Mastering the Past Tense of “Forget”: Forms, Usage, and Common Errors

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The English verb “forget” is a common yet tricky irregular verb that every learner must master. It means to fail to remember or to overlook unintentionally. As an irregular verb, “forget” doesn’t follow the typical -ed past tense pattern, which can lead to confusion about its correct past forms.

Mastering the past tense of “forget” is essential for clear storytelling, accurate communication in daily conversation, academic writing, and professional contexts. Whether you are an ESL student, a teacher, an advanced learner refining your grammar skills, or a writer aiming for accuracy, understanding how to correctly use “forgot” and “forgotten” is crucial.

This comprehensive article will guide you through:

  • Definitions and meanings of “forget”
  • Differences between its simple past and past participle forms
  • Structures and grammar rules with examples and tables
  • Common mistakes and how to avoid them
  • Advanced nuances including idioms and regional variations
  • Numerous practice exercises with answers to test your understanding

With detailed explanations, dozens of examples, and clear tables, this guide will help you confidently use the past tense forms of “forget” in any context.

Table of Contents

3. Definition Section

3.1. Overview of the Verb “Forget”

The verb “forget” primarily means to be unable to remember something. It can also suggest overlooking something unintentionally or failing to bring to mind.

Verb Classification: “Forget” is an irregular verb, meaning it does not adopt the regular -ed ending for its past forms.

Transitive Use: It often takes a direct object: She forgot her bag.

Intransitive Use: Sometimes it stands alone: He tends to forget easily.

3.2. What Is the Past Tense of “Forget”?

The verb “forget” has two key past forms:

  • Simple Past: forgot
  • Past Participle: forgotten

Here are the principal parts:

Base Form Simple Past Past Participle Present Participle 3rd Person Singular
forget forgot forgotten forgetting forgets

3.3. Function of Past Tense Forms

Forgot is used for the simple past tense to describe a completed action in the past:

She forgot her lunch yesterday.

Forgotten serves as the past participle, used in:

  • Perfect tenses: He has forgotten my name.
  • Passive voice: The password was forgotten.
  • Adjectival phrases: A forgotten story.

3.4. Contexts for Using Past Tense of “Forget”

  • Narrating past events: I forgot to send the email last week.
  • Expressing regrets or mistakes: I have forgotten what I wanted to say.
  • Talking about habitual past forgetfulness: When I was young, I used to forget my homework.

4. Structural Breakdown

4.1. Forming the Simple Past Tense

Unlike regular verbs, “forget” changes to “forgot” in the simple past.

Do NOT say: forgetted (incorrect)

Correct form: forgot

Pronunciation tip: “forgot” is pronounced /fəˈɡɒt/ (UK) or /fərˈɡɑːt/ (US).

4.2. Forming Perfect Tenses with “Forgotten”

In perfect tenses, use the auxiliary have/has/had plus the past participle “forgotten”.

Tense Structure Example
Present Perfect have/has + forgotten She has forgotten her keys.
Past Perfect had + forgotten They had forgotten the appointment.
Future Perfect will have + forgotten He will have forgotten by then.

4.3. Passive Voice Structures

Forgotten is also used in passive voice constructions:

The password was forgotten.

Active Passive
She forgot the password. The password was forgotten.
They had forgotten the tickets. The tickets had been forgotten.

4.4. Negative and Interrogative Forms

Simple past negatives:

I did not forget your birthday.

Perfect tense negatives:

She has not forgotten the rules.

Questions:

  • Simple past: Did you forget the appointment?
  • Present perfect: Have you forgotten my name?

4.5. Timeline Diagrams

Forgot points to a specific, completed past action:

|—(forgot)—|———————————| (Now)

Forgotten in perfect tenses connects the past with the present or another past moment:

|——(had forgotten)——|—(another past event)—|————| (Now)

These diagrams help visualize when to use each form based on the event’s time relation.

5. Types or Categories

5.1. Simple Past Tense: “Forgot”

Use “forgot” for completed actions at a definite past time.

Time markers: yesterday, last week, two days ago, earlier

Example: I forgot my umbrella yesterday.

5.2. Past Participle: “Forgotten”

  • In perfect tenses: She has forgotten the answer.
  • In passive structures: The message was forgotten.
  • As an adjective: A forgotten city.

5.3. Habitual vs. One-time Forgetfulness

Habitual: I used to forget my homework every week.

One-time: I forgot my homework yesterday.

