Mastering the Past Tense of ‘Repair’: Forms, Uses & Examples

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The English verb “repair” is a common and essential word in everyday communication, meaning to fix or restore something that is broken or damaged. Whether you are talking about fixing your car, restoring a computer, or mending a broken chair, knowing how to use “repair” correctly—especially in the past tense—is crucial for clear and accurate expression.

Mastering the past tense of verbs is vital because it allows speakers to communicate when an action happened. Without proper use of past tense, conversations or writing can become confusing or ambiguous. Understanding verb tenses, particularly past tense forms, helps you express time accurately, narrate stories, report events, and describe experiences fluently.

This comprehensive guide will benefit students, ESL learners, teachers, professionals, and writers who wish to improve their grasp of English verb tenses. In this article, you will explore the definition of “repair,” its grammatical classification, detailed structures of past tense forms, extensive examples, usage rules, common mistakes, practice exercises, advanced grammar points, and frequently asked questions.

Designed as an in-depth resource, this guide covers everything you need to confidently use “repair” in the past tense, regardless of your current proficiency level. Let’s begin your journey to mastering the past tense of “repair”!

Table of Contents

3. Definition Section

3.1. What Does ‘Repair’ Mean?

The verb “repair” means to fix or restore something that is broken, damaged, or not working correctly.

Usage as a verb (transitive): It usually requires an object—the thing being fixed.

Example: She repairs the car.

Although “repair” can also be a noun (meaning the act of repairing), in this article, we focus on its verb forms.

3.2. Grammatical Classification

“Repair” belongs to the class of regular verbs. Regular verbs form their past tense and past participle simply by adding -ed or -d to the base form.

In contrast, irregular verbs have unique past forms that do not follow this pattern (such as “go” → “went”).

Table 1: Regular vs. Irregular Verbs (Past Tense Forms)
Base Verb Type Simple Past Past Participle
repair Regular repaired repaired
walk Regular walked walked
go Irregular went gone
write Irregular wrote written

3.3. The Role of Past Tense

The past tense is used to describe actions or situations that were completed or existed at a previous time. With “repair,” it indicates that the fixing or restoring happened before now.

  • Completed action: He repaired the bike yesterday.
  • Narration: Used for storytelling or reporting past events.

3.4. Overview of Past Tense Forms for ‘Repair’

The past tense form of “repair” is “repaired.”

Its past participle is also “repaired.” This is used in perfect tenses and the passive voice.

Four principal parts of “repair”:

  • Base form: repair
  • Third person singular: repairs
  • Past tense: repaired
  • Present participle / gerund: repairing
Table 2: Principal Parts of ‘Repair’
Base Form Third Person Simple Past Present Participle
repair repairs repaired repairing

4. Structural Breakdown

4.1. Forming the Simple Past Tense of ‘Repair’

Rule: Add -ed to the base form of the regular verb “repair.”

Formed as: repair + ed = repaired

Pronunciation: The “-ed” ending in “repaired” is pronounced as /d/.

Examples:

  • I repaired
  • She repaired
  • They repaired

4.2. Affirmative Sentences

Structure: Subject + repaired + object/complement

Examples:

  • They repaired the roof.
  • John repaired his phone.
  • We repaired the broken window.
Table 3: Affirmative Forms with Different Subjects
Subject Affirmative Sentence
I I repaired the laptop.
You You repaired the car.
He He repaired the sink.
She She repaired her shoes.
We We repaired the fence.
They They repaired the printer.

4.3. Negative Sentences

Structure: Subject + did not (didn’t) + base verb (repair)

When making negatives in the simple past, use did not + the base form (not “repaired”).

Examples:

  • I did not repair the clock.
  • She didn’t repair her laptop.
  • They did not repair the road.
Table 4: Negative Forms with Different Subjects
Subject Negative Sentence
I I didn’t repair the chair.
You You did not repair the tap.
He He didn’t repair the shelf.
She She didn’t repair the bike.
We We didn’t repair the TV.
They They did not repair the heater.

