What Is The Past Tense of Run?
The past tense of "run" is "ran". When describing an action completed in the past, you use "ran".
For example, "Yesterday, I ran to the store." In perfect tenses, you use "run" as the past participle, such as in "I have run three marathons this year."
Simple Past Tense of "Run"
The simple past tense of "run" is "ran". This form is used to describe an action that happened in the past and is now complete.
Examples:
Yesterday, I ran to the store.
She ran in the marathon last year.
They ran to catch the bus this morning.
He ran faster than anyone else in the race.
We ran out of the building during the fire drill.
Common contexts:
Talking about past events: "I ran five miles yesterday."
Describing completed actions: "He ran the fastest in the race."
Narrating stories: "Once upon a time, a boy ran away from home."
Past Participle of "Run"
The past participle of "run" is "run". This form is used with auxiliary verbs to create perfect tenses.
Examples:
I have run three marathons this year.
She had run the company for ten years before retiring.
They have run out of supplies.
We had run out of time before the meeting ended.
He has run many successful campaigns.
Usage with auxiliary verbs:
Present perfect: "I have run every day this week."
Past perfect: "She had run before the rain started."
Future perfect: "By next month, they will have run all the tests."
Irregular Verb Characteristics
"Run" is an irregular verb, meaning its past forms do not follow the regular -ed ending pattern. Instead, it changes form entirely.
Comparison with regular verbs:
Regular verb: "walk" becomes "walked".
Irregular verb: "run" becomes "ran" and "run".
Other common irregular verbs:
Go: went, gone
See: saw, seen
Take: took, taken
Eat: ate, eaten
Write: wrote, written
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
English learners often confuse the simple past and past participle forms of "run". Here are some tips to avoid these errors:
Common errors:
Incorrect: "I have ran a marathon."
Correct: "I have run a marathon."
Incorrect: "She has ran out of ideas."
Correct: "She has run out of ideas."
Tips and tricks:
Remember that "ran" is only used for simple past.
Use "run" with auxiliary verbs like "have" and "had".
Think of "ran" as a standalone action in the past and "run" as part of a larger verb phrase.
Practice exercises:
Fill in the blanks: "She _____ (run) to the store yesterday."
Fill in the blanks: "They have _____ (ran/run) the project successfully."
Correct the sentence: "He had ran to the park before it started raining."
Choose the correct form: "I have never _____ (ran/run) this far before."
Rewrite the sentence: "By the time we arrived, they had _____ (ran/run) out of patience."