What is The Past Tense of Make

When one starts learning English, it quickly becomes apparent that “make” is one of those verbs that you simply can’t do without. Like “do” and “have”, the verb “make” is found in many forms, and has many possible definitions.

The primary definition surrounds the idea of forming or manufacturing something by putting various components together. On the other hand, it also is commonly used to mean “cause to exist or happen” or sometimes even to compel someone to do something.

The past tense of make is ‘made’ and the past participle is also ‘made’.

What is the past tense of “make”?

Make (verb):

(1) To assemble, form, or manufacture by putting together or combining components, substances or other materials; to create

(2) To cause something to happen or exist; to compel or force sb. or sth. to do something

• Infinitive                      to make
• Simple Past                 made
• Past Participle             made

Conjugation Table of “make”

Pronoun	Infinitive	Simple Past	Present Perfect	Present Continuous
I	make	made	have made	am making
You (sing.)	make	made	have made	are making
He/She/It	makes	made	has made	is making
We	make	made	have made	are making
You (pl.)	make	made	have made	are making
They	make	made	have made	are making

Example Sentences of “make”

(1) To assemble, form, or manufacture by putting together or combining components, substances or other materials; to create

• My mother always makes the best apple pies
• I made this sculpture for you, I hope you like it
• He had an idea for he and his girlfriend to make each other Christmas presents this year

(2) To cause something to happen or exist; to compel or force sb. or sth. to do something

• My brother made me do it! I would never do this by myself
• The dripping water from the tap made a huge puddle on the floor
• You’ve made a huge mistake here…perhaps you should think again

Focus: Past Tense of Make of “make”

“Make” is clearly a very versatile verb, and frankly its use goes even further than the main examples we’ve given above. To better get to grips with the past-tense forms of “make” we have prepared some examples below that use the following tenses.

• Simple past
• Present perfect
• Past continuous
• Past perfect

Simple Past of “make”

• He made the dish from scratch without even referring to the recipe book
• The kids made a real mess after playing in their bedroom all day
• We made time especially to see you today, I hope you don’t mind

Present Perfect of “make”

• I have made this journey many times already, so I’m very familiar with the roads
• You have made enemies during this process, does that worry you?
• We have made you do this because we know it is for your own good

Past Continuous of “make”

• I was making cookies for my kids when I heard a noise in the yard
• He was making it impossible for me to do my job, so I quit

Past Perfect of “make”

• I had made the biggest mistake of my life, and I knew it immediately
• They had made all the materials for the event, but then heard it was canceled

Understanding the Verb “Make”

From the Old English “macian,” “make” primarily means “to create.” Its versatility is evident as it has a variety of contexts, from crafting items to taking decisions.

Phrasal Verbs with “Make”

There are numerous phrasal verbs associated with “make”:

• Make up: To invent or reconcile.
  • They made up a story to entertain their peers.
• Make out: To discern or understand.
  • I couldn’t make out his handwriting.

Nuances in Usage

• “Make vs. Do”: English learners often confuse these verbs. Typically, “make” involves creation, while “do” involves performing.
  • You make a cake, but you do your homework.

Common Mistakes

Be wary of these common errors:

Incorrect: She makes her decision yesterday.

Correct: She made her decision yesterday.

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 and our past tense resources by clicking on the links in the table below and in the resource list below that.

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	become	build

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