4.4. Interrogative Sentences

Structure: Did + subject + base verb (repair) + …?

Use “did” before the subject, followed by the base form “repair.”

Examples:

  • Did you repair the fence?
  • Did they repair the printer?
  • Did he repair the car?
Table 5: Interrogative Forms with Different Subjects
Question
Did I repair the phone?
Did you repair the engine?
Did he repair the laptop?
Did she repair the roof?
Did we repair the wall?
Did they repair the door?

4.5. Past Participle and Perfect Tenses

Past participle: “repaired” (same as simple past form)

Used with have/has/had to form perfect tenses and in passive voice constructions.

Perfect tense examples:

  • She has repaired the car.
  • They had repaired the computer before the meeting.

Passive voice examples:

  • The engine was repaired by the mechanic.
  • The roof has been repaired.
Table 6: Simple Past vs. Past Participle of ‘Repair’
Form Example Usage
Simple Past She repaired the bike. Completed action at a specific past time
Past Participle She has repaired the bike. Used with have/has/had for perfect tenses or in passive voice

5. Types or Categories (Past Tense Contexts)

5.1. Simple Past (Definite Time)

Describes actions that were completed at a specific point in the past.

Example: He repaired the watch yesterday.

5.2. Past Continuous (Action in Progress in the Past)

Describes actions that were ongoing at a specific moment in the past.

Structure: was/were + repairing

Example: He was repairing the watch when I arrived.

5.3. Past Perfect (Action Completed Before Another Past Action)

Shows that one past action happened before another.

Example: He had repaired the watch before the customer came.

5.4. Past Perfect Continuous (Duration Before Another Past Action)

Emphasizes the duration of an action that was ongoing before another event.

Example: He had been repairing the watch for hours before finishing.

5.5. Passive Forms in Past Tense

Used when the focus is on the object being repaired rather than who repaired it.

  • The watch was repaired yesterday.
  • The watches were repaired last week.
Table 7: Active vs. Passive Past Tense Forms
Active Voice Passive Voice
They repaired the engine. The engine was repaired.
She repaired the laptop. The laptop was repaired.
He repaired the shoes. The shoes were repaired.
We repaired the bridge. The bridge was repaired.

6. Examples Section

This section provides a wide variety of examples—over 50—covering all sentence types and contexts.

6.1. Simple Past Affirmative Examples

  • She repaired her shoes.
  • They repaired the road.
  • John repaired the fence.
  • We repaired the broken window.
  • I repaired my phone last night.
  • He repaired the sink yesterday.
  • The mechanic repaired the car.
  • The technician repaired the laptop.
  • The engineers repaired the bridge.
  • My brother repaired his bicycle.

6.2. Simple Past Negative Examples

  • He did not repair the TV.
  • We didn’t repair the boat.
  • I did not repair the heater.
  • She didn’t repair the air conditioner.
  • They did not repair the roof last week.
  • You didn’t repair the camera.
  • My friend didn’t repair his scooter.
  • The workers didn’t repair the elevator.
  • The company did not repair the server.
  • Tom didn’t repair the tablet.

6.3. Interrogative Examples

  • Did you repair the laptop?
  • Did Sarah repair her bike?
  • Did they repair the copy machine?
  • Did he repair the watch?
  • Did your father repair the fence?
  • Did the mechanic repair your car?
  • Did we repair the projector?
  • Did you repair the heater?
  • Did the student repair his computer?
  • Did the technician repair the air conditioner?

6.4. Past Continuous Examples

  • I was repairing my phone when it started to rain.
  • They were repairing the roof all day.
  • She was repairing the computer when the power went out.
  • He was repairing the fence during the storm.
  • We were repairing the window when the guests arrived.
  • The mechanic was repairing the engine this morning.
  • The workers were repairing the bridge last night.
  • My brother was repairing his bike in the garage.
  • The technician was repairing the server when the manager called.
  • They were repairing the printer before the meeting.

