Spring past tense

Type your word here
Try:

Learn past tenses to communicate in English accurately

Meaning of spring

to move suddenly and quickly in a particular direction.

Infinitive

Word: spring /sprɪŋ/
Examples:
  • 1. Every year, flowers begin to bloom when spring arrives.
  • 2. In spring, the days start getting longer and warmer.
  • 3. Birds migrate back to their breeding grounds each spring.

Past Simple

Word: sprang /spræŋ/
Examples:
  • 1. The children sprang into action when they saw the ice cream truck coming down the street.
  • 2. The cat sprang from the top of the fence onto the grassy lawn with ease.
  • 3. She sprang to her feet as soon as she heard her favorite song start to play.

Past Participle

Word: sprung /sprʌŋ/
Examples:
  • 1. The flowers had been sprung from the seeds by the warm weather.
  • 2. By April, the trees had already sprung back to life.
  • 3. The festival was sprung into action by the organizers' efforts.

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. General Facts or Truths
    Example. 'Rabbits spring away at the sign of danger.'
    Example. 'He springs from his chair the moment he hears his favorite song.'
  2. Use. When expressing actions or situations that are general knowledge, or universally recognized truths.
    Example. 'Rabbits spring away at the sign of danger.'
    Example. 'He springs from his chair the moment he hears his favorite song.'
  3. Habitual Actions
    Example. 'Rabbits spring away at the sign of danger.'
    Example. 'He springs from his chair the moment he hears his favorite song.'
  4. Use. To describe routines or actions that happen regularly.
    Example. 'Rabbits spring away at the sign of danger.'
    Example. 'He springs from his chair the moment he hears his favorite song.'

Past Simple

  1. Completed Actions in the Past
    Example. 'The cat sprang onto the windowsill yesterday morning.'
    Example. 'When we were kids, we often sprang into action at the first hint of adventure.'
    Example. 'She sprang to her feet, ran to the window, and shouted for help.'
  2. Use. To talk about actions or situations that were completed at a specific time in the past.
    Example. 'The cat sprang onto the windowsill yesterday morning.'
    Example. 'When we were kids, we often sprang into action at the first hint of adventure.'
    Example. 'She sprang to her feet, ran to the window, and shouted for help.'
  3. Past Habits
    Example. 'The cat sprang onto the windowsill yesterday morning.'
    Example. 'When we were kids, we often sprang into action at the first hint of adventure.'
    Example. 'She sprang to her feet, ran to the window, and shouted for help.'
  4. Use. For actions that were regular in the past but no longer happen.
    Example. 'The cat sprang onto the windowsill yesterday morning.'
    Example. 'When we were kids, we often sprang into action at the first hint of adventure.'
    Example. 'She sprang to her feet, ran to the window, and shouted for help.'
  5. Series of Completed Actions
    Example. 'The cat sprang onto the windowsill yesterday morning.'
    Example. 'When we were kids, we often sprang into action at the first hint of adventure.'
    Example. 'She sprang to her feet, ran to the window, and shouted for help.'
  6. Use. To describe a series of actions that happened one after another in the past.
    Example. 'The cat sprang onto the windowsill yesterday morning.'
    Example. 'When we were kids, we often sprang into action at the first hint of adventure.'
    Example. 'She sprang to her feet, ran to the window, and shouted for help.'

