The verb “hurt” is one of the most common English verbs, used daily to express physical pain, injury, or emotional suffering. Whether you stub your toe, experience heartbreak, or damage something, “hurt” is the word that captures these experiences. Understanding the past tense of “hurt” is essential because it helps you narrate past events clearly and accurately.
Since “hurt” is an irregular verb whose base, past tense, and past participle forms are identical, it often confuses learners who mistakenly apply regular verb rules. Mastering its usage is key to fluent storytelling, effective communication, writing, and passing language exams.
This in-depth guide is designed for learners at all levels, teachers needing thorough explanations, writers refining their craft, and exam candidates. You’ll find clear definitions, detailed structures, grammar rules, extensive examples, common mistakes, practice exercises (with answers), and advanced nuances.
Let’s dive into the world of “hurt” and ensure you use its past tense with confidence and clarity!
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 Does “Hurt” Mean?
The verb “hurt” primarily means to cause pain, injury, or damage. It can describe:
- Physical pain: “The cut hurt a lot.”
- Emotional pain: “Her comments hurt me deeply.”
- Damage or harm: “The scandal hurt his reputation.”
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, “hurt” means to cause someone pain or injury or to cause emotional pain or damage to someone or something. It is versatile in describing both tangible injuries and intangible feelings.
3.2. Grammatical Classification
“Hurt” is classified as an irregular verb. Most English verbs are regular and form their past tense by adding “-ed” (e.g., “talk” → “talked”). However, irregular verbs do not follow this pattern and must be memorized individually.
Interestingly, “hurt” belongs to a special group of irregular verbs where the base form, past tense, and past participle are identical. Other examples include:
- put – put – put
- cut – cut – cut
- let – let – let
3.3. Function of the Past Tense of “Hurt”
The past tense signals an action or state that was completed at a specific time in the past. With “hurt,” it can appear as:
- Simple Past: Completed action – “She hurt her knee yesterday.”
- Past Perfect: Action completed before another past event – “She had hurt her knee before the game.”
- Past Continuous: Ongoing past state – “Her knee was hurting during the match.”
3.4. Usage Contexts
We use the past tense of “hurt” when:
- Narrating past injuries or emotions: “He hurt his back last week.”
- Telling stories: “Once, I hurt myself skating.”
- Reporting past events: “Many people were hurt in the accident.”
Sample sentences:
- “I hurt my shoulder playing tennis.”
- “They hurt my feelings yesterday.”
- “She hurt her wrist in the fall.”
- “He was hurt badly during the match.”
- “Did you hurt yourself on the trip?”
| Verb Form | Form of “Hurt” | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Base | hurt | “I don’t want to hurt you.” |
| Past Tense | hurt | “She hurt her knee.” |
| Past Participle | hurt | “He has hurt his foot.” |
| Present Participle | hurting | “My leg is hurting.” |
4. Structural Breakdown
4.1. The Three Forms of “Hurt”
- Base: hurt
- Past tense: hurt
- Past participle: hurt
4.2. Affirmative Past Tense
Structure: Subject + hurt + (object)
Examples:
- “She hurt her ankle yesterday.”
- “They hurt my feelings last week.”
- “I hurt my back playing soccer.”
4.3. Negative Past Tense
Structure: Subject + did not (didn’t) + base form (hurt)
Note: After “did not,” never use “hurted”; always use the base form “hurt.”
Examples:
- “He didn’t hurt anyone.”
- “I did not hurt myself.”
- “They didn’t hurt the car.”
4.4. Interrogative Past Tense
Structure: Did + subject + base form (hurt) + (object)?
Examples:
- “Did you hurt your knee?”
- “Did they hurt you?”
- “Did she hurt her hand?”
4.5. Passive Voice with Past Tense
Structure: Subject + was/were + past participle (hurt)
Examples:
- “He was hurt in the accident.”
- “They were hurt during the match.”
- “Several people were hurt in the explosion.”
4.6. Past Continuous with “Hurt”
Use to describe ongoing pain or action in the past.
Structure: Subject + was/were + hurting + (object)
Example:
- “My head was hurting all day.”
- “Her knee was hurting during the run.”
- “Their backs were hurting after the move.”
Structural Tables
| Affirmative | Negative | Interrogative |
|---|---|---|
| I hurt my leg. | I didn’t hurt my leg. | Did I hurt my leg? |
| She hurt her feelings. | She didn’t hurt her feelings. | Did she hurt her feelings? |
| They hurt themselves. | They did not hurt themselves. | Did they hurt themselves? |
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| He hurt his arm. | His arm was hurt. |
| They hurt me. | I was hurt. |
| Someone hurt the dog. | The dog was hurt. |
| Past Continuous | Meaning |
|---|---|
| I was hurting all night. | Ongoing pain during the night |
| She was hurting after the fall. | Pain persisted after falling |
| The players were hurting after the game. | Continued pain following the game |
5. Types or Categories
5.1. Simple Past Tense of “Hurt”
Definition: Action completed in the past.
