Overhear past tense
Meaning of overhear
to hear (someone or something) without the speaker's intention or knowledge.
Infinitive
- 1. I often overhear interesting conversations when I ride the subway to work.
- 2. She usually overhears bits of gossip when she walks past the break room.
- 3. They sometimes overhear their neighbors’ loud arguments through the thin apartment walls.
Past Simple
- 1. Yesterday, I overheard my colleagues discussing the new project in the break room.
- 2. She overheard her parents talking about moving to a new city when she was supposed to be asleep.
- 3. While walking down the hallway, I accidentally overheard the manager's conversation about layoffs.
Past Participle
- 1. The secret plans had been overheard by an unknown bystander.
- 2. The jokes told last night were angrily overheard by our neighbor.
- 3. The thrilling news has been overheard by everyone in the office.
Learn more words on the go
Master verb forms with Promova!
Bare infinitive
- Regular Actions or RoutinesExample. I usually overhear their conversations when I walk past their house.Example. She often tells me she can overhear the birds early in the morning.Example. The seminar starts at 3 PM; I hope I don't overhear any spoilers before then.
- General Truths or FactsExample. I usually overhear their conversations when I walk past their house.Example. She often tells me she can overhear the birds early in the morning.Example. The seminar starts at 3 PM; I hope I don't overhear any spoilers before then.
- Scheduled Events in the Near Future (especially in timetables)Example. I usually overhear their conversations when I walk past their house.Example. She often tells me she can overhear the birds early in the morning.Example. The seminar starts at 3 PM; I hope I don't overhear any spoilers before then.
Past Simple
- Actions Completed in the Past at a Specific TimeExample. They overheard a strange discussion last night.Example. She walked into the room, overheard the plan, and immediately left.Example. He said he never overheard anything important while he worked there.
- A Series of Completed Actions in the PastExample. They overheard a strange discussion last night.Example. She walked into the room, overheard the plan, and immediately left.Example. He said he never overheard anything important while he worked there.
- Past Facts or GeneralizationsExample. They overheard a strange discussion last night.Example. She walked into the room, overheard the plan, and immediately left.Example. He said he never overheard anything important while he worked there.
Past Participle
- Used in Perfect Tenses to Show Completed ActionExample. The overheard rumor turned out to be false.Example. The conversation was overheard by everyone in the room.
- Present Perfect. He has overheard many secrets in his line of work.Example. The overheard rumor turned out to be false.Example. The conversation was overheard by everyone in the room.
- Past Perfect. She had already overheard the news by the time we told her.Example. The overheard rumor turned out to be false.Example. The conversation was overheard by everyone in the room.
- Future Perfect. By the end of the day, they will have overheard all about it.Example. The overheard rumor turned out to be false.Example. The conversation was overheard by everyone in the room.
- Used as an AdjectiveExample. The overheard rumor turned out to be false.Example. The conversation was overheard by everyone in the room.
- Passive Voice to Show the Receiver of an ActionExample. The overheard rumor turned out to be false.Example. The conversation was overheard by everyone in the room.
Common mistakes
— 01
Confusing Forms
One common mistake is confusing the past simple form 'overheard' with the past participle form, which is also 'overheard'. While both forms share the same spelling, their usage differs depending on the sentence structure. The past simple form is used to describe an action that was completed in the past, e.g., 'I overheard their conversation yesterday.' The past participle form is used in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions, e.g., 'I have overheard many secrets in this room.'
— 02
Creating Regular Forms
Another mistake is attempting to apply regular verb conjugation rules to 'overhear,' treating it as if it were a regular verb by adding -ed to form the past simple and past participle. This results in incorrect forms like 'overheared' instead of the correct irregular form 'overheard' for both the past simple and past participle. This mistake stems from the misunderstanding of irregular verbs in English, which do not follow the standard pattern of adding -ed for past tense and past participle forms.
— 03
Avoiding the Past Participle
Some learners avoid using the past participle form of 'overhear' altogether because they are unsure how to use it correctly in sentences, especially in perfect tenses or passive voice. This avoidance can lead to limited sentence structures and a reluctance to engage with more complex grammar constructions. For example, instead of saying 'I have never overheard anything important,' a learner might incorrectly simplify to 'I never overhear anything important,' missing the nuance of a completed action over an indefinite period.
Past tense quiz
Check your skills and find areas for improvement