pastparticiple

The term past participle refers to a non-finite verb form used in many languages, including English. In English, the past participle is primarily used to form perfect tenses, to create passive voice constructions, and to function as adjectives or in participial phrases. It is distinct from the simple past tense and from the present participle, which ends in -ing.

Formation varies. Regular English verbs form the past participle by adding -ed (for example, walked, jumped). Irregular verbs have unique forms (eaten, gone, been, seen). Some verbs have the same form for both the past tense and the past participle (cut, cut). In many languages, the past participle is also used to mark voice or aspect and may vary for gender or number in agreement systems.

Uses. In perfect tenses, the past participle combines with auxiliary verbs to indicate completed action (I have eaten, She had finished). In passive voice, it combines with be or been (The cake was baked by John). As an adjective, it can describe a noun (a broken vase, a written report). It also appears in participial phrases, including reduced relative clauses, such as Having finished the work, they left. The past participle can contrast with the present participle to express different aspects or temporal relations.

Notes. Understanding the past participle involves recognizing its role across tense, voice, and modifier functions, and recognizing irregular forms that must be learned individually. In many languages, it remains a central building block of grammatical structure.