Stay past tense
Meaning of stay
remain in the same place.
Infinitive
- 1. We always stay at my grandparents' house during the summer holidays.
- 2. She stays calm under pressure, which makes her an excellent leader.
- 3. They stay in touch by emailing each other once a week.
Past Simple
- 1. We stayed at a cozy bed and breakfast during our weekend getaway.
- 2. He stayed late at the office to finish the report.
- 3. The memories stayed fresh in her mind for years to come.
Past Participle
- 1. 'The rooms have been stayed in by guests from all over the world.'
- 2. 'All the tasks had been stayed on top of by the diligent team.'
- 3. 'The guidelines will have been stayed within by all participating members.'
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Bare infinitive
- General truths, facts, or habitual actions.Example. Elisa stays with her grandparents during the summer.Example. The meeting stays on the agenda for next Monday.
- Fixed arrangements in the near future (usually for events on a timetable or schedule).Example. Elisa stays with her grandparents during the summer.Example. The meeting stays on the agenda for next Monday.
Past Simple
- Actions completed in the past at a specific time.Example. She stayed at a hotel in Paris last summer.Example. We stayed at the party for an hour, then went to a movie, and finally returned home late.Example. They stayed with us two nights ago.
- A series of completed actions in the past.Example. She stayed at a hotel in Paris last summer.Example. We stayed at the party for an hour, then went to a movie, and finally returned home late.Example. They stayed with us two nights ago.
- With time expressions such as. yesterday, last week, in 1999, two days ago, etc.Example. She stayed at a hotel in Paris last summer.Example. We stayed at the party for an hour, then went to a movie, and finally returned home late.Example. They stayed with us two nights ago.
Past Participle
- To form the perfect tenses.Example. She has stayed in many luxurious hotels around the world.Example. By the time the concert started, the band had already stayed in the city for two days.Example. They will have stayed at the company for ten years by the end of this month.Example. The lost dog was stayed by a kind stranger until the owners were found.Example. The stayed impression on the cushion shows where he sat.
- Present Perfect. for actions that happened at an unspecified time or have relevance to the present moment.Example. She has stayed in many luxurious hotels around the world.Example. By the time the concert started, the band had already stayed in the city for two days.Example. They will have stayed at the company for ten years by the end of this month.Example. The lost dog was stayed by a kind stranger until the owners were found.Example. The stayed impression on the cushion shows where he sat.
- Past Perfect. for actions that were completed before another action in the past.Example. She has stayed in many luxurious hotels around the world.Example. By the time the concert started, the band had already stayed in the city for two days.Example. They will have stayed at the company for ten years by the end of this month.Example. The lost dog was stayed by a kind stranger until the owners were found.Example. The stayed impression on the cushion shows where he sat.
- Future Perfect. for actions that will be completed before a specific time in the future.Example. She has stayed in many luxurious hotels around the world.Example. By the time the concert started, the band had already stayed in the city for two days.Example. They will have stayed at the company for ten years by the end of this month.Example. The lost dog was stayed by a kind stranger until the owners were found.Example. The stayed impression on the cushion shows where he sat.
- Passive voice. for describing an action that is being done to the subject by an agent.Example. She has stayed in many luxurious hotels around the world.Example. By the time the concert started, the band had already stayed in the city for two days.Example. They will have stayed at the company for ten years by the end of this month.Example. The lost dog was stayed by a kind stranger until the owners were found.Example. The stayed impression on the cushion shows where he sat.
- As an adjective to describe a noun.Example. She has stayed in many luxurious hotels around the world.Example. By the time the concert started, the band had already stayed in the city for two days.Example. They will have stayed at the company for ten years by the end of this month.Example. The lost dog was stayed by a kind stranger until the owners were found.Example. The stayed impression on the cushion shows where he sat.
Common mistakes
— 01
Regular and Irregular Forms
A common mistake is treating irregular verbs as if they were regular. For the verb 'stay,' which is regular, the past simple and past participle forms are both 'stayed.' However, learners often misapply this pattern to irregular verbs, leading to errors. For example, they might incorrectly apply the -ed ending to an irregular verb like 'go,' resulting in 'goed' instead of the correct forms 'went' (past simple) and 'gone' (past participle). Understanding that 'stay' correctly becomes 'stayed' in its past forms can help emphasize the distinction between regular and irregular verb conjugations.
— 02
Incorrect Spelling
Another common mistake is misspelling the past simple and past participle forms of verbs. For 'stay,' the correct spelling for both forms is 'stayed,' with the addition of -ed to the base form. However, learners may mistakenly omit the 'y' and spell the forms as “staed” or add an unnecessary consonant, spelling it as “stayyed.” This error highlights the importance of learning the correct spelling conventions for forming the past simple and past participle forms of regular verbs.
— 03
Misuse in Perfect Tenses
The past simple form 'stayed' is used for actions completed in the past at a specific time, while the past participle form is used with auxiliary verbs in perfect tenses to indicate actions that have relevance to the present or were completed at an unspecified time in the past. A mistake would be using the past simple where the past participle is needed, e.g., saying 'I have stayed at home yesterday' instead of the correct 'I stayed at home yesterday' for past simple, or incorrectly using 'I have stay at home' instead of 'I have stayed at home' for present perfect.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the past simple and past participle forms of 'stay'?
How do you use 'stayed' in the past simple tense?
How is 'stayed' used as a past participle in sentences?
Can 'stayed' be used in passive voice sentences? How?