Past Tense Of Run: Runned or Ran? (Prounciation & Usage)

What Is Past Tense Of Run?

The past tense for run is ran. Run is classified as an irregular verb, so it does not follow the rules of -ed verb conjugation. To get run in past tense, just change the letter -u in the base verb form to the letter -a.

Except for the run past tense, the verb is also conjugated as runs in 3rd person singular present tense and running in the present participle.

The past participle of run is also run, but it needs to be followed by auxiliary verbs (has, have, had). You can watch the table below to get other run verb forms.

Simple Present	He/She/It runs I/You/We/They run
Present Continuous	He/She/It is running I am running You/We/They are running
Present Perfect	He/She/It has run I/You/We/They have run
Present Perfect Continuous	He/She/It has been running I/You/We/They have been running
Simple Past	He/She/It/I/You/We/They ran
Past Continuous	I/He/She/It was running You/We/They were running
Past Perfect	He/She/It/I/You/We/They had run
Past Perfect Continuous	He/She/It/I/You/We/They had been running
Simple Future	He/She/It/I/You/We/They will/shall run
Future Continuous	He/She/It/I/You/We/They will/shall be running
Future Perfect	He/She/It/I/You/We/They will/shall have run
Future Perfect Continuous	He/She/It/I/You/We/They will/shall have been running

How to pronounce run or ran as naturally and correctly as English native speakers? The below video may help you:

Pronunciation

According to the Oxford Dictionary, the IPA transcription of run is /rʌn/, and of ran is /ræn/. You can watch the table below to make them clearer.

Form of word	Pronunciation
	US	UK
run	/rʌn/	/rʌn/
ran	/ræn/	/ræn/
run	/rʌn/	/rʌn/

Definitions And How To Use Ran?

What is the definition for run? The English verb run has both a transitive verb and intransitive verb meanings:

• To move using your legs, faster than walking by taking quick steps

Example: I saw Jim running after the bus. It looks like he’ll be late for school if he doesn’t get on that bus.

• To travel a particular distance by running

Example: I ran 3 kilometers today, breaking my last week’s record. It makes my body stronger and more resilient every day.

• To take part in a race/ cause (an animal) to take part

Example: I heard there are only 3 horses running in the first race. What about the other races? It looks like the match will last until the evening.

• To make a race take place

Example: The organizers are considering whether to run the match or not because it has begun to snow outside. The match has only just begun, so if it snows for a long time, it will affect the athletes’ performance.

• To go quickly or in a hurry

Example: Don’t take it too seriously when you have to run around after small children. They only have one childhood, so give them the best memories.

• To manage or operate a business, campaign, etc.

Example: Although she doesn’t know how to run a business, her husband is a very successful businessman. He will help her get a solid foundation before running this company.

• To travel, move, or continue on a particular route

Example: Trains still run throughout the day despite heavy snowfall to ensure no passengers are left behind.

• To (cause) something operate or function

Example: The government has set out many policies and put them into practice to keep the economy running. It shows fairly stable results over the past year.

• To drive somebody to a place (in a car)

Example: He’s running me to the mall to buy stuff for Christmas. Together we will redecorate the house and buy new clothes for the kids.

• To own, to use a vehicle/machine/device

Example: I can’t afford to run a car because my salary is just enough to support my family.

• To move something in a particular direction

Example: He is running his eyes through the pages intently. Surely the content of that book is extremely interesting and engaging.

• To flow/to make liquid flow

Example: I’ll run a bath for the kids. Yesterday they ran water over the floor, and it took me several hours to clean it up.

• (of colors when clothes get wet) to come out of material and mix with other colors, spread into other pieces of clothing

Example: I put this black shirt in the washing machine with the white shirts. The result is the color ran and made all my shirts black.

• To try to get elected, to be a candidate

Example: He ran unsuccessfully for the position of regional sheriff. It is the third time he has failed in the election.

• To bring/take something into a country illegally and secretly

Example: Smugglers are running guns across the border while the police are preparing to ambush and surround the entire area.

• To do a test, an experiment, etc.

Example: The company is running trials of a new drug. It will help limit the spread of the virus in a short period and the severity of the disease.

The past tense verb run has the same meaning as its infinitive verb form. The basic difference is that “ran” is used to talk about things that happened in the past. The examples below will help you to make it clearer.

Examples:

• Last year she ran a small bakery, but earlier this year, she sold it to a newlywed couple. Their business so far seems to be quite favorable.
• I ran the engine several times yesterday, but it doesn’t work anymore. Tomorrow you take it to the scrap yard or sell it.
• Yesterday the kids ran and walked for 1 hour around the park. The air these mornings are quite fresh and pleasant, so everyone goes to exercise in the morning.

Exercises

Choose the correct verb tense to fill in the (a), (b), and (c):

1. Reporter: Hann is the first person who (a) a mile in under three minutes, isn’t he?

Kim: That’s right. He is one of our country’s proudest runners.

A. run

B. running

C. ran

D. runs

(The correct answer: C)

2. Yesterday’s trains (b) late, causing hundreds of thousands of passengers to return late, even the next morning.

A. run

B. ran

C. running

D. runs

(The correct answer: B)

3. Both candidates (c) a good campaign. Ho has propagated what he has done to the community and future plans if they win the election.

A. ran

B. run

C. running

D. runs

(The correct answer: A)

4. I (d) to the post office and sent this envelope to the address listed last Thursday. However, my uncle told me that he had not received any envelopes yet.

A. ran

B. run

C. running

D. runs

(The correct answer: A)

FAQs

What Are Synonyms And Antonyms Of Run?

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the synonyms of the verb rise are:

Drive, operate, use, become, get, come, grow, turn, melt, manage, handle, jog, trot, sprint, hurry, skip, rush, leap, scurry, scoot, range, vary, go, move, reach, change, alternate, shift, sweep, extend, stretch, fluctuate, mutate, flow, pour, and drip.

The antonyms of rise are: stroll, saunter, drag, amble, shuffle, crawl, linger, creep, poke, confront, dare, face, remain, stay, defy, back up, set, avoid, stay, remain, set, and cut.

What Is The Running Past Tense?

Is running a verb? Running is just one of the present participle form of the verb run, so it doesn’t have a past tense. Example: The boy is running. It looks like the boy is in a race at school.