Rub past tense

Type your word here
Try:

Learn past tenses to communicate in English accurately

Meaning of rub

to apply pressure and friction to a surface.

Infinitive

Word: rub /rʌb/
Examples:
  • 1. Every morning, she rubs her eyes to wake herself up fully.
  • 2. He always rubs his hands together when he's nervous.
  • 3. To keep the wooden furniture looking good, my dad rubs it with a special oil once a month.

Past Simple

Word: rubbed /rʌbd/
Examples:
  • 1. Yesterday, I rubbed my eyes constantly because they were irritated by the pollen.
  • 2. She rubbed the lamp, hoping for a genie to appear, just like in the fairy tales.
  • 3. Before the race, he rubbed his legs with oil to warm up his muscles and prevent cramps.

Past Participle

Word: rubbed /rʌbd/
Examples:
  • 1. The ancient statue had been rubbed smooth by centuries of visitors touching it.
  • 2. The magic lamp was rubbed vigorously in the hope of summoning the genie.
  • 3. The wooden surface will have been rubbed with sandpaper before it's painted.

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 or routine actions
    Example. I rub my eyes every morning when I wake up.
    Example. Friction when you rub your hands together generates heat.
    Example. The medicated cream rubs into the skin easily.
    Example. The workshop on pottery rubs at 10 AM every Saturday.
    Example. First, you rub the seasoning onto the chicken before you bake it.
  2. General truths
    Example. I rub my eyes every morning when I wake up.
    Example. Friction when you rub your hands together generates heat.
    Example. The medicated cream rubs into the skin easily.
    Example. The workshop on pottery rubs at 10 AM every Saturday.
    Example. First, you rub the seasoning onto the chicken before you bake it.
  3. States or facts that are always true
    Example. I rub my eyes every morning when I wake up.
    Example. Friction when you rub your hands together generates heat.
    Example. The medicated cream rubs into the skin easily.
    Example. The workshop on pottery rubs at 10 AM every Saturday.
    Example. First, you rub the seasoning onto the chicken before you bake it.
  4. Scheduled events in the near future (often for public transportation, timetables)
    Example. I rub my eyes every morning when I wake up.
    Example. Friction when you rub your hands together generates heat.
    Example. The medicated cream rubs into the skin easily.
    Example. The workshop on pottery rubs at 10 AM every Saturday.
    Example. First, you rub the seasoning onto the chicken before you bake it.
  5. Instructions or directions
    Example. I rub my eyes every morning when I wake up.
    Example. Friction when you rub your hands together generates heat.
    Example. The medicated cream rubs into the skin easily.
    Example. The workshop on pottery rubs at 10 AM every Saturday.
    Example. First, you rub the seasoning onto the chicken before you bake it.

Past Simple

  1. Completed actions at a specific time in the past
    Example. I rubbed my eyes after staring at the computer for too long yesterday.
    Example. Last night, I came home, rubbed my feet, and went straight to bed.
    Example. When I was a child, I rubbed my eyes whenever I was tired.
    Example. He always rubbed his hands together before starting the surgery.
  2. A series of completed actions in the past
    Example. I rubbed my eyes after staring at the computer for too long yesterday.
    Example. Last night, I came home, rubbed my feet, and went straight to bed.
    Example. When I was a child, I rubbed my eyes whenever I was tired.
    Example. He always rubbed his hands together before starting the surgery.
  3. Habits in the past
    Example. I rubbed my eyes after staring at the computer for too long yesterday.
    Example. Last night, I came home, rubbed my feet, and went straight to bed.
    Example. When I was a child, I rubbed my eyes whenever I was tired.
    Example. He always rubbed his hands together before starting the surgery.
  4. Past facts or generalizations
    Example. I rubbed my eyes after staring at the computer for too long yesterday.
    Example. Last night, I came home, rubbed my feet, and went straight to bed.
    Example. When I was a child, I rubbed my eyes whenever I was tired.
    Example. He always rubbed his hands together before starting the surgery.