Examples:
- “I hurt my back yesterday.”
- “She hurt her finger with the knife.”
- “They hurt their reputation by lying.”
5.2. Past Participial Use
In perfect tenses:
- “She has hurt her hand several times.”
- “I had hurt my ankle before the race.”
In passive voice:
- “They were hurt in the storm.”
- “He was hurt during practice.”
5.3. Continuous Forms vs. Past Simple
Simple past describes a completed action:
- “I hurt my leg.”
Past continuous emphasizes ongoing pain or process in the past:
- “My leg was hurting all day.”
5.4. Transitive vs. Intransitive Use
Transitive: needs an object (what or whom was hurt)
- “She hurt her knee.”
- “They hurt his feelings.”
Intransitive: no object (less common)
- “It hurt a lot.”
- “That really hurt.”
5.5. Literal vs. Figurative Use
Literal: physical pain or injury
- “He hurt his arm.”
- “I hurt my back lifting boxes.”
Figurative: emotional pain or non-physical damage
- “Her words hurt me.”
- “The scandal hurt his career.”
6. Examples Section
6.1. Basic Past Tense Examples (10)
- “I hurt my finger yesterday.”
- “She hurt her back during yoga.”
- “They hurt themselves playing football.”
- “He hurt his knee last week.”
- “We hurt our chances of winning by arguing.”
- “The player hurt his ankle in the first half.”
- “You hurt your wrist lifting that heavy box.”
- “My brother hurt his head on the door.”
- “The company hurt its reputation with the scandal.”
- “She hurt her reputation by lying.”
6.2. Negative Sentences (5)
- “I didn’t hurt anyone.”
- “She did not hurt herself.”
- “They didn’t hurt the dog.”
- “He didn’t hurt his ankle after all.”
- “We did not hurt their feelings.”
6.3. Questions and Answers (5 pairs)
- Q: “Did you hurt your hand?”
A: “Yes, I hurt it while cooking.” - Q: “Did they hurt you?”
A: “No, they didn’t hurt me.” - Q: “Did she hurt herself?”
A: “Yes, she hurt her ankle.” - Q: “Did he hurt his reputation?”
A: “Unfortunately, yes.” - Q: “Did we hurt your feelings?”
A: “A little bit, yes.”
6.4. Passive Voice Examples (5)
- “He was hurt during the accident.”
- “Two players were hurt in the match.”
- “She was hurt badly in the fall.”
- “The animal was hurt by the trap.”
- “Many were hurt in the explosion.”
6.5. Figurative Use Examples (5)
- “Her criticism hurt me deeply.”
- “His betrayal hurt us all.”
- “The comment hurt my feelings.”
- “They hurt their friendship by lying.”
- “The decision hurt the company financially.”
6.6. Mixed Tenses Comparison (5)
- “I hurt my ankle yesterday.” (simple past)
- “My ankle was hurting yesterday.” (past continuous)
- “I have hurt my ankle before.” (present perfect)
- “She had hurt her knee before the tournament.” (past perfect)
- “They have hurt their reputation recently.” (present perfect)
6.7. Example Tables
| Affirmative | Negative | Interrogative |
|---|---|---|
| “She hurt her wrist.” | “She didn’t hurt her wrist.” | “Did she hurt her wrist?” |
| “They hurt my feelings.” | “They did not hurt my feelings.” | “Did they hurt your feelings?” |
| “I hurt my back.” | “I didn’t hurt my back.” | “Did you hurt your back?” |
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| “He hurt his shoulder.” | “His shoulder was hurt.” |
| “They hurt the dog.” | “The dog was hurt.” |
| “Someone hurt her feelings.” | “Her feelings were hurt.” |
| Literal Use | Figurative Use |
|---|---|
| “I hurt my knee.” | “She hurt my feelings.” |
| “They hurt their hands.” | “His words hurt me.” |
| “He hurt his back.” | “The news hurt her deeply.” |
| Transitive | Intransitive |
|---|---|
| “She hurt her knee.” | “It hurt a lot.” |
| “They hurt his reputation.” | “That really hurt.” |
| “I hurt my finger.” | “It hurt when I fell.” |
| Perfect Tense | Example |
|---|---|
| Present Perfect | “I have hurt my neck before.” |
| Past Perfect | “She had hurt her back before the trip.” |
| Future Perfect | “By then, they will have hurt their chances.” |
7. Usage Rules
7.1. Irregular Verb Rule
“Hurt” is irregular and does not change spelling in the past tense. Memorize:
- Base: hurt
- Past: hurt
- Past participle: hurt
7.2. No “-ed” Ending
Never write “hurted”; it is incorrect.
Correct: “She hurt her leg.”
