The English verb ‘spend’ is essential for everyday conversation, whether you’re talking about how much money you paid, how you used your weekend, or where your energy went. To describe these actions in the past, you need to master the verb’s past forms and structures. Understanding how to correctly use the past tense of ‘spend’ helps you communicate past experiences clearly and avoid common grammar mistakes.
This comprehensive guide is designed for students, ESL/EFL learners, teachers, and professionals alike. It will help you understand how ‘spend’ works in the past tense, improve your speaking and writing accuracy, and deepen your grasp of English grammar. We will explore definitions, verb forms, sentence structures, examples, exception cases, idioms, common errors, practice exercises, and advanced insights—all in one place.
Whether you’re preparing for exams, teaching English, or aiming to sound more fluent, this article will provide you with the detailed knowledge and practice you need to confidently use ‘spend’ in the past tense.
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 Verb ‘Spend’?
‘Spend’ is a common irregular, transitive verb in English. It means:
- To use money to buy things
- To use time doing an activity
- To use resources or energy for a purpose
Because ‘spend’ is transitive, it requires an object (money, time, effort).
Examples:
- “They spend money on travel.”
- “She spends hours studying.”
3.2. What is the Past Tense?
The past tense indicates actions or states that were completed before the present moment. English has several past tenses, but the key one here is the simple past tense.
- Simple past: Completed actions in the past (“I went”)
- Others include past continuous, past perfect, and past perfect continuous
This article focuses on the simple past tense and perfect tenses involving ‘spend’.
3.3. The Past Tense of ‘Spend’: ‘Spent’
The verb ‘spend’ is irregular, so its past form is not created by simply adding -ed. Instead, the past simple and past participle forms are both:
‘spent’
Here is a summary:
| Base Form | Past Tense | Past Participle | Present Participle |
|---|---|---|---|
| spend | spent | spent | spending |
3.4. Function and Usage Contexts
Use ‘spent’ to talk about:
- Money paid in the past (“He spent $20.”)
- Time used or activities done (“We spent two hours talking.”)
- Resources or energy used up (“She spent all her energy.”)
Example sentences:
- “I spent all my savings on a new laptop.”
- “They spent the afternoon at the park.”
- “Much effort was spent solving the problem.”
4. STRUCTURAL BREAKDOWN
4.1. Forming the Past Simple of ‘Spend’
Because ‘spend’ is irregular, its past form is not created by adding -ed. Instead, it changes internally:
- spend → spent
Use ‘spent’ as the main verb in simple past affirmative sentences. In negatives and questions, use the base form ‘spend’ with the auxiliary ‘did’.
4.2. Affirmative Sentences
Pattern: Subject + spent + object/complement
Examples:
- “She spent $50 on groceries.”
- “We spent the weekend at the beach.”
- “I spent two hours reading.”
4.3. Negative Sentences
Use the auxiliary did not (didn’t) + base form ‘spend’.
Pattern: Subject + did not (didn’t) + spend + object/complement
Examples:
- “I didn’t spend much time on homework.”
- “He did not spend his savings.”
- “They didn’t spend all their money.”
4.4. Questions (Interrogative Form)
Use Did + subject + spend + object/complement + ?
Examples:
- “Did you spend all your money?”
- “Did they spend the holiday abroad?”
- “Did she spend her bonus wisely?”
4.5. Short Answers
Examples:
- “Yes, I did.” / “No, I didn’t.”
- “Yes, we did.” / “No, we didn’t.”
4.6. Summary Table 2: Sentence Structures with ‘Spent’
| Sentence Type | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Subject + spent + object | “She spent an hour reading.” |
| Negative | Subject + did not + spend + object | “They didn’t spend much money.” |
| Question | Did + subject + spend + object + ? | “Did you spend your bonus?” |
5. TYPES OR CATEGORIES
5.1. Past Simple Tense with ‘Spent’
Use ‘spent’ in the simple past to report actions that are completed and finished.
Often combined with time references such as:
- yesterday
- last week/month/year
- in 2020
- two days ago
Examples:
- “I spent $100 yesterday.”
- “They spent last summer in Italy.”
5.2. Past Participle ‘Spent’ in Perfect Tenses
Use the past participle ‘spent’ with auxiliary verbs have/has/had to form perfect tenses:
- Present perfect: “I have spent all my cash.”
- Past perfect: “She had spent hours preparing.”