Past Participle

  1. In perfect tenses to indicate a completed action or state of being
    Example. The statue was rubbed with a cloth to restore its shine.
    Example. The rubbed finish on this furniture gives it an antique look.
  2. Present Perfect. I have rubbed my eyes so much they are red now.
    Example. The statue was rubbed with a cloth to restore its shine.
    Example. The rubbed finish on this furniture gives it an antique look.
  3. Past Perfect. By the time the meeting started, I had already rubbed my eyes several times due to allergies.
    Example. The statue was rubbed with a cloth to restore its shine.
    Example. The rubbed finish on this furniture gives it an antique look.
  4. Future Perfect. By tomorrow, I will have rubbed my eyes too much if these allergies continue.
    Example. The statue was rubbed with a cloth to restore its shine.
    Example. The rubbed finish on this furniture gives it an antique look.
  5. In passive voice to indicate an action performed on the subject
    Example. The statue was rubbed with a cloth to restore its shine.
    Example. The rubbed finish on this furniture gives it an antique look.
  6. As an adjective to describe something
    Example. The statue was rubbed with a cloth to restore its shine.
    Example. The rubbed finish on this furniture gives it an antique look.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing Forms

A common mistake with the verb 'rub' is confusing its past simple form 'rubbed' with its past participle form 'rubbed.' Although 'rub' is a regular verb where the past simple and past participle forms are identical, learners often mistakenly believe they should be different due to irregular verb patterns they've encountered. This confusion can lead to incorrect construction of sentences, especially in perfect tenses and passive voice. For example, a learner might incorrectly say 'I have rub the lamp' instead of the correct 'I have rubbed the lamp.'

— 02

Incorrect Doubling of the Consonant

When forming the past simple and past participle forms of 'rub,' the final consonant is doubled before adding '-ed.' A frequent mistake is either forgetting to double the 'b' or wrongly applying this rule to verbs where it doesn't apply. Forgetting to double the consonant can lead to spelling errors like 'rubed' instead of the correct 'rubbed.' This mistake arises from misunderstanding the rule that consonants are doubled after a short, stressed vowel in a single-syllable verb.

— 03

Misuse in Sentence Structure

Another common error is misusing the past participle form 'rubbed' in sentence structures that require the past simple form, and vice versa. This can affect the clarity and grammatical accuracy of sentences. For instance, saying 'Yesterday, I have rubbed the table' instead of 'Yesterday, I rubbed the table' demonstrates a confusion between the usage of the past simple for completed actions in the past and the past participle form used in perfect tenses to indicate actions affecting the present.

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 'rub'?

The past simple form of 'rub' is 'rubbed.' Similarly, the past participle form of 'rub' is also 'rubbed.' Both forms double the final 'b' before adding the -ed ending, which is a common rule for verbs ending in a single vowel followed by a single consonant.

How do you use 'rubbed' in a past simple sentence?

In a past simple sentence, 'rubbed' is used to describe an action that was completed at a specific time in the past. For example. 'Yesterday, I rubbed the lamp to clean it.' This sentence indicates that the action of rubbing the lamp was completed yesterday.

How is 'rubbed' used as a past participle in a sentence?

The past participle form 'rubbed' is often used in perfect tenses or passive voice constructions. For example, in the present perfect tense. 'I have rubbed my eyes too much today.' This sentence indicates that the action of rubbing the eyes has occurred at some unspecified time before now. In a passive voice construction, you might say. 'The table was rubbed with a cloth to remove the dust,' indicating that someone performed the action of rubbing on the table.

Can 'rubbed' be used in both regular and progressive forms?

Yes, 'rubbed' can be used in sentences that describe actions in the regular past tense, and it can also be part of progressive (continuous) forms, although in the latter, the base form 'rub' is used with different auxiliary verbs. For example, in the past progressive. 'I was rubbing the stain when it finally started to fade.' This sentence uses 'was rubbing' to indicate an ongoing action in the past. However, remember that 'rubbed' itself is not used in progressive tenses; instead, the base form 'rub' is used with appropriate auxiliary verbs to indicate the continuous aspect.