Trust past tense
Meaning of trust
to believe in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of.
Infinitive
- 1. I always trust my instincts when making important decisions.
- 2. He trusts his friends implicitly, never doubting their advice.
- 3. She trusts that the team will complete the project on time.
Past Simple
- 1. I trusted him completely, but he betrayed my confidence.
- 2. They trusted her to keep their secret, and she never let them down.
- 3. We trusted the weather forecast and planned our picnic, but it rained all day.
Past Participle
- 1. They have always trusted their instincts when making difficult decisions.
- 2. By the end of the meeting, the team had trusted their leader more than ever.
- 3. The children have trusted the dog since the day he was brought home.
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Bare infinitive
- To describe a general truth or habitual action.Example. I always trust my instincts.Example. He trusts only verified sources for his research.Example. Not typically applicable to 'trust' in a straightforward example.
- To state someone's occupation, preferences, or characteristics.Example. I always trust my instincts.Example. He trusts only verified sources for his research.Example. Not typically applicable to 'trust' in a straightforward example.
- For fixed arrangements, timetables, or scheduled events (not common with 'trust' but applicable in general use).Example. I always trust my instincts.Example. He trusts only verified sources for his research.Example. Not typically applicable to 'trust' in a straightforward example.
Past Simple
- To describe an action or situation that was completed in the past.Example. I trusted you with my secrets last year.Example. She trusted easily before she learned the hard way.Example. He trusted, learned, and finally understood the value of discernment.
- To indicate a past habit or general state of being.Example. I trusted you with my secrets last year.Example. She trusted easily before she learned the hard way.Example. He trusted, learned, and finally understood the value of discernment.
- To narrate a series of completed actions in the past.Example. I trusted you with my secrets last year.Example. She trusted easily before she learned the hard way.Example. He trusted, learned, and finally understood the value of discernment.
Past Participle
- Used in perfect tenses to talk about actions completed by the present or a specific time in the past or future.Example. The secrets were trusted to him, and he broke that trust.Example. He is a trusted advisor to the board.
- Present Perfect. I have trusted him since we were children.Example. The secrets were trusted to him, and he broke that trust.Example. He is a trusted advisor to the board.
- Past Perfect. By the time she realized, she had trusted the wrong person.Example. The secrets were trusted to him, and he broke that trust.Example. He is a trusted advisor to the board.
- Future Perfect. By the end of this year, they will have trusted too many without caution.Example. The secrets were trusted to him, and he broke that trust.Example. He is a trusted advisor to the board.
- To form the passive voice indicating an action done to the subject.Example. The secrets were trusted to him, and he broke that trust.Example. He is a trusted advisor to the board.
- As an adjective to describe a feeling or state derived from past actions.Example. The secrets were trusted to him, and he broke that trust.Example. He is a trusted advisor to the board.
Common mistakes
— 01
Confusing Forms
One common mistake with the word 'trust' is confusing its past simple form, 'trusted,' with its past participle form, which is also 'trusted.' While both forms are spelled the same, their usage differs depending on the sentence structure. The past simple form is used to describe actions that happened in the past and are now completed (e.g., 'I trusted him yesterday.'), whereas the past participle form is used in perfect tense constructions (e.g., 'I have trusted him for years.') or as adjectives (e.g., 'He is a trusted advisor.').
— 02
Incorrectly Creating Irregular Forms
Another mistake is attempting to irregularly conjugate 'trust' into its past forms. Some may mistakenly think that because some verbs in English have irregular past simple and past participle forms (e.g., 'sing,' 'sang,' 'sung'), 'trust' should follow a similar pattern and create incorrect forms such as 'trasted' or 'trost.' The correct forms are 'trusted' for both the past simple and past participle, reflecting its regular verb structure.
— 03
Misusing Past Participle
A further common error involves misusing the past participle 'trusted' in passive voice constructions. The correct use involves combining the past participle with a form of the verb 'to be' to construct a passive sentence (e.g., 'The secret was trusted to her.'). However, some may mistakenly use the past simple form in place of the past participle or omit the auxiliary verb, leading to incorrect sentences like 'The secret trusted to her' instead of the correct passive form.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the past simple form of 'trust'?
What is the past participle form of 'trust'?
How do you use 'trusted' in a sentence to indicate past action?
Can 'trusted' be used in passive voice constructions? Can you give an example?