6.5. Past Perfect Examples

  • She had repaired the fence before the storm.
  • We had repaired everything by noon.
  • He had repaired the watch before the customer came.
  • They had repaired the roof before it started raining.
  • I had repaired my laptop before the class began.
  • The mechanic had repaired the car before the owner arrived.
  • The engineers had repaired the bridge before the festival.
  • She had repaired her phone before leaving home.
  • We had repaired the heater before winter came.
  • They had repaired the elevator before the inspection.

6.6. Passive Voice Examples

  • The car was repaired last week.
  • All the broken toys were repaired.
  • The laptop was repaired yesterday.
  • The fence was repaired before the rain.
  • The watch was repaired by the jeweler.
  • The elevator was repaired in one day.
  • The bridge was repaired after the flood.
  • The heater was repaired quickly.
  • The copy machine was repaired by the technician.
  • The air conditioner was repaired before summer.

6.7. Example Tables

Table 8: Affirmative, Negative, Question Forms
Affirmative Negative Question
I repaired the laptop. I didn’t repair the laptop. Did I repair the laptop?
She repaired the bike. She didn’t repair the bike. Did she repair the bike?
We repaired the TV. We didn’t repair the TV. Did we repair the TV?
They repaired the fence. They didn’t repair the fence. Did they repair the fence?
Table 9: Active vs. Passive Past Tense Forms
Active Voice Passive Voice
She repaired the car. The car was repaired.
They repaired the computers. The computers were repaired.
The mechanic repaired the engine. The engine was repaired.
We repaired the roof. The roof was repaired.
Table 10: Examples with Time Expressions
Sentence Time Expression
She repaired the phone yesterday. yesterday
They repaired the roof last week. last week
I repaired my bike two days ago. two days ago
We repaired the fence in 2020. in 2020
The mechanic repaired the car this morning. this morning
Table 11: Examples by Pronoun Subject
Subject Example
I I repaired my laptop yesterday.
You You repaired the heater last week.
He He repaired the car on Monday.
She She repaired the printer this morning.
We We repaired the fence last summer.
They They repaired the roof after the storm.
Table 12: Regular vs. Irregular Verb Past Tense Examples
Regular Verb Irregular Verb
She repaired the bike. She went home.
We repaired the bridge. We ate lunch.
They repaired the car. They wrote a letter.
I repaired my phone. I saw the movie.

7. Usage Rules

7.1. When to Use the Simple Past ‘Repaired’

Use “repaired” in the simple past tense when the action:

  • Is completed in the past
  • Happened at a specific, known time

Example: He repaired the sink yesterday.

7.2. Time Expressions Commonly Used

Time markers help clarify when the repair happened.

Table 13: Common Past Time Expressions with Examples
Time Expression Example
yesterday I repaired my bike yesterday.
last week They repaired the roof last week.
two days ago She repaired the laptop two days ago.
in 2019 We repaired the bridge in 2019.
this morning He repaired the printer this morning.
last night I repaired the fence last night.

7.3. Past Tense vs. Present Perfect

Contrast between simple past and present perfect:

  • Simple past: I repaired the car yesterday. (specific, finished)
  • Present perfect: I have repaired the car. (recently, result relevant now)

7.4. Passive Voice Usage

Use passive voice when the doer is unknown or unimportant.

Example: The device was repaired quickly.

7.5. Common Exceptions or Special Cases

  • Polite speech: Past tense can soften questions or requests.
  • Example: I wanted to ask if you repaired it?
  • Regional variations: Sometimes influence tense choice in informal speech.

8. Common Mistakes

8.1. Using Incorrect Verb Forms

Mistake: He repair the car yesterday.

Correction: He repaired the car yesterday.

8.2. Confusing Base Form and Past Form with “Did”

Mistake: He didn’t repaired the phone.

