What Is The Past Tense of Go?
The past tense of "go" is "went."
Understanding the Basics: Went vs. Gone
The past tense form of "go" is "went," while the past participle form is "gone." Use "went" to describe actions that happened in the past.
Use "gone" in perfect tenses, which require auxiliary verbs like "have" or "had."
Examples:
I went to the store yesterday.
She has gone to the store.
We went on vacation last month.
They have gone to the meeting already.
When to Use "Went"
Use "went" for simple past tense sentences where an action occurred at a specific time in the past. This form does not require any auxiliary verbs. Avoid common mistakes, such as using "went" with auxiliary verbs like "have" or "had."
Examples:
Correct: He went to the meeting last week.
Incorrect: He has went to the meeting.
Correct: They went to the new restaurant.
Incorrect: They had went to the new restaurant.
Common mistakes:
Incorrect: She had went to the concert.
Correct: She went to the concert.
Incorrect: We have went to the park every day.
Correct: We went to the park every day.
When to Use "Gone"
Use "gone" with perfect tenses. These include present perfect (has/have gone), past perfect (had gone), and future perfect (will have gone). The word "gone" must be used with an auxiliary verb.
Examples:
Present perfect: They have gone to the park.
Past perfect: By the time you arrived, we had gone.
Future perfect: By next week, she will have gone.
Present perfect: He has gone to the office.
Past perfect: She had gone by the time I got there.
Common mistakes:
Incorrect: She gone to the store.
Correct: She has gone to the store.
Incorrect: They gone to the movies.
Correct: They have gone to the movies.
Incorrect: I gone to the beach last summer.
Correct: I had gone to the beach last summer.
Additional Rules and Examples
When using perfect tenses, remember to match the auxiliary verb correctly with the subject.
Present perfect examples:
I have gone to the library.
She has gone to the gym.
They have gone for a walk.
Past perfect examples:
We had gone to the market before it closed.
He had gone by the time I called.
Future perfect examples:
By tomorrow, I will have gone to the store.
They will have gone on vacation by next month.
Practice Makes Perfect
Fill in the blanks with "went" or "gone":
Yesterday, I ___ to the movies.
He has ___ to the gym already.
By the time you read this, I will have ___ home.
She ___ to Paris last summer.
They had ___ before we arrived.
We ___ to the park every Sunday.
You have ___ too far this time.
By next year, they will have ___ to five different countries.
I had ___ to the meeting early.
She ___ to the store and bought some milk.
Answer Key:
went
gone
gone
went
gone
went
gone
gone
gone
went
Encourage yourself to create your own sentences to reinforce learning. Here are a few examples to get you started:
I went to the doctor last week.
She has gone to work already.
By the time you finish, they will have gone home.