Past Tense of retain: Conjugations in Past and Present Participles

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

What is the past tense of the word "retain"

The past tense (past participle) form of “retain” is “retained.” The infinitive of the word form is “retain.” The present participle form is “retaining.” The past tense form is “retained” and past participle form is “retained.”

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 "retain"

• Infinitive: I retain.
• Present participle: She is retaining.
• Past tense: I retained.
• Past particle: I have retained.

Verb forms of the word "retain"

Example sentences in all verb forms:

Indefinite present tense

I retain.

Present continuous tense

She/he/it is retaining.

Present perfect continuous tense

She/he/it has/had retained.

Present perfect tense

She/he/it has/had been retaining.

Simple past tense

She/he/it retained.

Past continuous tense

She/he/it were retaining.

Past perfect tense

She/he/it has/had been retaining.

Perfect continuous tense

She/he/it will/shall retain.

Simple future tense

She/he/it will/shall be retaining.

Future perfect tense

She/he/it will/shall have retained.

Future perfect continuous tense

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

Sentence examples in all forms

Sentence examples in all participles and parts of speech:

Verb Tense	Example sentence
Simple Present Tense	I retain
Present Continuous Tense	She/he/it retaining
Present Perfect Tense	She/he/it has/had been retaining
Simple Past Tense	She/he/it retained
Past Continuous Tense	She/he/it were retaining
Past Perfect Tense	I had retained.
Past Perfect Continuous Tense	She/he/it has/had been retaining
Simple Future Tense	She/he/it will/shall be retaining
Future Continuous Tense	I will be retaining.
Future Perfect Tense	She/he/it will/shall have retained
Future Perfect Continuous Tense	She/he/it will/shall have been retaining