5.4. Idiomatic Expressions Involving Past Forms

  • “I forgot to…” + infinitive: I forgot to turn off the oven.
  • “I had forgotten that…”: I had forgotten that today is a holiday.
  • “All is forgotten.” (passive participle as adjective): After the apology, all is forgotten.

6. Examples Section

6.1. Examples of Simple Past (“forgot”)

  • She forgot her umbrella yesterday.
  • I forgot to call you last night.
  • He forgot the meeting time.
  • We forgot to bring snacks.
  • They forgot their homework.
  • Emma forgot her password this morning.
  • My brother forgot his phone at home.
  • You forgot to feed the cat.
  • He forgot to pay the bill last week.
  • Jane forgot her wallet again.

6.2. Examples of Present Perfect (“has/have forgotten”)

  • They have forgotten the lyrics.
  • I have forgotten my password again.
  • She has forgotten where she parked.
  • We have forgotten to reply to his email.
  • He has forgotten their anniversary date.
  • You have forgotten my name already?
  • They have forgotten how to get there.
  • I have forgotten what I was going to say.
  • She has forgotten the rules of the game.
  • We have forgotten our childhood friends.

6.3. Examples of Past Perfect (“had forgotten”)

  • He had forgotten his homework before class began.
  • We had forgotten to lock the door when we left.
  • She had forgotten about the appointment.
  • They had forgotten the map at home.
  • I had forgotten her birthday until she called.
  • He had forgotten the directions by the time he arrived.
  • She had forgotten how difficult it was.
  • They had forgotten to buy milk before the store closed.
  • I had forgotten the lyrics during the performance.
  • We had forgotten to charge the camera.

6.4. Examples of Passive Voice with “Forgotten”

  • The keys had been forgotten in the car.
  • That fact has been forgotten over time.
  • All worries were forgotten during the vacation.
  • The old tradition is now forgotten.
  • The documents were forgotten on the printer.
  • The promise has long been forgotten.
  • Her kindness was never forgotten.
  • The password was forgotten by everyone.
  • The plan had been forgotten by the team.
  • The date was quickly forgotten after the event.

6.5. Examples within Negative Sentences

  • I did not forget your birthday.
  • She hasn’t forgotten what you said.
  • They didn’t forget to bring the tickets.
  • We haven’t forgotten our promise.
  • He did not forget the lesson.
  • I haven’t forgotten the address.
  • You didn’t forget to lock the door, right?
  • She hasn’t forgotten her childhood memories.
  • They haven’t forgotten the meeting schedule.
  • We didn’t forget to water the plants.

6.6. Examples within Questions

  • Did you forget the meeting?
  • Have you forgotten the address?
  • Did she forget her ID card?
  • Had they forgotten about the deadline?
  • Have we forgotten anything important?
  • Did you forget to feed the dog?
  • Has he forgotten his promise?
  • Did they forget to call you?
  • Have you forgotten how to solve this?
  • Did I forget something?

6.7. Examples of Idioms and Fixed Phrases

  • Forgive and forget.
  • Long forgotten history.
  • She is a forgotten hero.
  • All is forgiven and forgotten.
  • Forgotten but not gone.
  • A forgotten land.
  • Never forgotten.
  • The forgotten few.
  • It’s best left forgotten.
  • Time heals all wounds, but some are never forgotten.

6.8. Tables of Examples

Table 4: Simple Past Forms

Affirmative Negative Question
She forgot my name. She did not forget my name. Did she forget my name?
They forgot the tickets. They didn’t forget the tickets. Did they forget the tickets?
I forgot the deadline. I did not forget the deadline. Did I forget the deadline?

Table 5: Perfect Tenses Forms

Affirmative Negative Question
She has forgotten the address. She hasn’t forgotten the address. Has she forgotten the address?
They had forgotten the map. They hadn’t forgotten the map. Had they forgotten the map?
I have forgotten your name. I haven’t forgotten your name. Have I forgotten your name?

Table 6: Passive Voice Examples

Tense Passive Example
Simple Past The keys were forgotten on the table.
Present Perfect The tradition has been forgotten.
Past Perfect The documents had been forgotten in the office.

7. Usage Rules

7.1. Choosing “Forgot” vs. “Forgotten”

  • Use “forgot” for simple past events.
  • Use “forgotten” in perfect tenses or passive voice.

7.2. Rules on Time Expressions

  • “Forgot” pairs with specific past time markers: yesterday, last week, two days ago.
  • “Have forgotten” often refers to recent, indefinite, or ongoing situations.

