Spend past tense

Type your word here
Try:

Learn past tenses to communicate in English accurately

Meaning of spend

to pay out, use up, or consume by using.

Infinitive

Word: spend /spɛnd/
Examples:
  • 1. Every month, she spends a significant portion of her salary on books.
  • 2. He spends a lot of time working on his car during the weekends.
  • 3. They spend their summers traveling through Europe.

Past Simple

Word: spent /spɛnt/
Examples:
  • 1. They spent their vacation exploring ancient ruins.
  • 2. She spent her weekend painting her apartment, transforming it with vibrant new colors.
  • 3. They spent a considerable amount of time deliberating over the menu, wanting everything to be perfect for the big event.

Past Participle

Word: spent /spɛnt/
Examples:
  • 1. The money has been spent on a new car.
  • 2. Many hours had been spent studying for the final exam.
  • 3. The vacation budget was spent entirely on luxury accommodations.

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. Routine or habitual actions. Use 'spend' when describing actions that occur regularly or habits that someone has.
    Example. 'I spend a lot of time reading books every weekend.'
    Example. 'He spends too much on luxury items.'
    Example. 'The committee spends the afternoon reviewing applications tomorrow.'
  2. General truths or facts. When stating something that is generally true or a fact about how someone typically uses time, money, or resources.
    Example. 'He spends too much on luxury items.'
    Example. 'The committee spends the afternoon reviewing applications tomorrow.'
  3. Scheduled future events (in some contexts). Sometimes, the present simple is used to talk about scheduled events in the near future, especially in formal contexts.
    Example. 'He spends too much on luxury items.'
    Example. 'The committee spends the afternoon reviewing applications tomorrow.'

Past Simple

  1. Completed actions in the past. Use 'spent' when the action was completed at a specific time in the past. This form is often used in narratives or reports about past activities.
    Example. 'They spent all yesterday working on the project.'
    Example. 'When I was a child, I spent every summer at my grandparents' house.'
    Example. 'We spent the morning shopping and then spent the afternoon wrapping gifts.'
  2. Past habits or states now changed. When talking about past routines or habits that are no longer true.
    Example. 'They spent all yesterday working on the project.'
    Example. 'When I was a child, I spent every summer at my grandparents' house.'
    Example. 'We spent the morning shopping and then spent the afternoon wrapping gifts.'
  3. Sequences of actions in the past. To describe a series of completed actions in the past.
    Example. 'They spent all yesterday working on the project.'
    Example. 'When I was a child, I spent every summer at my grandparents' house.'
    Example. 'We spent the morning shopping and then spent the afternoon wrapping gifts.'

Past Participle

  1. Present Perfect Tense. When you want to talk about actions or states that occurred at an unspecified time in the past and have relevance to the present moment. Also, when the action is complete but the exact time is not important or not mentioned.
    Example. 'I have spent all my savings on this trip.'
    Example. 'By the time the concert started, she had already spent her energy at the pre-party.'
    Example. 'Thousands were spent on the renovation of the old theater.'
    Example. 'If I had spent less money on eating out, I would have saved enough for vacation.'
  2. Past Perfect Tense. To describe an action that was completed before another action or time in the past.
    Example. 'I have spent all my savings on this trip.'
    Example. 'By the time the concert started, she had already spent her energy at the pre-party.'
    Example. 'Thousands were spent on the renovation of the old theater.'
    Example. 'If I had spent less money on eating out, I would have saved enough for vacation.'
  3. Passive Voice. When the subject of the sentence is the recipient of the action rather than the doer. Even though 'spend' often implies an active action of money or time, on rare occasions it may be used in a passive construction where the focus is not on the subject performing the action.
    Example. 'I have spent all my savings on this trip.'
    Example. 'By the time the concert started, she had already spent her energy at the pre-party.'
    Example. 'Thousands were spent on the renovation of the old theater.'
    Example. 'If I had spent less money on eating out, I would have saved enough for vacation.'
  4. Conditional Sentences. Often used in conditional sentences to express hypothetical situations or regret.
    Example. 'I have spent all my savings on this trip.'
    Example. 'By the time the concert started, she had already spent her energy at the pre-party.'
    Example. 'Thousands were spent on the renovation of the old theater.'
    Example. 'If I had spent less money on eating out, I would have saved enough for vacation.'

Common mistakes

— 01

Incorrect Use of Past Simple

A common mistake is using the incorrect form of the past simple for the verb 'spend'. The correct past simple form is 'spent'. However, learners often mistakenly use 'spended' as the past form due to overgeneralization from regular verbs that add -ed to form the past tense. For example, they might incorrectly say, 'I spended a lot of money last weekend,' instead of the correct form, 'I spent a lot of money last weekend.'

— 02

Mixing Up Past Simple

Another frequent error involves confusing the past simple form with the past participle form of the verb 'spend'. The past participle form is also 'spent', just like the past simple form. However, learners sometimes mistakenly use 'spend' (the base form) as the past participle or invent forms like 'spended' when forming perfect tenses or passive voice constructions. For instance, an incorrect sentence might be, 'I have spend/spended all my savings,' instead of the correct, 'I have spent all my savings.'

— 03

Incorrect Formation in Past Simple

A mistake often seen is incorrectly forming negative and question sentences in the past simple tense. Some may incorrectly add 'did not' before 'spent' or misuse 'did' in questions. The correct way to form a negative sentence is, 'I did not spend any money yesterday,' not 'I did not spent any money yesterday.' Similarly, a question should be formed as, 'Did you spend any money?' rather than 'Did you spent any money?'

Past tense quiz

Check your skills and find areas for improvement

Take quiz

Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'spend'?

The past simple form of 'spend' is 'spent'. This form is used to describe an action that started and finished at a specific time in the past. For example. 'I spent all my savings last year.'

What is the past participle form of 'spend'?

The past participle form of 'spend' is also 'spent'. This form is often used in perfect tenses to talk about actions that have a connection to the present or were completed at some unspecified time in the past. For example, in the sentence 'I have spent all my money,' 'spent' is used as the past participle.

How do I use 'spent' in a sentence correctly?

To use 'spent' correctly, determine if you're referring to a completed action in the past (simple past) or if you're discussing an action in relation to the present or an unspecified time (past participle). For simple past. 'She spent five dollars on coffee yesterday.' For past participle. 'They have already spent their allowance.'

Can 'spent' be used in passive voice sentences, and if so, how?

Yes, 'spent' can be used in passive voice sentences, particularly when focusing on the action rather than who performed it. In such cases, 'spent' appears as the past participle. For example. 'A lot of money was spent on the project.' This sentence emphasizes the money spent rather than who spent it.