Base
I give my sister a gift on her birthday.
A yearly habit in the present uses give.
Past Tense of Give: Gave and Given
Give is an irregular verb. Use gave for a finished action in the past. Use given after have or has, as in she has given me a book.
Base
give
Past
gave
Past participle
given
Third person: gives · -ing form: giving
ABC: form patternExamples
Base
Please give me a glass of water.
A polite request uses the base form.
Past
He gave me his phone number.
Gave is the past form; it needs no helper.
Past
The teacher gave us homework on Friday.
One finished event in the past uses gave.
Past participle
She has given me good advice.
Has given links the past to now.
Past participle
We have given the cat some food.
Have plus given is present perfect.
Usage notes
Two word orders
Give can be followed by a person and then a thing: give me the book. You can also put the thing first and add to: give the book to me.
Give up and give back
Give up means stop trying, and give back means return something. Both keep the same forms: gave up, has given back.
Common mistakes
I have gave him my number.
I have given him my number.
After have, use the past participle given, not gave.
She gived me a gift.
She gave me a gift.
Give is irregular, so the past is gave, not gived.
Give to me the salt.
Give me the salt.
Put the person first without to: give me the salt. Or put the thing first and add to: give the salt to me.
Practise this verb
0/8
Choose the right form
Choose the form that completes each English sentence.
1.Anna ___ me a nice present last week.
2.Has he ___ you the key?
3.I always ___ my mother flowers on her birthday.
4.They ___ us free tickets yesterday.
Write the missing form
Type the correct form of give in each sentence.
Correct the mistake
Rewrite the English sentence with the correct verb form.
8.Choose the mistake in this sentence.
Answer key
1. Anna ___ me a nice present last week.
Answer: gave
Last week is finished, so use the past form gave.
2. Has he ___ you the key?
Answer: given
After has, use the past participle given.
3. I always ___ my mother flowers on her birthday.
Answer: give
Always describes a present habit: I give.
4. They ___ us free tickets yesterday.
Answer: gave
Yesterday is finished, so use gave.
5. My teacher ___ me extra time last Friday.
Answer: gave
Last Friday is finished, so use gave.
6. I have ___ him my number.
Answer: given
Have plus the participle is have given.
7. Please ___ me your address.
Answer: give
A polite request uses the base form give.
8. He has gave me his book.
Answer: He has given me his book.
After has, use given, not gave.
Frequently asked questions
What is the past tense of give?
The past tense of give is gave: She gave me a book.
What is the past participle of give?
The past participle is given. Use it after have or has: I have given him my number.
Is it has gave or has given?
Say has given. Gave is only the simple past, as in she gave me a gift.