What Is The Past Tense Of To Read?
The past tense is “read“, which is the same as the present tense form. The past participle form of it is also “read”.
Read is an irregular verb, so its V2 doesn’t have the -ed ending like a regular verb.
Below are other verb forms of to read:
| Base/Infinitive Form (V1) | read |
| Present Form/3rd Person/Singular Form | reads |
| Past Form (V2) | read |
| Past Participle Form (V3) | read |
| Present Participle/Gerund | reading |
How To Pronounce Read Properly?
Although the V1 and V2 of read are the same, there is a change in pronunciation, where the vowel sound changes from /iː/ to /e/.
The pronunciation of read (V1) is /riːd/, and of read (V2) is /red/ in British and American English.
The table below will make you clearer:
| Verb Forms | Pronunciation | |
| British English language | American English language | |
| read | /riːd/ | /riːd/ |
| read
(V2) |
/red/ | /red/ |
| read
(V3) |
/red/ | /red/ |
| reading | /ˈriːdɪŋ/ | /ˈriːdɪŋ/ |
How to say read in V1 and V2 correctly? Check out the below videos:
Read (V1) pronunciation:
Read (V2) pronunciation:
What Are The Definitions Of “Read”? How To Use It?
We use “read” as the past tense of to read when we talk about a completed action or an event in the past. Check out all meanings of read below:
- To look at and understand the meaning of written or printed material.
Example: Yesterday, I read a novel for three hours straight, and I’m so sleepy right now.
- To go through written or printed words in silence or utter them aloud. (See past tense of go here)
Example: The teacher read this poem to the class last week.
- To find out something through reading.
Example: I read a new lasagna recipe and spent the whole morning doing it.
- To guess a person’s thoughts or feelings.
Example: Amber read my mind and knew what I intended at school.
- To learn what a person is saying based on their lips’ movements.
Example: She read his lips to understand what he was saying in the noisy room.
- To look at or interpret something in a particular way.
Example: He read the situation as being very serious. We need to take action right now.
- (To be) written in a particular way.
Example: The door read ‘No duty exemption’.
- To convey a special impression or interpretation while reading.
Example: The dialogue in the movie read like (= sounds as if it was) it was written by someone who has never spoken the language before.
- To indicate or display a specific amount of weight, pressure, etc.
Example: The scale read 150 pounds when I weighed myself this morning.
- To hear and understand someone’s communication through a radio set. (Click here to learn past tense of hear)
Example: The soldiers read the enemy’s radio transmission and gained valuable intelligence about their plans.
- (of a computer or its users) to get information from a disk.
Example: The computer successfully read the files from the CD-ROM that I inserted earlier.
Exercises
FAQs
Can “Read” Be Used As A Noun?
Yes, “read” can be used as a noun. Here are a few meanings of the noun “read:”
- An act of reading or a period of reading something
Example: She completed five reads of the same passage to understand it fully.
- A book, article, or other written work that is enjoyable, engaging, or informative.
Example: I just finished this new novel, which was a good read.
What Are Some Idioms Of “Read”?
- Read between the lines – to find a hidden meaning in something that is not explicitly stated.
Example: When he said he was “fine,” I could read between the lines and tell that something was bothering him.
- Read someone like a book – to understand someone very well.
Example: I can always tell when my sister is lying to me – I can read her like a book.
- Read the riot act – to reprimand someone severely, often with a warning of serious consequences.
Example: The coach read the team the riot act after their poor performance in the last game.
What Does “Read Back” Mean?
“Read back” means to read or repeat something that has been said or written to confirm that it has been understood correctly.
Example: The air traffic controller instructed the pilot to read back the landing clearance to confirm that it was understood correctly.
Is “Read” An Adjective?
Yes. Read is also an adjective. It refers to a person having knowledge acquired through reading books or other materials.
Example: He is really widely read in law and can speak on a wide range of topics with great authority.
You can also use “well-read,” which has the same meaning with the adjective “read.”
Example: She impressed the hiring manager with her well-read background and thoughtful industry analysis.
His name is Benjamin Essek – The founder of Grammar Wiki. He is an English native speaker and has joined many English classes, learning communities to support other people with this common language as well.