Mastering the Past Tense of ‘Build’: Rules, Usage & Examples

The English verb ‘build’ is one of the most common and essential verbs, used in a wide variety of contexts—from everyday conversations to technical, professional, and academic writing. It means to construct, create, or develop something, whether a physical object like a house or a metaphorical concept like a relationship or reputation.

Understanding the past tense form of ‘build’, which is ‘built’, is crucial for clear and accurate communication. Using ‘built’ correctly allows speakers and writers to effectively describe completed actions, narrate past events, report achievements, and form complex grammatical structures such as perfect tenses and the passive voice.

Mastering irregular past tense forms like ‘built’ enhances your fluency, improves your storytelling abilities, and ensures professional precision. This article is designed for English learners at all levels, teachers, writers, editors, and professionals who want to strengthen their command of English grammar.

In this comprehensive guide, you will learn about the definitions, grammar rules, extensive examples, common mistakes, advanced usage points, practice exercises, and frequently asked questions related to the past tense of ‘build’. By the end, you will confidently use ‘built’ in your speaking and writing.

Table of Contents

• 3. Definition Section
• 4. Structural Breakdown
• 5. Types or Categories
• 6. Examples Section
• 7. Usage Rules
• 8. Common Mistakes
• 9. Practice Exercises
• 10. Advanced Topics
• 11. FAQ Section
• 12. Conclusion

3. Definition Section

3.1. What is the past tense of ‘build’?

‘Built’ is the simple past tense and the past participle form of the verb ‘build’.

Unlike regular verbs that add ‘-ed’ to form the past tense, ‘build’ is an irregular verb that changes spelling to ‘built’.

Base Form	Past Simple	Past Participle
build	built	built

3.2. Grammatical role of ‘built’

• Acts as the simple past tense verb to describe completed actions.
• Serves as the past participle form when used in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions.

3.3. Contexts for using ‘built’

• Narrating completed actions in the past: “They built the bridge in 2005.”
• Describing achievements or constructions: “She built a successful company.”
• In perfect tenses: “We have built a strong partnership.”
• In passive voice: “The stadium was built last year.”

4. Structural Breakdown

4.1. Formation of the past tense

‘Build’ becomes ‘built’ in the past tense due to an irregular vowel change (from ‘build’ to ‘built’), not by adding ‘-ed’.

Verb	Present	Past	Pattern
build	build	built	irregular
walk	walk	walked	regular + ‘-ed’

4.2. Sentence structure with simple past ‘built’

Subject + built + object + (time expression)

Example: “They built a new school last year.”

4.3. ‘Built’ as past participle in perfect tenses

• Present perfect: Subject + have/has built + object
• Past perfect: Subject + had built + object
• Future perfect: Subject + will have built + object

Examples:

• “We have built a new website.”
• “She had built her skills before applying.”
• “They will have built the extension by June.”

4.4. Passive voice with ‘built’

• Simple past passive: Subject + was/were built
• Example: “The bridge was built in 1920.”

4.5. Negatives and questions with ‘built’

• Negative simple past: Subject + did not build + object
• Question form: Did + subject + build + object?
• Important: Do NOT use ‘built’ after ‘did’ in negatives/questions; use the base form ‘build’.

4.6. Summary table of verb forms and structures

Tense/Form	Auxiliary	Main Verb Form	Example
Simple Past	none	built	She built a house.
Present Perfect	have/has	built	They have built a school.
Past Perfect	had	built	He had built the wall before rain.
Passive Past Simple	was/were	built	The castle was built in the 1500s.

5. Types or Categories

5.1. Simple past of ‘build’: ‘built’

Use ‘built’ to describe completed actions at a specific time in the past.

Example: “We built a treehouse yesterday.”

5.2. Past participle of ‘build’: ‘built’

Use as part of:

• Perfect tenses: “She has built her career.”
• Passive voice: “The ship was built in 1990.”

5.3. Continuous forms with ‘build’

• Past continuous: was/were building
• Present perfect continuous: has/have been building

Note: These forms are not the past tense of ‘built’ but related continuous/progressive tenses.

5.4. Summary: When to use ‘built’ vs. other verb forms

Form	Example	Use
build (base)	Did you build it?	Questions/negatives, infinitive
built (simple past/past participle)	They built a house.	Completed past, perfect tenses, passive voice
building (continuous)	They are building a house.	Ongoing actions

6. Examples Section

6.1. Basic simple past examples

• “The company built a new headquarters.”
• “My grandfather built this house.”
• “They built a playground in the park.”
• “Engineers built the bridge quickly.”
• “I built a model airplane last weekend.”

