Past Tense of Send
“Send” is irregular: send → sent → sent. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; grammar and surrounding auxiliaries identify the role. Ordinary and phrasal uses keep the same irregular form; adding a particle does not create a different past tense.
The simple past and past participle of “send” are both “sent.”
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| completed action in simple past | sent | Use “sent.” |
| past participle after have/has/had | sent | Use “sent.” |
| present/base-form context | send | Use “send” when a past form is not required. |
Quick tests
Verb-form test
Do you need the simple past or past participle of “send”?
If yes: Use “sent.”
If no: Use “send” or the appropriate present form when the sentence is not past.
Caveat: Both simple past and past participle are “sent.” Ordinary and phrasal uses keep the same irregular form; adding a particle does not create a different past tense.
Examples
I sent the file yesterday afternoon.
“Sent” is the simple past.
She has sent three reminders this week.
“Sent” is the past participle after “has.”
We send invoices every Friday.
The habitual present uses “send.”
Further guidance
Core difference
Use “sent” for both the simple past and the past participle.
Fast Test
If the sentence is past or requires a participle, choose “sent”; use “send” or its present-tense form when the clause is present.
Usage Boundary
Both simple past and past participle are “sent.” Ordinary and phrasal uses keep the same irregular form; adding a particle does not create a different past tense.
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.
- SEND Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster (opens in a new tab)Merriam-Webster · Merriam-Webster records sent as the inflected past form of send.
- SENT | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Cambridge records sent as both the past tense and past participle of send.