7.3. Using “Forgot” with Infinitives

“Forgot to + verb” means failed to perform an intended action.

I forgot to lock the door.

7.4. Using “Forgot” with Gerunds (less common)

“Forgot doing” means don’t remember having done something.

I forgot calling you last night. (I called, but I don’t remember)

I forgot to call you. (I did not call)

7.5. Exceptions and Special Cases

  • British English consistently uses “forgotten” as past participle.
  • American English sometimes uses “forgot” as past participle in informal speech, but “forgotten” is standard.
  • In very informal speech, you might hear “I have forgot,” but avoid it in formal writing.

7.6. Summary Table of Usage Rules

Context Use Example
Simple past event forgot I forgot my keys yesterday.
Completed but relevant to present have/has forgotten She has forgotten the answer.
Earlier past before other past event had forgotten He had forgotten the tickets.
Passive voice was/had been forgotten The password was forgotten.
Infinitive (missed action) forgot to + verb I forgot to call you.
Gerund (memory of doing) forgot doing + verb-ing I forgot meeting her.

8. Common Mistakes

8.1. Using “Forgot” as a Past Participle Incorrectly

Incorrect: I have forgot my book.

Correct: I have forgotten my book.

8.2. Overusing “Forgotten” in Simple Past

Incorrect: Yesterday, I forgotten your name.

Correct: Yesterday, I forgot your name.

8.3. Confusing Past Forms with Infinitive Structures

Incorrect: I forgot locking the door. (when you mean you did not lock it)

Correct: I forgot to lock the door.

8.4. Negatives and Question Errors

Incorrect: I didn’t forgot.

Correct: I didn’t forget.

8.5. Mixing Tenses in Narratives

Learners sometimes confuse past perfect with simple past or mix tenses inconsistently when sequencing events.

8.6. Examples of Mistakes and Corrections

Incorrect Correct
I have forgot the email. I have forgotten the email.
He has forgot his coat. He has forgotten his coat.
They forgotten their tickets. They forgot their tickets.
Did you forgot the address? Did you forget the address?
She didn’t forgot to call. She didn’t forget to call.
We had forgot the appointment. We had forgotten the appointment.
I forgot locking the door. (missed action) I forgot to lock the door.
Have you forgot your password? Have you forgotten your password?
Yesterday, I forgotten to email you. Yesterday, I forgot to email you.
She has not forgot the plan. She has not forgotten the plan.

9. Practice Exercises

9.1. Fill-in-the-Blank

Complete with forgot or forgotten.

  1. I ____ (forget) my wallet yesterday.
  2. She has ____ the answer again.
  3. They had ____ the tickets at home.
  4. Have you ____ his name?
  5. He ____ to lock the door last night.
  6. We have ____ to send the invitation.
  7. Did you ____ to buy milk?
  8. She ____ her umbrella two days ago.
  9. They have never ____ their roots.
  10. I had ____ the password before the exam.

Answers:

  1. forgot
  2. forgotten
  3. forgotten
  4. forgotten
  5. forgot
  6. forgotten
  7. forget
  8. forgot
  9. forgotten
  10. forgotten

9.2. Error Correction

Identify and correct the errors.

  1. She have forgot her password.
  2. They forgotten the tickets.
  3. I didn’t forgot your birthday.
  4. He has forgot to call me.
  5. Have you forgot his name?
  6. We had forgot about the meeting.
  7. Did you forgot to bring the book?
  8. Yesterday, I forgotten my keys.

Answers:

  1. She has forgotten her password.
  2. They forgot the tickets.
  3. I didn’t forget your birthday.
  4. He has forgotten to call me.
  5. Have you forgotten his name?
  6. We had forgotten about the meeting.
  7. Did you forget to bring the book?
  8. Yesterday, I forgot my keys.

9.3. Multiple Choice

  1. She ____ her bag at home yesterday.
    • a) forgotten
    • b) forgot
    • c) forget
  2. They have ____ our address.
    • a) forgot
    • b) forgetting
    • c) forgotten
  3. I ____ to send the email last night.
    • a) forgot
    • b) forgotten
    • c) forget
  4. Have you ____ the rules?
    • a) forgot
    • b) forgotten
    • c) forget
  5. We ____ our promise.
    • a) had forgotten
    • b) have forgot
    • c) forgotten
  6. He ____ to bring his notebook.
    • a) forgotten
    • b) forgot
    • c) forget
  7. They ____ their appointment last week.
    • a) forgotten
    • b) forgot
    • c) forget
  8. She ____ to call her mother.
    • a) forgot
    • b) forgotten
    • c) forgets
  9. Have we ____ anything?
    • a) forgot
    • b) forgotten
    • c) forget
  10. I ____ what he said.
    • a) have forgotten
    • b) had forgot
    • c) forgotten

Answers: 1-b, 2-c, 3-a, 4-b, 5-a, 6-b, 7-b, 8-a, 9-b, 10-a

9.4. Sentence Construction

Make sentences with the prompts using the correct past tense form.