Incorrect: “She hurted her leg.”
7.3. Use of Auxiliary “Did” in Questions/Negatives
When forming questions or negatives in the past, always use the base form “hurt” after “did” or “did not.”
- “Did you hurt yourself?”
- “I did not hurt him.”
7.4. Passive Voice Construction
Use was/were + hurt to indicate the receiver of the action.
- “The player was hurt.”
- “They were hurt in the accident.”
7.5. Choosing Past Simple vs. Present Perfect
- Past Simple: Completed action at a specific time
“She hurt her knee yesterday.” - Present Perfect: Unspecified time or relevance to now
“She has hurt her knee again.”
7.6. Contextual Appropriateness
Use literal sense for physical injuries, figurative for emotions or abstract damage. Adjust register:
- Informal: “That really hurt.”
- Formal: “The policy hurt the economy.”
7.7. Common Collocations with “Hurt” in Past
- “Hurt badly”
- “Hurt deeply”
- “Hurt a little”
- “Hurt severely”
- “Hurt emotionally”
Examples:
- “She was hurt badly in the crash.”
- “His words hurt me deeply.”
- “I hurt a little after the workout.”
7.8. Exceptions and Regional Variations
There are no accepted forms like “hurted” in any dialect.
Internationally, tone may differ—e.g., British English might prefer “injured” in formal contexts, but “hurt” remains correct.
8. Common Mistakes
8.1. Incorrect Past Form “Hurted”
Wrong: “She hurted her leg.”
Correct: “She hurt her leg.”
8.2. Misuse of Base Form with Auxiliary
Wrong: “Did you hurted yourself?”
Correct: “Did you hurt yourself?”
8.3. Incorrect Passive Construction
Wrong: “He was hurted.”
Correct: “He was hurt.”
8.4. Confusing Continuous and Simple Past
Wrong: “I was hurt my arm yesterday.”
Correct: “I hurt my arm yesterday.”
8.5. Figurative Misuse
Wrong: “She was hurted by his words.”
Correct: “She was hurt by his words.”
8.6. Overusing Present Perfect in Past Narration
Wrong: “I have hurt my leg yesterday.”
Correct: “I hurt my leg yesterday.”
Additional Common Mistake Pairs
- Wrong: “Did she hurted her finger?”
Correct: “Did she hurt her finger?” - Wrong: “They have hurt their chances last week.”
Correct: “They hurt their chances last week.” - Wrong: “He was hurting his arm yesterday.”
Correct: “He hurt his arm yesterday.” - Wrong: “We was hurt in the accident.”
Correct: “We were hurt in the accident.”
9. Practice Exercises
9.1. Fill-in-the-Blank
Complete with the correct past tense form of “hurt.”
- Yesterday, I ______ my knee while running.
- She ______ her reputation by lying.
- They ______ their backs moving furniture.
- He ______ his finger when cutting vegetables.
- My feelings were ______ by his words.
- We ______ ourselves during the hike.
- Did you ______ your ankle?
- I didn’t ______ anyone.
- Her comments ______ me deeply.
- The scandal ______ the company’s image.
9.2. Error Correction
Find and correct the mistakes.
- She hurted her leg during the game.
- He was hurted badly.
- Did they hurted you?
- I was hurt my arm last week.
- They did not hurted anyone.
- We has hurt ourselves before.
- Did you hurting yourself?
- They have hurted their chances.
- She has hurt her knee yesterday.
- I didn’t hurted my back.
9.3. Identify the Tense
Identify whether “hurt” is: simple past, past participle, or present participle (hurting).
- I hurt my back.
- She was hurting after the fall.
- They have hurt their chances.
- He hurt himself yesterday.
- My leg was hurting all day.
- We had hurt our relationship.
- Did you hurt your arm?
- Her feelings were hurt.
- He is hurting now.
- She hurt me with her words.
9.4. Sentence Construction
Create sentences:
- Affirmative: 5 sentences using past tense “hurt”
- Negative: 5 negative past tense sentences
- Interrogative: 5 past tense questions with “hurt”
9.5. Rewrite in Passive Voice
Change from active to passive.
- The ball hurt the player.
- Someone hurt the dog.
- They hurt my feelings.
- The accident hurt several people.
- The child hurt his finger.
9.6. Figurative vs. Literal
Identify if the sentence is literal or figurative.
- His betrayal hurt me deeply.
- I hurt my ankle yesterday.
- They hurt their reputation.
- She hurt her hand on the door.
- The criticism hurt his confidence.
Answer Key
9.1. Fill-in-the-Blank Answers
- hurt
- hurt
- hurt
- hurt
- hurt
- hurt
- hurt
- hurt
- hurt
- hurt
9.2. Error Correction Answers
- She hurt her leg during the game.
- He was hurt badly.
- Did they hurt you?
- I hurt my arm last week.
