What is The Past Tense of Dream
The verb “dream” refers to the act of experiencing thoughts, images and often strange but real-feeling happenings while asleep or falling asleep. Besides this, it can also refer to any time one indulges in moments of fantasy or imagination while awake. The latter is also sometimes known as “daydreaming.”
The past tense of “dream” is “dreamed” or “dreamt” and the past participles are also the same. We will include examples with both past tense and participle forms in our explanations below.
What is the past tense of “dream”?
Dream (verb):
(1) Experience thoughts, images, and actions in one’s mind while asleep or falling asleep
(2) To indulge in fantasy or imagination while awake
- Infinitive to dream
- Simple Past dreamed or dreamt
- Past Participle dreamed or dreamt
Conjugation Table
| Pronoun | Infinitive | Simple Past | Present Perfect | Present Continuous |
| I | dream | dreamed/dreamt | have dreamed/dreamt | am dreaming |
| You (sing.) | dream | dreamed/dreamt | have dreamed/dreamt | are dreaming |
| He/She/It | dreams | dreamed/dreamt | has dreamed/dreamt | is dreaming |
| We | dream | dreamed/dreamt | have dreamed/dreamt | are dreaming |
| You (pl.) | dream | dreamed/dreamt | have dreamed/dreamt | are dreaming |
| They | dream | dreamed/dreamt | have dreamed/dreamt | are dreaming |
Example Sentences of “dream”
(1) Experience thoughts, images, and actions in one’s mind while asleep or falling asleep
- I find that I dream far less now than I did as a child
- Do you dream every night?
- He dreamed something truly terrifying last night, and was telling me about it this morning
(2) To indulge in fantasy or imagination while awake
- He was dreaming about quitting his office job and opening a beach bar in Thailand
- I have always dreamed of becoming a famous singer and going on tour
- It’s okay to dream, but we should keep one foot in reality
Focus: Past Tense of Dream
We have prepared some more examples below that demonstrate how dream can be used in its various past-tense forms. The following tenses will be used:
- Simple past
- Present perfect
- Past continuous
- Past perfect
Simple Past of “dream”
- When I was child, I dreamt about monsters most nights, but I have grown out of it now
- I dreamed the strangest things last night, and I wonder if it was because of what I ate for dinner
- He dreamt of a large house with a big garden for years, but year after year continued to live in a tiny apartment
Present Perfect of “dream”
- I have dreamt of owning my own business for so long
- We have long dreamt of visiting Machu Picchu, and now we have done it
- You have dreamed about the same white horse every night? I wonder what that means
Past Continuous of “dream”
- I think you were dreaming last night; you were tossing and turning a lot
- We were just dreaming when we thought we could afford that new car
- I was dreaming about the most wonderful thing when my alarm clock rang
Past Perfect of “dream”
- I had always dreamt of owning my own farm, but I never had the courage to buy one
- We had dreamt of visiting Venice when we were young, but have since learned it’s a bit overrated
Understanding the Verb “Dream”
Derived from Old English “drēam,” which originally meant “joy” or “music,” today’s meaning of “dream” as a sequence of images in sleep or a cherished aspiration has evolved over time.
Phrasal Verbs with “Dream”
- Dream up: To think of or invent something, often an idea or plan.
- He’s always dreaming up new schemes to make money.
- I need to dream up a topic for my next article.
- Dream about/of: To think about something desired or a vision during sleep.
- I often dream of living on a tropical island.
- She dreamed about a mysterious stranger last night.
- Dream on: Used to tell someone that what they are hoping for is unlikely to happen.
- “I think I’ll win the lottery this week.” “Dream on!”
Common Mistakes with “Dream”
- Incorrect: I have dreamt of this moment since years.
- Correct: I have dreamt of this moment for years.
- Incorrect: She dream about him last night.
- Correct: She dreamt about him last night.
We also have a full list of irregular verbs from A – Z on the site which you can access from the link here.
You can check other past tense words by clicking on the links in the table below.
Table 2: Table of Links for irregular Past Tense Verbs
| bend | meet | copy | beat |
| lay | draw | buy | Fly |
| Drink | Think | wear | dive |
| rise | dream | Speak | bite |
| bear | begin | freeze | sink |
| get | give | take | sing |
| learn | keep | find | be |
| say | catch | eat | come |
| go | know | do | cut |
| drive | fall | let | make |
| pay | read | build | become |
We also have articles and worksheets which we will link examples of below, and if you need more you can try the search box.
- Free Simple Past Tense Worksheets
- irregular verb list
- Simple Present Tense Worksheets
- Regular and irregular past tense worksheets
- Free online past tense games.
- Present perfect tense worksheets
- Simple Future tense worksheets
- Simple Past tense ‘ed’ ending rules and handouts
Conclusion
Making English Fun!
I have been a teacher of English for over 15 years, in that time i made hundreds and thousands of resources and learnt so much i think its worth sharing. Hopefully to help teachers and parents around the world.
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