Correction: He didn’t repair the phone.

8.3. Incorrect Past Participle Usage

Mistake: He has repair the car.

Correction: He has repaired the car.

8.4. Irregular Verb Confusion

Mistake: Treating “repair” as irregular (e.g., rept or repared).

Correction: It is regular: repaired.

8.5. Omitting Time Markers or Misusing Tenses

Mistake: I repaired the bike. (without context)

Tip: Add a time reference for clarity: I repaired the bike yesterday.

Table 14: Common Errors with Corrections
Incorrect Correct
She didn’t repaired the TV. She didn’t repair the TV.
He repair the fence last week. He repaired the fence last week.
They has repaired the car. They have repaired the car.
I was repair the watch. I was repairing the watch.
Did you repaired the bike? Did you repair the bike?
He had repair the engine. He had repaired the engine.

9. Practice Exercises

9.1. Fill-in-the-Blank (10 Questions)

  1. Yesterday, I ____ (repair) my laptop.
  2. They ____ (not repair) the fence last week.
  3. She ____ (repair) her bike two days ago.
  4. We ____ (repair) the roof before the rain started.
  5. He ____ (not repair) the printer yesterday.
  6. Did you ____ (repair) the car?
  7. The mechanic ____ (repair) the engine last night.
  8. Sarah ____ (not repair) her shoes.
  9. Did they ____ (repair) the computer?
  10. I ____ (repair) my phone this morning.

9.2. Error Correction (10 Sentences)

  1. She didn’t repaired the TV.
  2. He repair the car yesterday.
  3. They has repaired the laptop.
  4. I was repair the bike when it rained.
  5. Did you repaired the fence?
  6. We had repair the roof before the storm.
  7. They didn’t repairs the computer.
  8. He was repairing the car when I was arrive.
  9. My brother repair the bicycle last week.
  10. She has repair the phone.

9.3. Identify the Tense (10 Sentences)

  1. She repaired the bike.
  2. They were repairing the road.
  3. We had repaired the computer.
  4. I have repaired the phone.
  5. He was repairing the engine when I called.
  6. They repaired the fence yesterday.
  7. She had been repairing the TV for hours.
  8. Did you repair the printer?
  9. I was repairing my laptop last night.
  10. They had repaired the roof before the rain.

9.4. Sentence Construction

  • he / repair / car / last night →
  • we / not repair / computer / yesterday →
  • she / repair / bike / two days ago →
  • they / repair / fence / last week →
  • you / repair / phone / ? →
  • mechanic / repair / engine / this morning →
  • she / not repair / printer / last night →
  • they / repair / laptop / before meeting →
  • he / repair / watch / ? →
  • I / repair / door / last year →

9.5. Passive Voice Transformation

  1. They repaired the engine.
  2. She repaired the watch.
  3. We repaired the bridge.
  4. The mechanic repaired the car.
  5. He repaired the laptop.

9.6. Advanced Practice

  1. Combine: I finished. He repaired the TV.
  2. Combine: She called. We repaired the fence.
  3. Combine: They arrived. I repaired my phone.
  4. Combine: The customer came. The mechanic repaired the car.
  5. Combine: The rain started. They repaired the roof.

9.7. Answer Key

Fill-in-the-Blank Answers

  1. repaired
  2. did not repair / didn’t repair
  3. repaired
  4. had repaired
  5. did not repair / didn’t repair
  6. repair
  7. repaired
  8. did not repair / didn’t repair
  9. repair
  10. repaired

Error Correction Answers

  1. She didn’t repair the TV.
  2. He repaired the car yesterday.
  3. They have repaired the laptop.
  4. I was repairing the bike when it rained.
  5. Did you repair the fence?
  6. We had repaired the roof before the storm.
  7. They didn’t repair the computer.
  8. He was repairing the car when I arrived.
  9. My brother repaired the bicycle last week.
  10. She has repaired the phone.