Past Participle

  1. Perfect Tenses
    Example. 'She has never sprung into action so quickly before.'
    Example. 'By the time we arrived, the cat had already sprung into the tree.'
    Example. 'By the end of the day, he will have sprung several surprises on his team.'
    Example. 'The trap was sprung by the unsuspecting thief.'
  2. Present Perfect.
    Example. 'She has never sprung into action so quickly before.'
    Example. 'By the time we arrived, the cat had already sprung into the tree.'
    Example. 'By the end of the day, he will have sprung several surprises on his team.'
    Example. 'The trap was sprung by the unsuspecting thief.'
  3. Use. To talk about past actions that have an impact on the present moment.
    Example. 'She has never sprung into action so quickly before.'
    Example. 'By the time we arrived, the cat had already sprung into the tree.'
    Example. 'By the end of the day, he will have sprung several surprises on his team.'
    Example. 'The trap was sprung by the unsuspecting thief.'
  4. Past Perfect.
    Example. 'She has never sprung into action so quickly before.'
    Example. 'By the time we arrived, the cat had already sprung into the tree.'
    Example. 'By the end of the day, he will have sprung several surprises on his team.'
    Example. 'The trap was sprung by the unsuspecting thief.'
  5. Use. To talk about actions that were completed before another action in the past.
    Example. 'She has never sprung into action so quickly before.'
    Example. 'By the time we arrived, the cat had already sprung into the tree.'
    Example. 'By the end of the day, he will have sprung several surprises on his team.'
    Example. 'The trap was sprung by the unsuspecting thief.'
  6. Future Perfect.
    Example. 'She has never sprung into action so quickly before.'
    Example. 'By the time we arrived, the cat had already sprung into the tree.'
    Example. 'By the end of the day, he will have sprung several surprises on his team.'
    Example. 'The trap was sprung by the unsuspecting thief.'
  7. Use. To talk about actions that will be completed before a specific time in the future.
    Example. 'She has never sprung into action so quickly before.'
    Example. 'By the time we arrived, the cat had already sprung into the tree.'
    Example. 'By the end of the day, he will have sprung several surprises on his team.'
    Example. 'The trap was sprung by the unsuspecting thief.'
  8. Passive Voice
    Example. 'She has never sprung into action so quickly before.'
    Example. 'By the time we arrived, the cat had already sprung into the tree.'
    Example. 'By the end of the day, he will have sprung several surprises on his team.'
    Example. 'The trap was sprung by the unsuspecting thief.'
  9. Use. To describe an action done to the subject rather than by the subject.
    Example. 'She has never sprung into action so quickly before.'
    Example. 'By the time we arrived, the cat had already sprung into the tree.'
    Example. 'By the end of the day, he will have sprung several surprises on his team.'
    Example. 'The trap was sprung by the unsuspecting thief.'

Common mistakes

— 01

Regular and Irregular Verbs

One of the most common mistakes involves misunderstanding which verbs are regular and which are irregular. For regular verbs, the past simple and past participle forms are created by adding -ed to the base form. However, 'spring' is an irregular verb, and its past simple form is 'sprang,' while its past participle form is 'sprung.' Many learners mistakenly apply the regular verb rule and say 'springed' instead of the correct forms.

— 02

Incorrect Use of Past Participle

Another frequent error is using the past participle form of 'spring' incorrectly by Omitting Auxiliary Verbs. The past participle 'sprung' should be used with auxiliary verbs like 'have' or 'had' to construct perfect tenses (e.g., 'I have sprung,' 'They had sprung'). However, learners often mistakenly use 'sprung' as if it were a simple past form without the auxiliary verb, leading to sentences that lack grammatical coherence (e.g., 'I sprung out of bed early,' instead of 'I sprang out of bed early').

— 03

Mixing up the forms

Learners frequently mix up the past simple 'sprang' and the past participle 'sprung,' especially when forming complex verb tenses. For example, in the present perfect tense, the correct form is 'have sprung' (e.g., 'The flowers have sprung up overnight'), but learners might incorrectly use 'have sprang.' This error distorts the intended meaning and disrupts the grammatical structure of the sentence.

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 'spring'?

The past simple form of 'spring' is 'sprang,' and the past participle form is 'sprung.' It's important to note that 'spring' is an irregular verb, which means it does not follow the regular pattern of adding -ed to form its past tenses.

How do you use 'sprang' in a sentence?

'Sprang' is used to describe an action that happened at a specific time in the past. For instance. 'He sprang into action when he saw the child in danger.' This sentence indicates that the action of springing into action occurred at a particular moment in the past.

How is 'sprung' used in a sentence?

'Sprung' is used as the past participle form and often appears with auxiliary verbs to form present perfect, past perfect, or future perfect tenses. Examples include. Present Perfect. 'They have sprung up so quickly over the past year.' (Here, 'have sprung' indicates an action that occurred in the past but has relevance to the present.) Past Perfect. 'By the time we arrived, the party had already sprung to life.' (In this case, 'had sprung' indicates an action that was completed before another action in the past.) Future Perfect. 'We will have sprung into action before the deadline.' (This suggests that an action will be completed before a specific time in the future.)

Can 'sprung' be used in a passive voice sentence?

Yes, 'sprung' can be used in passive voice constructions, where the focus is on the action or the object of the action, rather than who or what is performing the action. For example. 'The trap was sprung by the unsuspecting thief.' In this sentence, the emphasis is on the action of the trap springing, and the agent (the thief) is mentioned later in the sentence, showcasing a passive construction with 'sprung' as the past participle. Remember, the usage of 'sprang' and 'sprung' depends on the tense and structure of the sentence. Practicing with these forms in various contexts will help solidify your understanding and usage.