Mastering the Past Tense of ‘Repay’: Forms, Usage & Tips

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The English verb ‘repay’ plays an essential role in both everyday conversations and professional communication. Whether discussing financial transactions, returning favors, or expressing metaphorical reciprocation, knowing how to use its past tense correctly is fundamental for clear and accurate English.

Understanding the past tense of ‘repay’ is crucial because it enables speakers to describe completed actions—such as debt settlements, fulfilled promises, or responses to kindness or wrongdoing—that happened in the past. This applies equally in formal contexts like banking, business agreements, and legal documents as well as in informal conversations involving friends, family, or colleagues.

This comprehensive guide will delve into the forms of ‘repay’ in past tenses, detailed usage rules, numerous examples, common mistakes to avoid, and even some advanced nuances. It is crafted for English learners at all levels, teachers seeking clear explanations, writers aiming for precision, and professionals who need grammatical accuracy in their communication.

Through structured explanations, practical examples, tables, and exercises, you’ll gain confidence in using the past tense of ‘repay’ accurately and effectively in any context.

Table of Contents

3. Definition Section

3.1. What Does ‘Repay’ Mean?

‘Repay’ is primarily a transitive verb that means:

  • To pay back money that was borrowed
    Example: She will repay the loan next month.
  • To compensate or return a favor
    Example: I want to repay your kindness.
  • To retaliate or respond in kind (figurative)
    Example: He repaid insult with insult.

According to the Oxford Dictionary: “Repay — to pay back money that you have borrowed from someone; to do something for someone because they did something for you.”

The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as: “To pay back or reward money or kindness that has been given.”

3.2. Grammatical Classification

‘Repay’ is an irregular transitive verb. It belongs to a group of verbs related to financial actions, social reciprocation, or metaphorical responses, functioning usually as the main verb that expresses the primary action in a sentence.

3.3. Basic Verb Forms Overview

Form Verb
Base/Infinitive repay
Present participle/Gerund repaying
Past simple repaid
Past participle repaid

3.4. Function of Past Tense of ‘Repay’

The past tense form ‘repaid’ is used to express completed actions where money, favors, or responses were returned. It indicates that an obligation has been fulfilled or a gesture has been reciprocated, whether literal or metaphorical. This applies in both narrative storytelling and transactional communication.

3.5. Usage Contexts

  • Financial transactions:
    They repaid the loan last month.
  • Social interactions:
    She repaid his kindness by helping him.
  • Metaphorical uses:
    He repaid the insult with silence.

4. Structural Breakdown

4.1. Forming the Past Tense of ‘Repay’

‘Repay’ is an irregular verb. Unlike regular verbs that simply add -ed, the past simple and past participle of ‘repay’ is ‘repaid’.

Incorrect: repayed
Correct: repaid

Both the past simple and the past participle forms are identical: repaid.

4.2. Pronunciation Guide

  • repay: /rɪˈpeɪ/ — stress on the second syllable, ending with the diphthong /eɪ/
  • repaid: /rɪˈpeɪd/ — stress remains, final sound /d/ voiced

Phonetic tip: Say “ri-PAY” and “ri-PAID.”

4.3. Auxiliary Verbs with ‘Repaid’

For perfect tenses, ‘repaid’ combines with the auxiliary verbs:

  • have / has (present perfect)
  • had (past perfect)

Examples:

  • I have repaid the loan.
  • She had repaid the debt before moving.
Tense Example
Simple Past They repaid the money.
Present Perfect They have repaid the money.
Past Perfect They had repaid the money.

4.4. Affirmative, Negative, and Interrogative Forms

Form Example Sentence
Affirmative He repaid the money.
Negative He did not repay the money.
Interrogative Did he repay the money?

4.5. Passive Voice Usage

In the passive voice, the focus is on the action or result rather than the doer.

  • Simple past passive: The debt was repaid.
  • Present perfect passive: The favor has been repaid.
Active Voice Passive Voice
She repaid the loan. The loan was repaid (by her).
They have repaid the debt. The debt has been repaid.
He had repaid everyone. Everyone had been repaid.

4.6. Time Expressions Compatible with ‘Repaid’

  • yesterday
  • last week
  • two days ago
  • in 2020
  • before the meeting

Examples:

  • I repaid the loan yesterday.
  • She repaid her debts last month.
  • They repaid the amount two weeks ago.

5. Types or Categories

5.1. Simple Past Tense – ‘Repaid’

Used for actions completed at a definite past time.