- Future perfect: “By noon, they will have spent their savings.”
| Tense | Example |
|---|---|
| Present perfect | “They have spent a lot of time studying.” |
| Past perfect | “He had spent all his money before payday.” |
| Future perfect | “By tomorrow, she will have spent all her vacation days.” |
5.3. Passive Voice with ‘Spent’
In the passive, ‘spent’ focuses on the money, time, or effort used, not the person.
Examples:
- “All the money was spent on repairs.”
- “Three hours were spent discussing the issue.”
- “A lot of resources have been spent on this project.”
5.4. Idiomatic Expressions with ‘Spent’
Some expressions use ‘spent’ in a figurative or idiomatic way:
- ‘a spent force’ = someone or something no longer effective
- ‘a spent cartridge’ = something used up and no longer useful
- ‘feeling spent’ = exhausted, out of energy
Examples:
- “After the long hike, I felt completely spent.”
- “The old party leader is now a spent force.”
6. EXAMPLES SECTION
6.1. Past Simple Affirmative Examples
- “We spent the day hiking.”
- “She spent $200 on new shoes.”
- “They spent last night watching movies.”
- “I spent all afternoon reading.”
- “He spent several hours fixing his bike.”
- “We spent our vacation in Japan.”
- “She spent most of her money on books.”
- “They spent thousands renovating the house.”
- “I spent the morning cleaning the kitchen.”
- “He spent the whole weekend working.”
- “We spent a lot of time discussing the plan.”
- “She spent her childhood in Canada.”
6.2. Negative Sentence Examples
- “He didn’t spend much on dinner.”
- “I didn’t spend all my cash.”
- “They didn’t spend the weekend at home.”
- “She didn’t spend her birthday alone.”
- “We didn’t spend much time shopping.”
6.3. Interrogative Examples
- “Did you spend all your money?”
- “Did they spend their vacation abroad?”
- “Where did you spend your weekend?”
- “How much did she spend on that dress?”
- “Did he spend his savings on the car?”
6.4. Examples with Time Markers
- “Last month, I spent too much on clothes.”
- “Yesterday, she spent three hours cooking.”
- “In 2020, they spent six months traveling.”
- “Two weeks ago, he spent his whole bonus.”
- “Last year, we spent Christmas with family.”
6.5. Examples in Perfect Tenses
- “She has spent all her energy on this project.”
- “I have spent most of my savings already.”
- “They had spent the money before the sale ended.”
- “By Monday, we will have spent every penny.”
- “He has spent many years learning English.”
6.6. Examples in Passive Voice
- “A lot of money was spent on advertising.”
- “Several hours were spent fixing the issue.”
- “More than $1 million has been spent on the campaign.”
6.7. Idiomatic Use Examples
- “After the tough exam, I felt spent.”
- “The opposition is now a spent force.”
- “The spent cartridge was removed from the rifle.”
6.8. Example Tables
| Affirmative | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|
| “She spent $50 on books.” | “She didn’t spend $50 on books.” | “Did she spend $50 on books?” |
| “They spent the weekend camping.” | “They didn’t spend the weekend camping.” | “Did they spend the weekend camping?” |
| “I spent two hours cooking.” | “I didn’t spend two hours cooking.” | “Did you spend two hours cooking?” |
| Time Expression | Example |
|---|---|
| Yesterday | “Yesterday, I spent three hours studying.” |
| Last week | “Last week, they spent $200 on repairs.” |
| Two days ago | “Two days ago, she spent her allowance.” |
| In 2019 | “In 2019, we spent a month in Spain.” |
| Tense | Example |
|---|---|
| Present perfect | “They have spent all their money.” |
| Past perfect | “She had spent many hours preparing.” |
| Future perfect | “By next week, he will have spent his salary.” |
| Voice | Example |
|---|---|
| Active | “They spent $500 on the event.” |
| Passive | “$500 was spent on the event.” |
| Active | “We spent two hours discussing.” |
| Passive | “Two hours were spent discussing.” |
7. USAGE RULES
7.1. When to Use ‘Spent’
- For actions or events completed in the past
- With specific past time references (last week, yesterday, in 2020)
- In perfect tenses to describe past actions connected to the present (“I have spent all my money.”)
7.2. When NOT to Use ‘Spent’
- For ongoing or current actions (Use present tense ‘spend’)
- For future actions (“I will spend time tomorrow.”)