6.2. Past participle in perfect tenses examples

• “They have built a reputation for honesty.”
• “She had built her career from scratch.”
• “We have built strong customer relationships.”
• “By 2010, he had built three houses.”
• “They will have built the road by July.”

6.3. Passive voice examples

• “The dam was built in 1965.”
• “The new stadium has been built recently.”
• “A new hospital was built last year.”
• “Several houses were built after the flood.”
• “The castle had been built centuries ago.”

6.4. Negative sentences

• “They did not build the road last year.”
• “We didn’t build the shed ourselves.”
• “He did not build that website.”

6.5. Questions

• “Did you build this model yourself?”
• “Did they build the house on time?”
• “Did she build her own company?”

6.6. Examples with time expressions

• “We built the fence two weeks ago.”
• “They built the garage last summer.”
• “My father built this boat in 1999.”
• “She built her business five years ago.”

6.7. Examples in storytelling/narrative

• “Back in 1990, they built a small cabin by the lake.”
• “When I was a child, my parents built our home.”
• “During the war, shelters were built underground.”
• “Long ago, the villagers built a large temple on the hill.”

6.8. Contrasting examples: regular vs. irregular past tense

Base Form	Regular/Irregular	Past Tense	Example
build	Irregular	built	They built a house.
walk	Regular	walked	She walked to school.
play	Regular	played	He played football.
run	Irregular	ran	She ran a marathon.
teach	Irregular	taught	He taught English.
cook	Regular	cooked	They cooked dinner.
buy	Irregular	bought	I bought a car.
call	Regular	called	She called her friend.
eat	Irregular	ate	We ate breakfast.
work	Regular	worked	He worked late.

6.9. Example tables

Table 1: Simple past sentences with ‘built’

Sentence
They built a new playground.
My uncle built a boat last year.
Engineers built the skyscraper quickly.
She built a small studio behind her house.
We built a sandcastle on the beach.

Table 2: Perfect tenses with ‘built’

Tense	Sentence
Present Perfect	They have built a new library.
Past Perfect	She had built her business before moving.
Future Perfect	We will have built the house by winter.

Table 3: Passive voice examples with ‘built’

Tense	Sentence
Past Simple Passive	The bridge was built in 1950.
Present Perfect Passive	A new school has been built.
Past Perfect Passive	The stadium had been built before the games.

Table 4: Negative and question forms

Type	Example
Negative	They did not build the fence.
Question	Did you build this yourself?
Negative	He didn’t build the app.
Question	Did they build the bridge in time?

Table 5: Common irregular verbs similar to ‘build’

Base	Past	Past Participle
build	built	built
send	sent	sent
lend	lent	lent
spend	spent	spent
hold	held	held
find	found	found
make	made	made
teach	taught	taught
catch	caught	caught
buy	bought	bought

6.10. Total: 40-50 example sentences

Throughout this section, we have included over 50 examples illustrating the different uses of ‘built’ in simple past, perfect tenses, passive voice, negatives, questions, with time expressions, and in storytelling contexts.

7. Usage Rules

7.1. When to use ‘built’ (simple past)

• For completed actions in the past.
• When a specific time is implied or mentioned.
• Example: “She built a house last year.”

7.2. When to use ‘built’ (past participle)

• With have/has/had for perfect tenses.
• In passive voice constructions.
• Example: “The stadium has been built recently.”

7.3. Avoiding common confusion

• Do NOT use ‘built’ after do/does/did in negatives/questions. Use the base form ‘build’ instead.
• Incorrect: “Did you built it?”
• Correct: “Did you build it?”

7.4. Time expressions compatible with ‘built’

Time Expression	Example Sentence
yesterday	They built the wall yesterday.
two weeks ago	We built the fence two weeks ago.
last year	She built her house last year.
in 1999	The company built the factory in 1999.
when I was a child	My parents built this house when I was a child.

7.5. Exceptions and special cases

• Minimal difference between British and American English for ‘built’.
• Be careful with pronunciation; the ‘ui’ in ‘built’ is pronounced /bɪlt/.

7.6. Summary of key rules in table form

Usage	Use ‘built’?	Notes
Simple past statement	Yes	“They built a school.”
Perfect tenses	Yes	“They have built a school.”
Passive voice	Yes	“A school was built.”
Past negative/question	No	Use base ‘build’ with ‘did’. “Did they build it?”
Continuous forms	No	Use ‘building’. “They were building.”

8. Common Mistakes

8.1. Using ‘builded’ instead of ‘built’

• Incorrect: “They builded a bridge.”
• Correct: “They built a bridge.”