Example: She repaid the loan last week.

5.2. Present Perfect – ‘Have/Has Repaid’

Indicates an action completed at an unspecified time with relevance to the present.

Example: I have repaid all my debts.

5.3. Past Perfect – ‘Had Repaid’

Describes an action completed before another past event.

Example: By the time he left, he had repaid everyone.

5.4. Passive Forms in Past Tenses

  • Simple past passive: The money was repaid yesterday.
  • Present perfect passive: The debt has been repaid.
  • Past perfect passive: The debt had been repaid before the audit.

5.5. Conditional and Modal Forms in Past Contexts

  • She should have repaid the loan by now.
  • He might have repaid earlier if he had more money.

6. Examples Section

6.1. Basic Past Simple Sentences

  • They repaid the full amount.
  • We repaid our parents.
  • She repaid his kindness.
  • He repaid the investor.
  • I repaid my debt yesterday.
  • The company repaid the loan early.
  • Tom repaid his friend last Friday.
  • Lisa repaid her credit card debt in 2021.
  • The government repaid the bondholders.
  • The tenant repaid the security deposit.

6.2. Present Perfect Examples

  • I have repaid the loan.
  • They have already repaid their debts.
  • She has not yet repaid me.
  • The company has repaid its creditors.
  • We have just repaid the mortgage.
  • He has finally repaid his brother.
  • All members have repaid their fees.
  • My client has repaid the advance.
  • You have repaid what you owed.
  • She has never repaid the favor.

6.3. Past Perfect Examples

  • He had repaid everyone before declaring bankruptcy.
  • We had repaid the mortgage before moving.
  • She had not repaid the favor when he left.
  • They had repaid their debts prior to the audit.
  • The country had repaid its foreign loans by 2015.
  • By the time I called, she had repaid the money.
  • All students had repaid their fees before exams began.
  • The firm had repaid the loan ahead of schedule.
  • He had already repaid me when I reminded him.
  • They had repaid everything by last December.

6.4. Passive Voice Examples

  • The debt was repaid in full.
  • All loans have been repaid.
  • The kindness was repaid tenfold.
  • The mortgage was repaid early.
  • The favor has been repaid.
  • The damages were repaid promptly.
  • The interest was repaid last month.
  • The money has been repaid already.
  • The debt had been repaid before the review.
  • The investment was repaid with profit.

6.5. Figurative and Metaphorical Examples

  • She repaid his kindness with betrayal.
  • He repaid insult with insult.
  • They repaid generosity with loyalty.
  • He repaid violence with forgiveness.
  • The community repaid neglect with resilience.
  • She repaid rudeness with patience.
  • They repaid criticism by working harder.
  • He repaid trust with honesty.
  • The employee repaid support with dedication.
  • She repaid encouragement with success.

6.6. Example Tables

Table 1: Simple Past Forms Affirmative Negative Interrogative
Example They repaid the loan. They did not repay the loan. Did they repay the loan?
Example She repaid him. She didn’t repay him. Did she repay him?
Example I repaid my debt. I did not repay my debt. Did I repay my debt?

Table 2: Perfect Tenses Present Perfect Past Perfect
Affirmative They have repaid the money. They had repaid the money.
Negative They have not repaid the money. They had not repaid the money.
Question Have they repaid the money? Had they repaid the money?

Table 3: Active vs. Passive Voice Active Passive
Simple Past She repaid the debt. The debt was repaid.
Present Perfect They have repaid the loan. The loan has been repaid.
Past Perfect He had repaid his brother. His brother had been repaid.

Table 4: Time Expressions Example
Yesterday I repaid the debt yesterday.
Last week She repaid the money last week.
Two days ago They repaid the loan two days ago.
In 2020 The company repaid its debts in 2020.
Before the meeting He had repaid his friend before the meeting.

Table 5: Modal + Perfect Example
Should have repaid She should have repaid the debt by now.
Could have repaid He could have repaid earlier.
Might have repaid They might have repaid if they had more funds.
Would have repaid I would have repaid if I had remembered.
Must have repaid He must have repaid the loan already.

7. Usage Rules

7.1. When to Use ‘Repaid’ vs. ‘Repay’

  • Use ‘repaid’ for completed past actions:
    She repaid the loan.
  • Use ‘repay’ for present/future or habitual actions:
    They repay their debts promptly.

7.2. Correct Past Form: ‘Repaid’ (Not Repayed)

‘Repay’ is irregular, so the past forms end with -aid, not -ayed like regular verbs.

