Warn past tense

Type your word here
Try:

Learn past tenses to communicate in English accurately

Meaning of warn

to inform someone in advance of an impending or possible danger, problem, or other unpleasant situation.

Infinitive

Word: warn /wɔːn/
Examples:
  • 1. Every time we go hiking, she always warns us about the potential dangers we might encounter.
  • 2. The weather forecast warns of heavy rain this weekend.
  • 3. The sign at the pool warns against running on the wet tiles to prevent accidents.

Past Simple

Word: warned /wɔːrnd/
Examples:
  • 1. She warned me about the dangers of hiking alone in that area.
  • 2. They warned us about the storm approaching the coast.
  • 3. The weather forecast warned of heavy rain last night.

Past Participle

Word: warned /wɔːrnd/
Examples:
  • 1. The town had been warned of the impending flood.
  • 2. Mistakes were warned against by the instructor.
  • 3. She has been warned about her behavior repeatedly.

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 express habits or general truths. When describing actions that happen regularly or statements that are universally true.
    Example. I always warn my friends about the risks.
    Example. The officer warns the public every Monday about cyber security.
    Example. The manual warns against operating the device in wet conditions.
  2. To express scheduled events in the near future (especially in timetables). When referencing events that are planned and scheduled.
    Example. I always warn my friends about the risks.
    Example. The officer warns the public every Monday about cyber security.
    Example. The manual warns against operating the device in wet conditions.
  3. To give instructions or directions. Offering guidance or instructions.
    Example. I always warn my friends about the risks.
    Example. The officer warns the public every Monday about cyber security.
    Example. The manual warns against operating the device in wet conditions.

Past Simple

  1. To describe an action that happened at a specific time in the past. When the action is completed and occurred at a definite time before now.
    Example. She warned me about the storm last night.
    Example. He warned me, I ignored him, and then I got into trouble.
    Example. When I was a child, my mother always warned me not to talk to strangers.
  2. To narrate a series of completed actions in the past. When telling a story or mentioning several past actions in sequence.
    Example. She warned me about the storm last night.
    Example. He warned me, I ignored him, and then I got into trouble.
    Example. When I was a child, my mother always warned me not to talk to strangers.
  3. To express habits in the past. Describing actions that were done regularly in the past but not anymore.
    Example. She warned me about the storm last night.
    Example. He warned me, I ignored him, and then I got into trouble.
    Example. When I was a child, my mother always warned me not to talk to strangers.

Past Participle

  1. To form the perfect tenses. Used in conjunction with the auxiliary verbs 'have,' 'has,' or 'had' to indicate actions that have happened at unspecified times or that were completed by a specific time in the past.
    Example. If you had warned me, I could have avoided the mistake.
  2. Example (Present Perfect). She has warned us about the consequences already.
    Example. If you had warned me, I could have avoided the mistake.
  3. Example (Past Perfect). I had warned you before you even tried.
    Example. If you had warned me, I could have avoided the mistake.
  4. To form the passive voice. When the focus is on the action or the recipient of the action rather than who performed the action.
    Example. If you had warned me, I could have avoided the mistake.
  5. Example (Present). Students are warned about plagiarism at the beginning of the course.
    Example. If you had warned me, I could have avoided the mistake.
  6. Example (Past). The citizens were warned about the hurricane by the authorities.
    Example. If you had warned me, I could have avoided the mistake.
  7. To describe conditions in conditional sentences. Particularly in the third conditional, describing hypothetical situations that did not happen in the past.
    Example. If you had warned me, I could have avoided the mistake.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing forms

A common mistake is using the base form 'warn' when the past simple or past participle form is required. The correct past simple form is 'warned,' and the past participle form is also 'warned.' For example, it's incorrect to say, 'He warn me about the risks yesterday.' The correct form is, 'He warned me about the risks yesterday.'

— 02

Incorrect Irregular Form

Some learners might mistakenly treat 'warn' as an irregular verb due to confusion with other verbs that change vowels in their past forms (like 'sing' becoming 'sang/sung'). They might incorrectly produce a form like 'worn' instead of 'warned.' For example, saying 'I have worn you several times' instead of the correct 'I have warned you several times.'

— 03

Unnecessary auxiliary verb

Another mistake is the addition of an auxiliary verb when it's not needed in the past simple tense. For example, saying 'I did warned you about the danger' instead of the correct 'I warned you about the danger.' The auxiliary 'did' is unnecessary and incorrect in this context because 'warned' alone already indicates the past tense.

Past tense quiz

Check your skills and find areas for improvement

Take quiz

Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'warn'?

The past simple form of 'warn' is 'warned'. This form is used to describe actions that happened at a specific time in the past. For example. 'She warned me about the dangers of swimming in the river last summer.'

How do you form the past participle of 'warn'?

The past participle form of 'warn' is also 'warned'. It is used in perfect tense constructions and sometimes as an adjective. For instance, in the sentence 'He had warned us before the incident occurred,' 'warned' is the past participle, indicating an action that had been completed before another past action.

Can you provide an example of 'warned' used as a past participle in a sentence?

Certainly! Here's an example. 'The tourists were warned about the closed roads, so they took an alternative route.' In this sentence, 'warned' functions as a past participle in a passive voice construction, indicating that the action of warning was done to the tourists. Is there a difference in usage between the past simple and past participle forms of 'warn'