- In the continuous tense without ‘being spent’ (passive continuous forms)
7.3. Agreement with Subjects
Since ‘spent’ is used for all subjects in the past, it does not change with singular or plural:
- “I spent”
- “He/She spent”
- “We spent”
- “They spent”
7.4. Common Exceptions and Variations
- Never use ‘spended’ (incorrect past form)
- Do not say “didn’t spent” or “did spent” in negatives/questions — use base form ‘spend’
7.5. Collocations and Contexts
Common collocations include:
- Spend + time/money/effort + on + noun/gerund: “She spent money on clothes.” “He spent hours on homework.”
- Spend + time + doing: “She spent hours studying.”
- Spend + in: “They spent a week in Paris.”
- Spend + for is generally incorrect for describing expenditure purpose.
7.6. Table 8: Correct Usage Patterns
| Expression | Correct Example | Incorrect Example |
|---|---|---|
| Spend + time + doing | “She spent hours studying.” | “She spent hours to study.” |
| Spend + money + on | “He spent $100 on books.” | “He spent $100 for books.” |
| Spend + time + in (place) | “They spent a month in Spain.” | “They spent a month on Spain.” |
8. COMMON MISTAKES
8.1. Incorrect Past Form: ‘Spended’
‘Spend’ is an irregular verb; the correct past form is ‘spent’, not ‘spended’.
Examples:
- Incorrect: “I spended all my money.”
- Correct: “I spent all my money.”
8.2. Using ‘Spent’ with ‘Did’ in Negatives and Questions
With ‘did’, use the base form ‘spend’, not ‘spent’.
- Incorrect: “Did you spent your allowance?”
- Correct: “Did you spend your allowance?”
8.3. Confusing ‘Spend’ with Similar Verbs
- Pay: giving money for something (“I paid for the ticket.”)
- Cost: the price of something (“The ticket cost $10.”)
- Waste: to use carelessly (“I wasted money on useless things.”)
Examples:
- “I spent $50 on food.” (correct)
- “I paid $50 for food.” (correct)
- “The food cost $50.” (correct)
- “I wasted $50 on junk.” (meaning careless spending)
8.4. Incorrect Prepositions
- Incorrect: “She spent money for food.”
- Correct: “She spent money on food.”
8.5. Overusing ‘Spent’ in Non-Past Contexts
- Incorrect: “I spent money tomorrow.”
- Correct: “I will spend money tomorrow.”
8.6. Summary Table 9: Common Errors and Corrections
| Error | Correction |
|---|---|
| “I spended too much yesterday.” | “I spent too much yesterday.” |
| “Did you spent your money?” | “Did you spend your money?” |
| “She spent hours to read.” | “She spent hours reading.” |
| “He didn’t spent his money.” | “He didn’t spend his money.” |
| “They have spend all their money.” | “They have spent all their money.” |
9. PRACTICE EXERCISES
9.1. Fill-in-the-blank
Complete each sentence with the correct form of ‘spend’.
- Yesterday, I ___ (spend) two hours cleaning.
- Did she ___ (spend) all her money?
- They ___ (spend) last weekend at a resort.
- He didn’t ___ (spend) much on dinner.
- She ___ (spend) $100 on groceries yesterday.
- We ___ (spend) too much time watching TV last night.
- Did you ___ (spend) your bonus already?
- I ___ (spend) all my energy on the presentation.
- They didn’t ___ (spend) the whole day shopping.
- Last year, we ___ (spend) Christmas abroad.
9.2. Correct the Mistake
Find and correct the errors in each sentence.
- “He spended much time on that project.”
- “Did you spent your salary already?”
- “She didn’t spent all her money.”
- “They have spend all their vacation days.”
- “I spended two hours cooking dinner.”
- “Did they spent the weekend at home?”
- “We didn’t spent a lot on the car.”
- “She has spend all her allowance.”
- “He spended too much last night.”
- “Did you spended your bonus?”
9.3. Identify the Verb Form
Write whether the verb form in parentheses is base form, past tense, or past participle.
- “They will (spend) time together.”
- “She (spent) all her money.”
- “He has (spent) hours reading.”
- “Did you (spend) much?”
- “We had (spent) everything.”
- “I (spend) too much every month.”
- “They (spent) last summer abroad.”
- “She is (spending) her bonus.”
- “Have you (spent) it all?”
- “He (spent) the morning working.”
9.4. Sentence Construction
- Affirmative: Use ‘spent’ in a sentence about money.
