Leap past tense

Type your word here
Try:

Learn past tenses to communicate in English accurately

Meaning of leap

to jump or spring a long way, to a great height, or with great force.

Infinitive

Word: leap /liːp/
Examples:
  • 1. Every year, the athletes leap to new records in the long jump event.
  • 2. Cats often leap effortlessly from the ground to high surfaces.
  • 3. During the dance, she leap gracefully across the stage.

Past Simple

Word: leapt or leaped /lɛpt/ or /liːpt/
Examples:
  • 1. She leaped gracefully over the small puddle to keep her shoes dry.
  • 2. The frog leaped from one lily pad to another in the pond.
  • 3. He leaped out of bed the moment he realized he was late for his morning meeting.

Past Participle

Word: leapt /lɛpt/ or leaped /liːpt/
Examples:
  • 1. The wide chasm has been leaped by the athlete with remarkable ease.
  • 2. By the end of the evening, the daring stunt had been leaped by the performers with flawless precision.
  • 3. The high fence will have been leaped by the escaping prisoner before the guards even notice.

Learn more words on the go

Master verb forms with Promova!

Download the app
cta-section-decorative-line-left
cta-section-decorative-line-left

Bare infinitive

  1. Habitual actions or routines.
    Example. She leaps over small obstacles during her morning run.
    Example. A gazelle leaps higher than many other animals.
    Example. The dance show leaps into action every night at 8 PM.
  2. General truths or facts.
    Example. She leaps over small obstacles during her morning run.
    Example. A gazelle leaps higher than many other animals.
    Example. The dance show leaps into action every night at 8 PM.
  3. Fixed arrangements, timetables, or programs (often with future implications).
    Example. She leaps over small obstacles during her morning run.
    Example. A gazelle leaps higher than many other animals.
    Example. The dance show leaps into action every night at 8 PM.

Past Simple

  1. Actions completed at a specific time in the past.
    Example. He leapt over the fence yesterday to retrieve the ball.
    Example. The deer leapt across the field, paused to look around, and then disappeared into the forest.
    Example. When she was young, she often leapt from the highest diving board.
    Example. Before his injury, he easily leapt over hurdles.
  2. A series of completed actions in the past.
    Example. He leapt over the fence yesterday to retrieve the ball.
    Example. The deer leapt across the field, paused to look around, and then disappeared into the forest.
    Example. When she was young, she often leapt from the highest diving board.
    Example. Before his injury, he easily leapt over hurdles.
  3. Past habits or states.
    Example. He leapt over the fence yesterday to retrieve the ball.
    Example. The deer leapt across the field, paused to look around, and then disappeared into the forest.
    Example. When she was young, she often leapt from the highest diving board.
    Example. Before his injury, he easily leapt over hurdles.
  4. Past facts or generalizations which are no longer true.
    Example. He leapt over the fence yesterday to retrieve the ball.
    Example. The deer leapt across the field, paused to look around, and then disappeared into the forest.
    Example. When she was young, she often leapt from the highest diving board.
    Example. Before his injury, he easily leapt over hurdles.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect tenses.
    Example. She has leapt over many obstacles to get where she is today.
    Example. By the time he arrived, she had leapt into a new career.
    Example. By next year, they will have leapt through all the necessary hoops to start their business.
    Example. The record was leapt past by the newest competitor.
  2. Present Perfect (for actions that happened at an unspecified time in the past or actions that began in the past and continue to the present).
    Example. She has leapt over many obstacles to get where she is today.
    Example. By the time he arrived, she had leapt into a new career.
    Example. By next year, they will have leapt through all the necessary hoops to start their business.
    Example. The record was leapt past by the newest competitor.
  3. Past Perfect (for actions that were completed before another action in the past).
    Example. She has leapt over many obstacles to get where she is today.
    Example. By the time he arrived, she had leapt into a new career.
    Example. By next year, they will have leapt through all the necessary hoops to start their business.
    Example. The record was leapt past by the newest competitor.
  4. Future Perfect (for actions that will be completed before a specific time in the future).
    Example. She has leapt over many obstacles to get where she is today.
    Example. By the time he arrived, she had leapt into a new career.
    Example. By next year, they will have leapt through all the necessary hoops to start their business.
    Example. The record was leapt past by the newest competitor.
  5. Passive voice (when the subject of the sentence is acted upon).
    Example. She has leapt over many obstacles to get where she is today.
    Example. By the time he arrived, she had leapt into a new career.
    Example. By next year, they will have leapt through all the necessary hoops to start their business.
    Example. The record was leapt past by the newest competitor.

Common mistakes

— 01

Regular Verb Treatment

One common mistake with the verb “leap” is treating it as a regular verb when forming its past simple and past participle forms. Some learners might incorrectly add -ed to form leaped for both past simple and past participle. Although 'leaped' is considered correct in American English, in British English, the correct irregular forms are 'leapt' for both past simple and past participle. Therefore, mixing up the conventions or using 'leaped' in a context that strictly follows British English rules can be seen as a mistake.

— 02

Confusing forms

Another mistake involves confusing the past simple form with the past participle form of the verb “leap.” While many irregular verbs have distinct past simple and past participle forms, “leap” uses 'leapt' (British English) or 'leaped' (American English) for both. Learners might mistakenly believe they should be different and could incorrectly use a non-existent form like “leapted” for the past participle, not realizing that “leapt” or “leaped” serves both functions.

— 03

Incorrect Use in Perfect Tenses

A further mistake is the incorrect application of “leap” in perfect tenses, which require the past participle form. Some might use the base form or the past simple form instead of the correct past participle form. For instance, saying “I have leap” or “I have leapt” instead of the correct “I have leapt” (British English) or “I have leaped” (American English) in the present perfect tense shows a misunderstanding of how to conjugate the verb properly in these constructions.

Past tense quiz

Check your skills and find areas for improvement

Take quiz

Frequently asked questions

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

The verb 'leap' has two sets of past simple and past participle forms. The regular forms are 'leaped' for both the past simple and the past participle. However, 'leap' also has irregular forms, which are 'leapt' (past simple) and 'leapt' (past participle). Both sets of forms are correct, but their usage might vary depending on the dialect of English. When should I use 'leaped' vs. 'leapt'

Can you give examples of sentences using both the past simple and past participle forms of 'leap'?

Certainly! Here are examples for each form. Past Simple (Regular). 'He leaped over the fence effortlessly.' Past Simple (Irregular). 'She leapt into action when she saw the danger.' Past Participle (Regular). 'They had leaped out of the way just in time.' Past Participle (Irregular). 'The cat has leapt onto the windowsill several times today.' Is there any difference in meaning between the regular and irregular forms