Past tense of listen
regular verb
The past tense of listen is listened. The past participle is also listened.
Forms of listen
| Base form (V1) | listen /ˈlɪsən/ |
|---|---|
| Past tense (V2) | listened /ˈlɪs.n̩d/ |
| Past participle (V3) | listened /ˈlɪs.n̩d/ |
| Present participle | listening /ˈlɪs.nɪŋ/ |
| Third person singular | listens |
Listened in a sentence
- He halted opposite the Privy Gardens, and, with his face turned skywards, listened until the sound of the Tower guns smote again on the ear and dispelled his doubts.1906, Stanley J[ohn] Weyman, chapter I, in Chippinge Borough, New York, N.Y.: McClure, Phillips & Co., →OCLC, page 01
- Sophia listened with the studied air of one for whom, even in these days, a title possessed some surreptitious allurement.1921, Ben Travers, chapter 1, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC
- Judy's eyes filled with concern as she listened to the news report.From the entry concern
- The mourners listened as the priest performed the burial service of long-time parishioner Wendy Stuart.From the entry burial
- He listened carefully, in hopes of getting the scoop on the debate.From the entry scoop
Meaning of listen
- verb To use one's sense of hearing and auditory cognition in an intentional way; to make deliberate use of one's ears; to pay attention to or wait for a specific sound.
- verb To accept advice or obey instruction; to agree or assent.
- noun An instance of listening.
Questions about the past tense of listen
- What is the past tense of listen?
- The past tense of listen is listened.
- What is the past participle of listen?
- The past participle of listen is listened.
- Is listen a regular or irregular verb?
- Listen is a regular verb: its past tense adds -ed.
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: listen (page history and authors) and the entries of its forms. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws left out forms marked obsolete, archaic, rare or dialectal and added the examples. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this page: “Past tense of listen.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/past-tense/listen. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.