- Negative: Make a sentence saying you did not spend time on homework.
- Question: Form a question asking if someone spent their bonus.
- Perfect tense: Make a sentence using ‘have spent’ and ‘weekend’.
9.5. Mixed Practice with Answers
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Yesterday, I ___ (spend) two hours cleaning. | spent |
| Did she ___ (spend) all her money? | spend |
| “He spended much time on that project.” | “He spent much time on that project.” |
| “Did you spent your salary already?” | “Did you spend your salary already?” |
| Verb form in “She (spent) all her money.” | Past tense |
| Affirmative sentence | “I spent $50 on dinner.” |
| Negative sentence | “I didn’t spend much time on homework.” |
| Question sentence | “Did you spend your bonus?” |
| Perfect tense sentence | “We have spent the weekend relaxing.” |
10. ADVANCED TOPICS
10.1. Nuances of ‘Spent’ in Formal and Informal Registers
In formal contexts (business, reports), ‘spent’ often refers to budgets, resources, or time allocation:
- “A total of $1 million was spent on development.”
- “Significant time was spent revising the proposal.”
In informal speech, it describes personal expenses or activities:
- “I spent too much on shoes!”
- “We spent the whole day at the beach.”
10.2. ‘Spent’ in Reported Speech
- Direct: “I spent too much.”
- Reported: “She said she had spent too much.”
Note the shift from simple past → past perfect in reported speech.
10.3. ‘Spent’ with Modal Verbs
Combine ‘spent’ with modal verbs for probability or possibility:
- “He might have spent the money already.”
- “She could have spent less.”
- “They should have spent more time planning.”
10.4. Passive Constructions and Causative Forms
Passive:
- “Funds were spent wisely.”
- “Two hours were spent on training.”
Causative:
- “They had the money spent on repairs.” (Someone else spent it on their behalf)
10.5. Collocations and Idiomatic Uses in Depth
- time well spent = good use of time (“The meeting was time well spent.”)
- money well spent = good investment (“Buying quality shoes is money well spent.”)
- feeling spent = exhausted (“After the workout, I was spent.”)
- a spent force = no longer effective (“The player is now a spent force.”)
- spent cartridge = used ammunition (“The ground was covered with spent cartridges.”)
11. FAQ SECTION
- What is the past tense of ‘spend’?
The simple past tense of ‘spend’ is ‘spent’. - Is ‘spended’ ever correct?
No. ‘Spended’ is incorrect. The correct past form is ‘spent’. - What is the past participle of ‘spend’?
It is also ‘spent’. - How do you form negative past tense sentences with ‘spend’?
Use did not (didn’t) + spend. For example, “I didn’t spend much money.” - Can ‘spent’ be used with ‘did’ in questions?
No. Use the base form ‘spend’ after ‘did’. For example, “Did you spend your money?” - What prepositions commonly follow ‘spend’ and ‘spent’?
Usually on (money on something), doing (time doing something), or in (time in a place). - How is ‘spent’ used in perfect tenses?
With have/has/had: “She has spent all her money.” - Are there exceptions or irregularities with ‘spend’?
No, but remember it’s irregular, so no ‘-ed’ ending. Past tense and participle are ‘spent’. - How do you use ‘spent’ in passive voice?
Focus on the resource/time: “A lot of money was spent on repairs.” - What are common mistakes with ‘spent’?
Using ‘spended’, incorrect prepositions, or wrong verb forms with ‘did’. - What are idiomatic uses of ‘spent’?
‘Spent force’, ‘money well spent’, ‘feeling spent’, ‘spent cartridge’ - How can I practice using ‘spent’ correctly?
Use fill-in-the-blank, correction, and sentence-building exercises like those in this article. Review examples and common errors regularly.
12. CONCLUSION
Mastering the past tense of ‘spend’ means understanding that ‘spent’ is both the simple past and past participle form of this irregular verb. Correct usage involves knowing sentence structures for affirmatives, negatives, questions, and perfect tenses, as well as recognizing passive voice and idiomatic expressions.
Regular practice helps avoid common mistakes such as ‘spended’ or incorrect use of auxiliaries. Becoming fluent with ‘spent’ will enable you to communicate more clearly about past experiences involving money, time, or resources.
Continue studying other irregular verbs and related grammar to build a solid foundation. With this knowledge, your English will become more accurate, natural, and effective.