Incorrect: repayed
Correct: repaid

This contrasts with regular verbs like:

  • Play → played
  • Stay → stayed

7.3. Agreement with Subjects and Tenses

  • Past tense ‘repaid’ remains the same for all subjects:
    He/She/They/I repaid.
  • For perfect tenses, select the appropriate auxiliary:
    • has for third-person singular (She has repaid)
    • have for others (I/They/We have repaid)

7.4. Placement of Time Expressions

  • Correct: I repaid the loan yesterday.
  • Correct: Yesterday, I repaid the loan.
  • Avoid: I repaid yesterday the loan.

7.5. Passive Voice Guidelines

  • Use passive to emphasize the action/result:
    The debt was repaid.
  • Avoid redundancy:
    The debt was repaid back (incorrect)

7.6. Modal + Have + Past Participle Combinations

  • She should have repaid the loan.
  • He might have repaid it yesterday.
  • They could have repaid earlier.

Use this structure to express possibility, obligation, or hypothetical situations in the past.

7.7. Common Exceptions or Nuances

  • Figurative use:
    He repaid kindness with cruelty.
  • Formality: ‘Repaid’ suits both formal reports and informal speech.

8. Common Mistakes

8.1. Using Regular Form Repayed Instead of Repaid

Incorrect: He repayed the loan.
Correct: He repaid the loan.

8.2. Tense Confusion

Incorrect: She repay the debt yesterday.
Correct: She repaid the debt yesterday.

8.3. Misuse in Passive Voice

Incorrect: The money has repaid.
Correct: The money has been repaid.

8.4. Incorrect Modal Combinations

Incorrect: He should repaid.
Correct: He should have repaid.

8.5. Redundant or Awkward Constructions

Incorrect: He has repaid yesterday.
Correct: He repaid yesterday. or He has repaid the debt.

8.6. Example Table: Correct vs. Incorrect Sentences

Incorrect Correct
She repayed the money. She repaid the money.
They has repaid the debt. They have repaid the debt.
The loan repay last week. The loan was repaid last week.
He should repaid on time. He should have repaid on time.
I have repaid yesterday. I repaid yesterday.
Did repaid he the loan? Did he repay the loan?
The favor has repaid. The favor has been repaid.
She repay the loan last week. She repaid the loan last week.

9. Practice Exercises

9.1. Fill-in-the-Blank

  1. Yesterday, I ________ (repay) the loan.
  2. She ________ (repay) the favor before leaving.
  3. They have ________ (repay) all their debts.
  4. Tom ________ (repay) me two weeks ago.
  5. By last month, we had ________ (repay) the mortgage.
  6. He ________ (repay) the investor last year.
  7. Lisa has ________ (repay) her student loan.
  8. They ________ (repay) the amount yesterday.
  9. She has not yet ________ (repay) me.
  10. He ________ (repay) the kindness with betrayal.
  11. We ________ (repay) the bank in 2020.
  12. They had ________ (repay) their debts before the audit.
  13. My friend ________ (repay) his loan last week.
  14. The company has ________ (repay) all creditors.
  15. You should have ________ (repay) the debt by now.

Answer Key:

  1. repaid
  2. repaid
  3. repaid
  4. repaid
  5. repaid
  6. repaid
  7. repaid
  8. repaid
  9. repaid
  10. repaid
  11. repaid
  12. repaid
  13. repaid
  14. repaid
  15. repaid

9.2. Error Correction

  1. He repayed the money on time.
  2. They has repaid the loan.
  3. The debt repaid last week.
  4. She should repaid the amount.
  5. I have repaid yesterday.
  6. The loan has repaid.
  7. Did repaid he the money?
  8. He repay the debt last year.
  9. They was repaid the loan.
  10. She not repaid the favor.

Corrections:

  1. He repaid the money on time.
  2. They have repaid the loan.
  3. The debt was repaid last week.
  4. She should have repaid the amount.
  5. I repaid yesterday.
  6. The loan has been repaid.
  7. Did he repay the money?
  8. He repaid the debt last year.
  9. They were repaid the loan. (or) The loan was repaid.
  10. She has not repaid the favor.

9.3. Sentence Transformation

  • Active to Passive:
    She repaid the debt. → The debt was repaid by her.
  • Present Perfect to Past Perfect:
    They have repaid the money. → They had repaid the money.
  • Past Simple to Present Perfect:
    He repaid the loan. → He has repaid the loan.
  • Past Perfect to Simple Past:
    We had repaid the mortgage. → We repaid the mortgage.