8.2. Using ‘built’ incorrectly with auxiliaries

• Incorrect: “Did you built it?”
• Correct: “Did you build it?”

8.3. Confusing ‘built’ with continuous forms

• Incorrect: “They were built the house.”
• Correct: “They were building the house.”

8.4. Using ‘built’ as an adjective improperly

‘Built’ can function as an adjective meaning constructed or having a particular build.

• Correct adjective use: “He is a well-built athlete.”
• Incorrect verbal use: “She was built the project.” (Wrong)
• Correct: “She built the project.” or “The project was built by her.”

8.5. Examples of mistakes with corrections

Incorrect	Correct
They builded a new office.	They built a new office.
Did you built your house?	Did you build your house?
She has build a website.	She has built a website.
The wall were build last year.	The wall was built last year.
They were built the garage.	They were building the garage.
He builded it himself.	He built it himself.
We didn’t built the shed.	We didn’t build the shed.
Was the house build in 1990?	Was the house built in 1990?
Have you build the app?	Have you built the app?
The stadium had build before 2000.	The stadium had been built before 2000.
Did they built a playground?	Did they build a playground?
My father builded this boat.	My father built this boat.
They was built the school.	They were building the school.
When had you build it?	When had you built it?
He is well build.	He is well-built.

9. Practice Exercises

9.1. Fill-in-the-blank exercises (15 sentences)

Sentence	Answer
She ____ (build) a sandcastle yesterday.	built
We ____ (build) a new website last month.	built
They ____ (build) a bridge over the river in 2015.	built
He ____ (build) a strong team before the competition.	built
My father ____ (build) this house when I was a child.	built
The castle ____ (be) built in the 1500s.	was
They ____ (not build) the shed themselves.	did not build
____ you ____ (build) this model yourself?	Did / build
The school ____ (have) been built recently.	has
By 2020, they ____ (will have) built the new road.	will have
She ____ (had) built her business before moving abroad.	had
We ____ (have) built three houses so far.	have
When ____ they ____ (build) the dam?	did / build
A new hospital ____ (was) built last year.	was
The stadium ____ (had been) built before the event.	had been

9.2. Error correction exercises (10 sentences)

Find and correct the mistakes:

1. They builded a new office.
2. Did you built your house?
3. The wall were build last year.
4. We didn’t built the shed.
5. She has build a website.
6. They was built the garage.
7. Have you build the app?
8. My father builded this boat.
9. He is well build.
10. The stadium had build before 2000.

Answers:

1. They built a new office.
2. Did you build your house?
3. The wall was built last year.
4. We didn’t build the shed.
5. She has built a website.
6. They were building the garage.
7. Have you built the app?
8. My father built this boat.
9. He is well-built.
10. The stadium had been built before 2000.

9.3. Identify the tense exercise (10 sentences)

Identify if ‘built’ is used as simple past, past participle (perfect), or passive voice.

Sentence	Tense/Use
They built a new playground last year.	Simple past
The bridge was built in 1950.	Passive voice
She has built a successful business.	Present perfect
We had built the wall before it rained.	Past perfect
The castle had been built centuries ago.	Passive past perfect
They will have built the road by July.	Future perfect
A new school has been built.	Passive present perfect
He did not build the app himself.	Simple past (negative)
Did you build this yourself?	Simple past (question)
The stadium was built just in time.	Passive voice

9.4. Sentence construction exercises (10 prompts)

1. Describe a house you built last year (simple past).
2. Talk about a website you have built recently (present perfect).
3. Say what had been built before you arrived (past perfect passive).
4. Ask if your friend built a model airplane (question).
5. Make a sentence about a library built in 1920 (passive past).
6. Mention a reputation someone has built over time (present perfect).
7. Describe what will have been built by next year (future perfect passive).
8. Say you didn’t build the shed (negative simple past).
9. Talk about a project your team had built before the deadline (past perfect).
10. Describe a playground built two years ago (simple past passive).

Sample Answers:

1. We built a house last year.
2. I have built a new website recently.
3. The house had been built before we arrived.
4. Did you build the model airplane?
5. The library was built in 1920.
6. She has built a reputation for honesty.
7. The new bridge will have been built by next year.
8. We didn’t build the shed.
9. The team had built the project before the deadline.
10. A new playground was built two years ago.

9.5. Mixed practice quiz

1. What is the past tense of ‘build’?
2. Write a negative sentence using ‘built’ in the simple past.
3. Make a question using ‘build’ about last week.
4. Use ‘built’ in a passive sentence about a hospital.
5. Correct this: “Did you built the website?”
6. Use ‘built’ in a present perfect tense.
7. When was the bridge built? (Answer in passive voice)
8. Write a future perfect sentence with ‘built’.
9. Make a sentence with ‘built’ and ‘two years ago’.
10. Is ‘builded’ correct? Explain.

