Home / Past Tenses / Updated:

Past Tense of study: Conjugations in Past and Present Participles

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

What is the past tense of the word "study"

The past tense (past participle) form of “study” is “studied.” The infinitive of the word form is “study.” The present participle form is “studying.” The past tense form is “studied” and past participle form is “studied.”

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 "study"

  • Infinitive: I study.
  • Present participle: She is studying.
  • Past tense: I studied.
  • Past particle: I have studied.

Verb forms of the word "study"

Example sentences in all verb forms:

Indefinite present tense

I study.

Present continuous tense

She/he/it is studying.

Present perfect continuous tense

She/he/it has/had studied.

Present perfect tense

She/he/it has/had been studying.

Simple past tense

She/he/it studied.

Past continuous tense

She/he/it were studying.

Past perfect tense

She/he/it has/had been studying.

Perfect continuous tense

She/he/it will/shall study.

Simple future tense

She/he/it will/shall be studying.

Future perfect tense

She/he/it will/shall have studied.

Future perfect continuous tense

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

Sentence examples in all forms

Sentence examples in all participles and parts of speech:

Verb TenseExample sentence
Simple Present TenseI study
Present Continuous TenseShe/he/it studying
Present Perfect TenseShe/he/it has/had been studying
Simple Past TenseShe/he/it studied
Past Continuous TenseShe/he/it were studying
Past Perfect TenseI had studied.
Past Perfect Continuous TenseShe/he/it has/had been studying
Simple Future TenseShe/he/it will/shall be studying
Future Continuous TenseI will be studying.
Future Perfect TenseShe/he/it will/shall have studied
Future Perfect Continuous TenseShe/he/it will/shall have been studying

Fact checked:
Content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. Learn more.

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.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.