency on something else for support. A mistake might occur when the intended meaning is not made clear through the context or when the user is unaware that the past forms can carry this additional nuance.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'lean'?

The past simple form of 'lean' is 'leaned' or 'leant.' Both forms are correct, but 'leaned' is more commonly used in American English, while 'leant' is more traditionally used in British English. For example. American English. Yesterday, she leaned against the wall waiting for her friend. British English. Yesterday, she leant against the wall waiting for her friend.

What is the past participle form of 'lean'?

Similar to its past simple form, 'lean' has two past participle forms. 'leaned' and 'leant.' The usage of either form follows the same regional preferences as the past simple form. For example. American English. She has leaned against that wall many times before. British English. She has leant against that wall many times before.

How do I use the past participle form of 'lean' in a sentence?

The past participle form of 'lean' is used in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions. Here are examples for each case. Perfect tense (Present perfect). They have always leaned/leant on each other for support. Passive voice. The ladder was leaned/leant against the house by the worker.

Can the past simple and past participle forms of 'lean' be used interchangeably?

While the forms 'leaned' and 'leant' can be used interchangeably in terms of past simple vs. past participle, the choice between them often depends on regional dialects, as mentioned earlier. It's important to be consistent in your usage within a single piece of writing. However, you cannot interchange past simple and past participle forms with each other as they serve different grammatical purposes. For instance, 'leaned' or 'leant' can be used as both the past simple and past participle forms, but their application in a sentence must follow the rules of the tense or construction (simple past tense vs. perfect tenses/passive voice).