  1. he / forget / bring / tickets / last night
  2. they / have / forget / where / park
  3. she / forget / lock / door / yesterday
  4. I / had / forget / your / birthday
  5. we / not / forget / homework / last week

Sample Answers:

  1. He forgot to bring the tickets last night.
  2. They have forgotten where they parked.
  3. She forgot to lock the door yesterday.
  4. I had forgotten your birthday.
  5. We did not forget our homework last week.

9.5. Transformation Exercises

Change the present sentences into appropriate past or perfect tense forms.

  1. I forget his name. →
  2. She forgets to call. →
  3. They forget the address. →
  4. He forgets my birthday every year. →
  5. We forget the rules. →

Answers:

  1. I forgot his name.
  2. She forgot to call.
  3. They had forgotten the address.
  4. He has forgotten my birthday.
  5. We have forgotten the rules.

10. Advanced Topics

10.1. Nuances of “Forget to” vs. “Forget + ing”

  • Forget to + verb: Failed to perform an action.
    I forgot to send the letter. (I didn’t send it.)
  • Forget + verb-ing: Don’t remember doing the action.
    I forgot sending the letter. (I sent it, but don’t remember.)

10.2. Register and Formality

“Forgotten” tends to sound more formal or literary, especially as an adjective:

The forgotten tales of old.

10.3. Regional Variations

  • British English: prefers “forgotten” for past participle.
  • American English: sometimes uses “forgot” informally as past participle but “forgotten” is still standard.

10.4. Figurative and Idiomatic Uses

  • A forgotten hero (unrecognized hero)
  • All is forgotten (forgiven)
  • Forgotten corners of the world

10.5. Historical Development of the Forms

“Forget” comes from Old English forgietan. Historically, the past participle was “forgotten.” Over time, dialects sometimes used “forgot” as participle, though “forgotten” remains the standard form.

11. FAQ Section

  1. What is the past tense of “forget”?
    The simple past is forgot.
  2. Is “forgotten” the same as “forgot”?
    No. Forgot is simple past; forgotten is the past participle, used in perfect tenses and passive voice.
  3. When should I use “forgot” vs. “forgotten”?
    Use forgot for simple past events; use forgotten in perfect tenses or passive forms.
  4. Why is “forgetted” incorrect?
    “Forget” is an irregular verb. Its past forms are “forgot” and “forgotten,” not “forgetted.”
  5. Can I say “I have forgot”?
    No, standard English uses “I have forgotten.”
  6. What is the difference between “forgot to” and “forgot doing”?
    “Forgot to” means you didn’t do something. “Forgot doing” means you did it but don’t remember.
  7. Is “forgotten” used in American English?
    Yes, “forgotten” is standard in both American and British English.
  8. How do I form negatives with “forgot”?
    Use “did not forget” or the contraction “didn’t forget.”
  9. Can “forgotten” be used as an adjective?
    Yes, e.g., “a forgotten song,” “the forgotten city.”
  10. Is it okay to say “I forget” when talking about the past?
    No, “I forget” is present tense. Use “I forgot” for past events.
  11. Why do some people say “had forgot” instead of “had forgotten”?
    It’s a non-standard or dialectal usage. Standard English requires “had forgotten.”
  12. What are some common idioms with “forget”?
    “Forgive and forget,” “Long forgotten,” “Never forgotten,” “A forgotten hero.”

12. Conclusion

In summary, the verb “forget” has two key past forms:

  • Forgot – simple past for completed actions.
  • Forgotten – past participle used in perfect tenses and passive voice.

Use “forgot” with clear past time markers. Use “forgotten” for actions connected to the present or in passive structures. Avoid mistakes like “have forgot” or “forgetted.”

Practice with the exercises provided to reinforce your understanding. Pay close attention to context, perfect tense formation, and passive voice usage.

Mastery of irregular verbs like “forget” is key to accurate, fluent English communication.

Keep studying irregular verbs and perfect tenses to deepen your grammar skills and become a more confident English user!

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