- They did not hurt anyone.
- We have hurt ourselves before.
- Did you hurt yourself?
- They have hurt their chances.
- She hurt her knee yesterday.
- I didn’t hurt my back.
9.3. Identify the Tense Answers
- simple past
- present participle
- past participle
- simple past
- present participle
- past participle
- simple past
- past participle
- present participle
- simple past
9.4. Sample Sentences
- Affirmative:
- “I hurt my leg yesterday.”
- “She hurt her head on the door.”
- “They hurt their chances by arguing.”
- “He hurt his wrist playing tennis.”
- “We hurt ourselves during the hike.”
- Negative:
- “I didn’t hurt anyone.”
- “She did not hurt her knee.”
- “They didn’t hurt the animal.”
- “He didn’t hurt his reputation.”
- “We did not hurt our relationship.”
- Interrogative:
- “Did you hurt your hand?”
- “Did she hurt herself?”
- “Did they hurt you?”
- “Did he hurt his ankle?”
- “Did we hurt their feelings?”
9.5. Passive Voice Answers
- The player was hurt by the ball.
- The dog was hurt by someone.
- My feelings were hurt by them.
- Several people were hurt in the accident.
- His finger was hurt by the child.
9.6. Figurative vs. Literal Answers
- Figurative
- Literal
- Figurative
- Literal
- Figurative
10. Advanced Topics
10.1. Perfect Tenses with “Hurt”
Present perfect: for experiences or recent events.
- “I have hurt my wrist before.”
- “They have hurt their reputation recently.”
Past perfect: action completed before another past event.
- “She had hurt her ankle before the game started.”
10.2. Reported Speech Involving “Hurt”
- Direct: “I hurt my knee,” she said.
- Reported: She said she had hurt her knee.
- Direct: “They hurt me.”
- Reported: He said they had hurt him.
10.3. Subjunctive and Conditional Forms
- “If I hadn’t hurt myself, I would have played.”
- “Had he not hurt his back, he could have continued working.”
10.4. Idiomatic Expressions
- “Hurt one’s chances” – damage prospects
Example: “They hurt their chances of winning by fighting.” - “Hurt someone’s feelings” – cause emotional pain
Example: “She hurt my feelings yesterday.” - “Hurt the economy” – damage the economy
Example: “The policy hurt the economy in 2020.”
10.5. Register and Tone
- Formal: “The scandal hurt the company’s image.”
- Informal: “That really hurt.”
- Literature: “His words hurt her like a knife.”
- Media: “Several were hurt in the blast.”
11. FAQ Section
1. Is the past tense of “hurt” the same as the base form?
Yes. “Hurt” is an irregular verb with identical base, past tense, and past participle forms: hurt – hurt – hurt.
2. Why is “hurted” incorrect?
Because “hurt” is irregular and does not add “-ed” in the past tense. The correct past tense is simply “hurt.”
3. How do I form negative past tense sentences with “hurt”?
Use “did not” or “didn’t” + base form: “I didn’t hurt anyone.”
4. Can “hurt” be used in passive voice in the past?
Yes. Use “was/were + hurt”: “She was hurt in the accident.”
5. What is the difference between “hurt” and “was hurting”?
“Hurt” (simple past) describes a completed action. “Was hurting” (past continuous) describes ongoing pain at a past time.
6. How do I use “hurt” in the present perfect tense?
Use “have/has + hurt”: “I have hurt my leg.”
7. Are there regional differences in using “hurt” in past tense?
Very few. “Hurt” is standard globally. Usage tone may vary slightly.
8. Can “hurt” describe both physical and emotional pain in the past?
Yes! “Hurt” is used for both literal injuries and emotional suffering.
9. What are common mistakes learners make with past tense of “hurt”?
Saying “hurted,” misusing auxiliaries (“did hurted”), or confusing continuous/simple forms.
10. Is “hurted” ever acceptable in any dialect?
No. “Hurted” is not correct in any standard or dialectal English.
11. How do I teach or learn irregular verbs like “hurt”?
Memorize irregular verb lists, practice with examples, use flashcards, and engage in exercises focusing on differences from regular verbs.
12. What is the difference between “hurt” and synonyms like “injured” in past tense?
“Injured” is more formal and specific to physical harm, while “hurt” is broader, covering physical and emotional pain.
12. Conclusion
In summary, “hurt” is an irregular verb with the same form in base, past tense, and past participle. Avoid mistakes like “hurted” by memorizing its forms.
It is versatile, describing both physical and emotional pain, and functions actively, passively, and across perfect and continuous tenses. Mastering “hurt” enhances your fluency in storytelling, conversation, and writing.
Use the examples and exercises in this guide to reinforce your understanding. Remember, mastering irregular verbs like “hurt” is key to accurate and natural English!
Keep practicing, and soon you’ll use “hurt” confidently in any context!