Identify the Tense Answers

  1. Simple past
  2. Past continuous
  3. Past perfect
  4. Present perfect
  5. Past continuous
  6. Simple past
  7. Past perfect continuous
  8. Simple past (question)
  9. Past continuous
  10. Past perfect

Sentence Construction Sample Answers

  • He repaired the car last night.
  • We did not repair the computer yesterday.
  • She repaired the bike two days ago.
  • They repaired the fence last week.
  • Did you repair the phone?
  • The mechanic repaired the engine this morning.
  • She did not repair the printer last night.
  • They had repaired the laptop before the meeting.
  • Did he repair the watch?
  • I repaired the door last year.

Passive Voice Transformation Answers

  1. The engine was repaired.
  2. The watch was repaired.
  3. The bridge was repaired.
  4. The car was repaired.
  5. The laptop was repaired.

Advanced Practice Answers

  1. He had repaired the TV before I finished.
  2. We had repaired the fence before she called.
  3. I had repaired my phone before they arrived.
  4. The mechanic had repaired the car before the customer came.
  5. They had repaired the roof before the rain started.

10. Advanced Topics

10.1. Sequence of Past Events

Use past perfect to show an action happened before another past event.

Example: He had repaired the watch before the customer arrived.

10.2. Reported Speech with ‘Repaired’

Example: She said she repaired the laptop.

Past perfect for earlier action: He told me he had repaired the car.

10.3. Subjunctive and Conditional Forms

Unreal past situations:

If he had repaired the bike, we could have gone out.

10.4. Stylistic Choices and Nuances

Sometimes, past tense is used to sound polite or tentative.

Example: I was wondering if you repaired it?

10.5. Regional and Formal Variations

Some dialects or formal writing may favor different tense forms or use past tense differently for politeness and indirectness.

11. FAQ Section

1. What is the simple past tense of “repair”?
It is “repaired”.

2. Is “repair” a regular or irregular verb?
“Repair” is a regular verb. It adds -ed in past forms.

3. How do you form questions with “repaired” in past tense?
Use Did + subject + base verb: Did you repair the bike?

4. What is the past participle of “repair”?
It is also “repaired”.

5. When should I use “repaired” vs. “have repaired”?
“Repaired” for a finished action at a known time; “have repaired” for recent actions with current relevance.

6. Can “repair” be used in continuous tenses?
Yes, as was repairing, is repairing, has been repairing, etc.

7. What are common mistakes with “repaired” and how to avoid them?
Using incorrect verb forms, confusing tenses, or misusing “did.” Practice forms carefully.

8. How do you use passive voice with “repaired”?
Use was/were repaired for past passive sentences: The car was repaired.

9. What time expressions are typical with past tense “repaired”?
Yesterday, last week, two days ago, in 2020, last night, etc.

10. How to teach the past tense of “repair” effectively?
Use clear explanations, contrast examples, lots of practice, focus on structures, and correct common errors.

11. Is “repair” ever irregular in any dialect?
No, it is consistently a regular verb in all varieties of English.

12. How does pronunciation of “repaired” differ from “repair”?
“Repair” ends with /r/, while “repaired” ends with a /d/ sound after the root.

12. Conclusion

In this comprehensive guide, you have learned that “repair” is a regular verb. Its past tense and past participle are both “repaired”. The verb is used to describe completed actions in the past and follows standard rules for forming affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences.

We’ve explored multiple sentence structures, contextual uses, passive forms, common mistakes, and advanced grammar points. Extensive examples and practice exercises are provided to reinforce your understanding.

Mastering the past tense of “repair” enhances your ability to communicate clearly and accurately in English. Continue practicing with the exercises, pay attention to verb forms, and use appropriate tense markers to express time correctly.

For deeper fluency, expand your study to include other regular and irregular verbs, their past tense forms, and nuances in usage. Consistent practice is the key to confident English communication!

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