9.4. Identify Tense and Usage

  1. She had repaid the loan before leaving. — Past perfect
  2. They repaid their debts last year. — Simple past
  3. I have repaid all my loans. — Present perfect
  4. The money was repaid yesterday. — Simple past passive
  5. They had been repaid before the audit. — Past perfect passive

9.5. Construct Sentences (Model Answers)

  • Repaid with a time expression:
    I repaid my debt two days ago.
  • Passive voice:
    The favor has been repaid.
  • Perfect tense:
    They have repaid the entire amount.
  • Figurative sense:
    She repaid his kindness with loyalty.

10. Advanced Topics

10.1. Nuances of Perfect Tenses with ‘Repaid’

Present Perfect connects a past action to the present moment.

  • I have repaid the loan. (Action completed, relevance now — I am debt-free.)

Past Perfect indicates one past action occurred before another past event.

  • By the time the deadline passed, I had repaid the loan.

10.2. Stylistic Choices: Passive vs. Active

  • Passive emphasizes the result or the action, often more formal:
    The debt was repaid in full.
  • Active focuses on the doer:
    She repaid the debt.
  • In legal or financial writing, the passive is often preferred to highlight the transaction rather than the person.

10.3. Collocations and Idiomatic Expressions

  • Repay + noun:
    • Repay a loan
    • Repay a debt
    • Repay a favor/kindness/trust
  • Repay with + noun:
    • Repay with interest/kindness/violence
    • Repay with betrayal

10.4. Register and Formality

‘Repaid’ is suitable for formal writing (business, academic, legal) and informal speech.

For example:

  • Formal: The loan was repaid in accordance with the contract.
  • Informal: I repaid my brother yesterday.

10.5. Historical and Linguistic Notes

‘Repay’ comes from the Latin root re- (again) + pay. Its irregular past tense ‘repaid’ follows a pattern similar to ‘say/said’ or ‘lay/laid’, where the vowel changes and a ‘d’ is added, diverging from regular ‘-ed’ endings.

11. FAQ Section

  1. What is the past tense of ‘repay’?
    The past tense is ‘repaid’.
  2. Is ‘repayed’ a correct past tense form?
    No, the correct form is ‘repaid’ because ‘repay’ is irregular.
  3. How do you pronounce ‘repaid’?
    It is pronounced as /rɪˈpeɪd/, with emphasis on the second syllable rhyming with ‘paid’.
  4. What is the difference between ‘repaid’ and ‘paid back’?
    Both mean to return money owed. ‘Repaid’ is more formal and can also refer to favors; ‘paid back’ is more informal and primarily financial.
  5. Can ‘repaid’ be used in passive voice?
    Yes, e.g., The loan was repaid.
  6. When should I use ‘have repaid’ instead of ‘repaid’?
    Use ‘have repaid’ to show a past action with present relevance or unspecified time.
  7. Is ‘repaid’ used differently in British vs. American English?
    No significant differences; ‘repaid’ is standard in both dialects.
  8. What are some common mistakes with ‘repaid’?
    Using ‘repayed’ instead, incorrect modal forms (e.g., ‘should repaid’), or tense confusion (e.g., ‘has repaid yesterday’).
  9. How do I use ‘repaid’ in conditional sentences?
    With modals + have + repaid:
    He could have repaid if he had the money.
  10. Can ‘repaid’ be used metaphorically?
    Yes, e.g., She repaid kindness with betrayal.
  11. How do I form negative sentences with ‘repaid’?
    Use ‘did not repay’ or ‘have not repaid’:
    She did not repay the loan.
  12. Is ‘repaid’ appropriate in formal writing?
    Absolutely. It’s suitable for formal, academic, and professional contexts.

12. Conclusion

In English, the past tense of ‘repay’ is the irregular form ‘repaid’—never ‘repayed’. Mastering its use is essential for describing completed actions involving payments, favors, or responses, in both literal and figurative senses.

We’ve covered its forms, pronunciation, usage in different tenses, passive constructions, and how to avoid common mistakes. Proper use of ‘repaid’ enhances clarity and professionalism in your English writing and speaking.

To solidify your understanding, regularly practice with the examples and exercises provided here. Continue exploring other irregular verbs and complex tense structures to deepen your grammar knowledge.

With dedication, you’ll confidently express past actions involving repayment in accurate, fluent English!

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