Spot past tense

Type your word here
Try:

Learn past tenses to communicate in English accurately

Meaning of spot

to notice or recognize.

Infinitive

Word: spot /spɒt/
Examples:
  • 1. My dog always spots the squirrel in the garden before I do.
  • 2. She spots errors in the report with remarkable ease.
  • 3. The security camera spots any movement around the perimeter.

Past Simple

Word: spotted /ˈspɒtɪd/
Examples:
  • 1. I finally spotted the rare bird perched high on the tree yesterday.
  • 2. He spotted his friend in the crowd and waved enthusiastically.
  • 3. They spotted an error in the report and corrected it before submission.

Past Participle

Word: spotted /ˈspɒtɪd/
Examples:
  • 1. The missing document was finally spotted beneath a pile of books.
  • 2. The old mansion had been spotted with mold after years of neglect.
  • 3. The leopard's fur was uniquely spotted, distinguishing it from the others.

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. To describe habitual actions or routines involving noticing or recognizing something or someone.
    Example. She spots new trends before anyone else does.
    Example. A good detective spots clues that others overlook.
    Example. To improve your birdwatching skills, learn to spot birds by their calls.
  2. To state facts or general truths about the ability to notice or recognize.
    Example. She spots new trends before anyone else does.
    Example. A good detective spots clues that others overlook.
    Example. To improve your birdwatching skills, learn to spot birds by their calls.
  3. To give instructions or advice related to noticing or recognizing.
    Example. She spots new trends before anyone else does.
    Example. A good detective spots clues that others overlook.
    Example. To improve your birdwatching skills, learn to spot birds by their calls.

Past Simple

  1. To talk about a specific instance in the past when something or someone was noticed or recognized.
    Example. They spotted a rare bird during their hike yesterday.
    Example. After searching for hours, we finally spotted the keys under the couch.
    Example. As a child, he often spotted shooting stars while gazing at the night sky.
  2. To describe a series of actions in the past involving noticing or recognizing.
    Example. They spotted a rare bird during their hike yesterday.
    Example. After searching for hours, we finally spotted the keys under the couch.
    Example. As a child, he often spotted shooting stars while gazing at the night sky.
  3. To express a past action of noticing or recognizing that is complete.
    Example. They spotted a rare bird during their hike yesterday.
    Example. After searching for hours, we finally spotted the keys under the couch.
    Example. As a child, he often spotted shooting stars while gazing at the night sky.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect tenses - To talk about actions of noticing or recognizing that have happened, with relevance to the present moment or completed at an unspecified time in the past.
    Example. The missing child was spotted by a passerby in the park.
  2. Example (Present Perfect). I have spotted several errors in the report.
    Example. The missing child was spotted by a passerby in the park.
  3. Example (Past Perfect). By the time they returned, she had already spotted the mistake in the calculations.
    Example. The missing child was spotted by a passerby in the park.
  4. Passive voice - To describe situations where the focus is on something being noticed or recognized, rather than who noticed or recognized it.
    Example. The missing child was spotted by a passerby in the park.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing Forms

One common mistake is mixing up the past simple form of a word with its past participle form, especially in irregular verbs. For the verb 'spot,' however, both the past simple and past participle forms are regular and identical. 'spotted.' Despite this, some might mistakenly use 'spotted' only as the past simple and invent an incorrect past participle form like 'spotten' due to misunderstanding of regular and irregular verb patterns.

— 02

Incorrect Usage in Perfect Tenses

Another mistake involves the Incorrect Past Participle in perfect tenses. Since 'spotted' serves as both the past simple and past participle form, it should be correctly used with auxiliary verbs to construct perfect tenses (e.g., 'have spotted' in the present perfect tense). An error occurs when learners omit the auxiliary verb or use the wrong form, saying something like 'I have spot' instead of the correct 'I have spotted.'

— 03

Misapplication in Passive Voice

The third common mistake is misusing the past participle form when forming the passive voice. The correct construction for the passive voice involves the verb 'to be' followed by the past participle, as in 'The bird was spotted by the observer.' A frequent error is either using the past simple form in place of the past participle or omitting the 'to be' verb, leading to incorrect sentences like 'The bird was spot by the observer' or 'The bird spotted by the observer.'

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 'spot'?

The past simple form of 'spot' is 'spotted,' and this is also the past participle form. Both forms are used to describe actions in the past, but they are used in different grammatical structures.

How do you use the past simple form 'spotted' in a sentence?

The past simple form 'spotted' is used to talk about actions that happened at a specific time in the past. You use it when the time of the action is mentioned or understood from the context. Example. Yesterday, I spotted a rare bird in my backyard. In this sentence, 'spotted' indicates a completed action that occurred at a specific time in the past, which is 'yesterday.'

How is the past participle 'spotted' used in sentences?

The past participle 'spotted' is often used in perfect tenses or passive voice constructions. In perfect tenses, it is used with auxiliary verbs like 'have,' 'has,' or 'had' to indicate actions that have been completed at the time of speaking or by a specific time in the past. Example in perfect tense. I have spotted that bird several times this month. In passive voice, it is used to shift the focus from the doer of the action to the subject receiving the action. Example in passive voice. The rare bird was spotted by many people in the park.

Can 'spotted' be used in a continuous or progressive tense?

While 'spotted' itself is not used in continuous or progressive tenses because it is a past form, you can use the base form 'spot' in continuous or progressive constructions to describe an action that was happening at a specific time in the past. Example in past continuous. I was spotting various birds when it suddenly started to rain. This sentence describes an action ('spotting') that was in progress at a particular moment in the past when another action ('started to rain') occurred.