Repay past tense
Meaning of repay
to make repayment or return for (money previously borrowed, services rendered, or favors bestowed).
Infinitive
- 1. He always repays his debts on time to maintain a good credit score.
- 2. She repays kindness with even greater kindness, believing in the power of positive actions.
- 3. The company repays its investors with quarterly dividends as a token of appreciation for their trust.
Past Simple
- 1. She repaid the kindness her neighbor had shown her by helping out in their garden.
- 2. After many years of struggle, he finally repaid all his debts.
- 3. They repaid the loan earlier than expected, saving themselves a lot of interest.
Past Participle
- 1. The money was fully repaid by John before the deadline.
- 2. The kindness shown to her has been repaid in full through her volunteer work.
- 3. The debts owed to him had been repaid before the year ended.
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Bare infinitive
- General Truth or Habitual Action.Example. He always repays his debts on time.Example. He repays the loan next Monday.
- When speaking about actions that happen regularly or are considered universally true.Example. He always repays his debts on time.Example. He repays the loan next Monday.
- Scheduled Events in the Near Future (in some contexts).Example. He always repays his debts on time.Example. He repays the loan next Monday.
- Referring to a scheduled event or something that is going to happen according to a timetable or schedule.Example. He always repays his debts on time.Example. He repays the loan next Monday.
Past Simple
- Completed Action in the Past.Example. He repaid his friend yesterday.Example. He often repaid loans early in his younger days.Example. When he was in college, he always repaid any money he borrowed.
- When talking about an action that was completed at a specific time in the past.Example. He repaid his friend yesterday.Example. He often repaid loans early in his younger days.Example. When he was in college, he always repaid any money he borrowed.
- Habit in the Past.Example. He repaid his friend yesterday.Example. He often repaid loans early in his younger days.Example. When he was in college, he always repaid any money he borrowed.
- To describe a habit in the past, not necessarily happening now.Example. He repaid his friend yesterday.Example. He often repaid loans early in his younger days.Example. When he was in college, he always repaid any money he borrowed.
- Past Facts or Generalizations.Example. He repaid his friend yesterday.Example. He often repaid loans early in his younger days.Example. When he was in college, he always repaid any money he borrowed.
- When making a statement or generalization about the past.Example. He repaid his friend yesterday.Example. He often repaid loans early in his younger days.Example. When he was in college, he always repaid any money he borrowed.
Past Participle
- Perfect Aspect.Example. He has repaid all his debts.Example. He had already repaid the loan when the bank called.Example. By the end of this year, he will have repaid the entire mortgage.Example. The money was repaid promptly by the borrower.
- Present Perfect.Example. He has repaid all his debts.Example. He had already repaid the loan when the bank called.Example. By the end of this year, he will have repaid the entire mortgage.Example. The money was repaid promptly by the borrower.
- To talk about actions or experiences that have happened at an unspecified time prior to now. The exact time is not important.Example. He has repaid all his debts.Example. He had already repaid the loan when the bank called.Example. By the end of this year, he will have repaid the entire mortgage.Example. The money was repaid promptly by the borrower.
- Past Perfect.Example. He has repaid all his debts.Example. He had already repaid the loan when the bank called.Example. By the end of this year, he will have repaid the entire mortgage.Example. The money was repaid promptly by the borrower.
- To talk about actions that were completed before another action or time in the past.Example. He has repaid all his debts.Example. He had already repaid the loan when the bank called.Example. By the end of this year, he will have repaid the entire mortgage.Example. The money was repaid promptly by the borrower.
- Future Perfect.Example. He has repaid all his debts.Example. He had already repaid the loan when the bank called.Example. By the end of this year, he will have repaid the entire mortgage.Example. The money was repaid promptly by the borrower.
- To talk about actions that will be completed before a specified future time.Example. He has repaid all his debts.Example. He had already repaid the loan when the bank called.Example. By the end of this year, he will have repaid the entire mortgage.Example. The money was repaid promptly by the borrower.
- Passive Voice.Example. He has repaid all his debts.Example. He had already repaid the loan when the bank called.Example. By the end of this year, he will have repaid the entire mortgage.Example. The money was repaid promptly by the borrower.
- To indicate that the action was performed on the subject, often when the agent is unknown or irrelevant.Example. He has repaid all his debts.Example. He had already repaid the loan when the bank called.Example. By the end of this year, he will have repaid the entire mortgage.Example. The money was repaid promptly by the borrower.
Common mistakes
— 01
Applying wrong ending
A common mistake with 'repay' is trying to add a regular past tense '-ed' suffix, resulting in 'repayed' instead of the correct irregular forms 'repaid' for both the past simple and past participle. This error occurs because learners might apply the general rule of adding '-ed' to form the past tense without recognizing that 'repay' is an irregular verb that follows a different pattern.
— 02
Mispronouncing the past form
Given the change from 'repay' to 'repaid' in the past tense and past participle, learners might struggle with the shift in vowel sound and incorrectly pronounce 'repaid' as /rɪˈpaɪd/ similar to the base form, instead of the correct /rɪˈpeɪd/. This mistake underscores the challenge of English pronunciation, where changes in spelling for verb tenses can significantly affect pronunciation, yet learners may not adjust accordingly.
— 03
Confusion between forms
Some learners might believe that 'repayed' is an acceptable alternative form for the past tense or past participle of 'repay,' especially in regions or contexts where non-standard forms gain temporary usage or acceptance. This misconception could lead to using 'repayed' in formal writing or speech, where 'repaid' is the only correct form. The mistake arises from an incorrect analogy with other verbs that have regular patterns or from exposure to incorrect usage that learners mistakenly generalize as being widely acceptable.
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