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Past Tense of frighten: Conjugations in Past and Present Participles

What is the past tense of “frighten?” Most commonly, the past tense of the word “frighten” is “frightened.” Although the word form will change based on its participle. And the sentence where it’s used. For example, referencing “frighten” in the present participle form will change it to “frightening,” but in the infinitive form, will be “frighten.”

What is the past tense of the word "frighten"

The past tense (past participle) form of “frighten” is “frightened.” The infinitive of the word form is “frighten.” The present participle form is “frightening.” The past tense form is “frightened” and past participle form is “frightened.”

Understanding verb tenses

The general grammar rules that govern past tenses are as follows. The simple past tense form is created by adding a -ed or -d affix to the root word of the verb. Some verbs use a -t variation where they end in a -t. For example, when "dream" turns into "dreamt."

The past perfect tense is formed for regular verbs (ending in -ed, -d, or -t) by adding "had" followed by the verb. For example, "I had finished."

The past continuous tense is formed by the verb "be" followed by the affix or ending of -ing. For example, "we were having dinner."

Lastly, the past perfect continuous tense is formed by adding "had been" followed by the affix or ending of -ing. For example, "I had been building a castle with my sister."

For more information on forming all past tenses, visit our "understanding verb tenses" resource.

Sentence examples for the past tense of the word "frighten"

  • Infinitive: I frighten.
  • Present participle: She is frightening.
  • Past tense: I frightened.
  • Past particle: I have frightened.

Verb forms of the word "frighten"

Example sentences in all verb forms:

Indefinite present tense

I frighten.

Present continuous tense

She/he/it is frightening.

Present perfect continuous tense

She/he/it has/had frightened.

Present perfect tense

She/he/it has/had been frightening.

Simple past tense

She/he/it frightened.

Past continuous tense

She/he/it were frightening.

Past perfect tense

She/he/it has/had been frightening.

Perfect continuous tense

She/he/it will/shall frighten.

Simple future tense

She/he/it will/shall be frightening.

Future perfect tense

She/he/it will/shall have frightened.

Future perfect continuous tense

She/he/it will/shall have been frightening.

Sentence examples in all forms

Sentence examples in all participles and parts of speech:

Verb TenseExample sentence
Simple Present TenseI frighten
Present Continuous TenseShe/he/it frightening
Present Perfect TenseShe/he/it has/had been frightening
Simple Past TenseShe/he/it frightened
Past Continuous TenseShe/he/it were frightening
Past Perfect TenseI had frightened.
Past Perfect Continuous TenseShe/he/it has/had been frightening
Simple Future TenseShe/he/it will/shall be frightening
Future Continuous TenseI will be frightening.
Future Perfect TenseShe/he/it will/shall have frightened
Future Perfect Continuous TenseShe/he/it will/shall have been frightening

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About the author

Dalia Y.: Dalia is an English Major and linguistics expert with an additional degree in Psychology. Dalia has featured articles on Forbes, Inc, Fast Company, Grammarly, and many more. She covers English, ESL, and all things grammar on GrammarBrain.

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