Past Tense of Hear
“Hear” is irregular: hear → heard → heard. Forms such as “heared” are not the standard simple past or past participle.
The simple past of “hear” is “heard,” and the past participle is also “heard.”
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| completed past perception | heard | Use “heard” as the simple past. |
| perfect construction after have/has/had | heard | Use “heard” as the past participle. |
| present/base form | hear / hears | Keep the present form outside a past construction. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Do you need the simple past or past participle of “hear”?
If yes: Use “heard.”
If no: Use “hear” or “hears” if the sentence is in the present rather than a past form.
Examples
I heard a noise outside last night.
“Heard” is the simple past.
We have heard that explanation before.
“Heard” is also the past participle.
She hears the train from her room each morning.
The habitual present uses “hears.”
Further guidance
Core difference
Simple past: “heard.” Past participle: “heard.”
Fast Test
Use “heard” after a past-time subject (“I heard”) and after an auxiliary in perfect/passive constructions where the participle is required.
Usage Boundary
Do not regularize the verb as “heared.”
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Hear — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Learner-dictionary verb-form evidence that hear has past tense and past participle heard.