Serve past tense

Meaning of serve

to perform duties or services for another person or organization.

Infinitive

Word: server /sɜːv/

Examples:

1. She serves dinner at six every evening.
2. The restaurant serves breakfast until 11 am.
3. He always serves tea to his guests with a smile.

Past Simple

Word: served /sɜrvd/

Examples:

1. She served dinner promptly at 7 PM last night.
2. They served in the military for four years before starting their own business.
3. The tennis player served the ball so powerfully that his opponent couldn't return it.

Past Participle

Word: served /sɜːvd/

Examples:

1. The dinner has been served to all the guests.
2. The community was served by devoted volunteers throughout the crisis.
3. By noon, all the customers in the cafe had been served.

Learn more words on the go

Master verb forms with Promova!

Download the app

Bare infinitive

To describe a habit or something that happens regularly.
Example. She serves dinner at 7 pm every evening.
Example. This restaurant serves the best Italian cuisine in town.
Example. You serve the customers while I handle the payments.
Example. He serves the ball with such precision in tennis.
To state a fact.
Example. She serves dinner at 7 pm every evening.
Example. This restaurant serves the best Italian cuisine in town.
Example. You serve the customers while I handle the payments.
Example. He serves the ball with such precision in tennis.
For instructions or directions.
Example. She serves dinner at 7 pm every evening.
Example. This restaurant serves the best Italian cuisine in town.
Example. You serve the customers while I handle the payments.
Example. He serves the ball with such precision in tennis.
In sports or games, to describe a player starting play.
Example. She serves dinner at 7 pm every evening.
Example. This restaurant serves the best Italian cuisine in town.
Example. You serve the customers while I handle the payments.
Example. He serves the ball with such precision in tennis.

Past Simple

To describe an action that was completed at a definite time in the past.
Example. They served dinner early last night.
Example. He served the first course, then the main dish, and finally dessert.
Example. She served as a teacher for many years before retiring.
Example. We served on the jury together last month.
For a series of completed actions in the past.
Example. They served dinner early last night.
Example. He served the first course, then the main dish, and finally dessert.
Example. She served as a teacher for many years before retiring.
Example. We served on the jury together last month.
To describe habitual actions in the past.
Example. They served dinner early last night.
Example. He served the first course, then the main dish, and finally dessert.
Example. She served as a teacher for many years before retiring.
Example. We served on the jury together last month.
With expressions that indicate a time frame completed in the past (e.g., yesterday, last week).
Example. They served dinner early last night.
Example. He served the first course, then the main dish, and finally dessert.
Example. She served as a teacher for many years before retiring.
Example. We served on the jury together last month.

Past Participle

In the present perfect tense to describe actions that have occurred at some point in the past without specifying when.
Example. They have served lunch already, so let’s have dinner.
Example. By the time I arrived, they had already served the appetizers.
Example. Dinner was served promptly at 8 pm.
Example. Having served as a captain has given him a unique leadership perspective.
In the past perfect tense to describe actions that occurred before another action in the past.
Example. They have served lunch already, so let’s have dinner.
Example. By the time I arrived, they had already served the appetizers.
Example. Dinner was served promptly at 8 pm.
Example. Having served as a captain has given him a unique leadership perspective.
In passive voice constructions to describe when an action is performed by someone/something.
Example. They have served lunch already, so let’s have dinner.
Example. By the time I arrived, they had already served the appetizers.
Example. Dinner was served promptly at 8 pm.
Example. Having served as a captain has given him a unique leadership perspective.
To describe conditions related to experience or actions that have an impact on the present.
Example. They have served lunch already, so let’s have dinner.
Example. By the time I arrived, they had already served the appetizers.
Example. Dinner was served promptly at 8 pm.
Example. Having served as a captain has given him a unique leadership perspective.

Common mistakes

— 01

Misuse of Infinitive

One common mistake is confusing the simple past form of 'serve' with its past participle form. The simple past form is 'served,' and it is used to describe an action that was completed in the past. For instance, 'Yesterday, I served dinner to my family.' The past participle form is also 'served,' but it is used in perfect tenses and passive voice, often with helping verbs like 'has,' 'have,' or 'had.' An example is, 'By the time we arrived, dinner had already been served.' The confusion typically arises because both forms look identical, leading to misuse in complex tenses.

— 02

Incorrectly Creating Past Forms

Another mistake is trying to apply irregular verb conjugation rules to 'serve,' treating it as if it were irregular and creating nonexistent forms. Some learners might incorrectly produce forms like 'served' for the simple past but then mistakenly attempt to create a distinct past participle like 'serven' or 'sarve,' influenced by patterns in truly irregular verbs like 'begin' (began, begun). Correctly recognizing 'serve' as a regular verb where both the simple past and past participle forms are 'served' is crucial.

— 03

Omitting Past Participle

A frequent error is omitting the past participle 'served' in perfect tense constructions, leading to grammatically incorrect sentences. For instance, saying 'I have serve dinner' instead of the correct 'I have served dinner.' This mistake undermines the grammatical structure required for expressing actions in the perfect aspect, showing completion of an action at a certain time in the past. Properly using 'served' in these contexts is essential for clear and correct English communication.

Past tense quiz

Check your skills and find areas for improvement

Take quiz

Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'serve'?

The past simple form of 'serve' is 'served.' This form is used to talk about actions that were completed in the past. For example, 'I served dinner at 7 PM yesterday.'

How is the past participle of 'serve' constructed, and when is it used?

The past participle form of 'serve' is also 'served.' It is used in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions. In perfect tenses, it helps to express actions that have been completed at some point in the past or that were completed before another action. For example, in the present perfect tense, you might say, 'I have served as a teacher for over twenty years.' In the passive voice, it could be used as in, 'Dinner was served at 8 PM.'

Can you give an example of a sentence using 'serve' in the past simple and another in the past participle form?

Past Simple. 'They served a wonderful meal at the wedding last night.' Past Participle. 'By the time we arrived, the main course had already been served.' These examples illustrate how 'served' is used to discuss events in the past, with the past simple focusing on a specific action and the past participle being used in a perfect tense construction or in passive voice. Is there any difference in pronunciation between the past simple and past participle forms of 'serve'