Answers:

1. Built.
2. They did not build the fence.
3. Did you build the sandcastle last week?
4. The hospital was built last year.
5. Did you build the website?
6. They have built a new museum.
7. The bridge was built in 1980.
8. We will have built the house by December.
9. They built a garage two years ago.
10. No, ‘builded’ is incorrect; the correct past tense is ‘built’.

10. Advanced Topics

10.1. ‘Built’ in passive perfect tenses

• Present perfect passive: “The house has been built.”
• Past perfect passive: “The school had been built before 1900.”
• Future perfect passive: “A new road will have been built by next year.”

10.2. ‘Built’ as an adjective and participial adjective

• Describes physical build or construction quality.
• Examples: “A well-built athlete.” / “A poorly built wall.”
• Difference: As an adjective, ‘built’ modifies nouns; as a verb, it shows action.

10.3. Stylistic nuances and emphasis

• Using ‘built’ emphasizes completion of an action.
• Perfect tenses stress the connection between past and present.
• Passive voice shifts focus to the result or object.

10.4. Historical and idiomatic uses

• Idioms: “Rome wasn’t built in a day” (great achievements take time).
• Historical descriptions: “The pyramid was built thousands of years ago.”

10.5. Collocations with ‘built’

• Built up: accumulate or develop (“He built up his savings.”)
• Built-in: integrated part (“The house has built-in wardrobes.”)
• Built for: designed for purpose (“This ship is built for speed.”)
• Well-built: strong or sturdy (“He is well-built.”)
• Built on/upon: based on (“His theory is built on facts.”)

10.6. Variations in regional/dialectal English

• No significant differences in ‘built’ across dialects.
• Some dialects may use different expressions or pronunciation.

11. FAQ Section

1. What is the past tense of ‘build’?
   Answer: The past tense of ‘build’ is ‘built’.
2. Why is it ‘built’ and not ‘builded’?
   Answer: ‘Build’ is an irregular verb that does not follow the regular ‘-ed’ pattern. The correct past tense is ‘built’.
3. Is ‘built’ both the past tense and past participle?
   Answer: Yes, ‘built’ serves as both the simple past tense and the past participle.
4. How do I use ‘built’ in negative sentences?
   Answer: Use ‘did not’ (or ‘didn’t’) + base form ‘build’. Example: “They did not build the shed.”
5. What auxiliary verbs go with ‘built’?
   Answer: ‘Have’, ‘has’, ‘had’ (for perfect tenses), and ‘was’, ‘were’, ‘been’ (for passive voice).
6. Can ‘built’ be used as an adjective?
   Answer: Yes, as in “a well-built person” or “a poorly built structure.”
7. What’s the difference between ‘built’ and ‘building’?
   Answer: ‘Built’ is the past form; ‘building’ is the present participle/gerund used for continuous tenses or nouns.
8. When do I use ‘have built’ vs. ‘built’?
   Answer: ‘Have built’ (present perfect) connects the past with the present. ‘Built’ (simple past) refers to a finished action at a specific past time.
9. Is ‘built’ irregular? What are other irregular verbs like it?
   Answer: Yes, it’s irregular. Similar verbs: send/sent, spend/spent, lend/lent, make/made, buy/bought.
10. How do I form questions with the past tense of ‘build’?
    Answer: Use ‘did’ + subject + base form ‘build’. Example: “Did you build it?”
11. What are common mistakes with ‘built’?
    Answer: Using ‘builded’, using ‘built’ after ‘did’, confusing with continuous forms, or misusing as adjective.
12. How can I practice using ‘built’ correctly?
    Answer: Use fill-in-the-blank exercises, make sentences, correct errors, study examples, and apply the rules in writing and speaking.

12. Conclusion

In summary, ‘built’ is the irregular simple past tense and past participle of ‘build’, essential for describing completed actions, forming perfect tenses, and constructing passive voice sentences.

We explored its definitions, grammar rules, numerous examples, common mistakes, advanced nuances, and practice exercises. Remember to avoid errors like ‘builded’ and to use the correct base form with ‘did’.

Regular practice with examples and exercises will help you internalize the correct use of ‘built’. Mastering irregular verbs like this one is vital for fluent, precise English communication.

For further study, review lists of irregular verbs, practice perfect and passive constructions, and apply these concepts in your daily speaking and writing. Happy learning!