What is The Past Tense of Become

Past Tense of Become The English word “become” is one that’s pretty hard for learners to do without, a critical word for talking about various kinds of changes.

The past tense of “become” is “became”, while the past participle of the word is “become”. While principally and most commonly used as a verb describing the start of change from one thing to another, it can also be used to refer to clothing that looks good on a person.

What is the past tense of “become”?

Become (verb):

(1) To start to be

(2) (of clothing, or perhaps a new state of being) good-looking on a person  

• Infinitive                     to become
• Simple Past                became
• Past Participle            become

Conjugation Table

Pronoun	Infinitive	Simple Past	Present Perfect	Present Continuous
I	become	became	have become	am becoming
You (sing.)	become	became	have become	are becoming
He/She/It	becomes	became	has become	is becoming
We	become	became	have become	are becoming
You (pl.)	become	became	have become	are becoming
They	become	became	have become	are becoming

Example Sentences

(1) To start to be  

• The weather is becoming a real problem for our crops this season
• As soon as his mother left the room, he would become the naughtiest child imaginable
• As we get older, we become more susceptible to certain illnesses

  (2) (of clothing, or perhaps a new state of being) good-looking on a person  

• Her husband found her new dress quite becoming
• Blue really becomes him, which is why he often wears it
• Fatherhood clearly becomes you; you seem really happy since the baby arrived

Focus: Past Tense of Become

The verb “become” is clearly an important one, which is why learners tend to learn it fairly early in their English learning journey.

To really master this word, we must also get to grips with using it in various past tense forms as well. To that end, we have prepared some example sentences for the following past tense forms:  

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

Simple Past

• He immediately became angry when he heard the news
• We became doctors because we wanted to help people
• The four boys became a real problem for the teacher

Present Perfect

• He has become a very competent lawyer after gaining years of experience in New York
• I have become sick and tired of your excuses, you need to get this job done now
• You have become an obstacle to our plans, so we need to talk about this

Past Continuous

• I was becoming more and more impatient, waiting there on the train platform
• We were becoming really good friends, but then everything suddenly changed
• I feared that he was becoming more and more addicted to social media, so I took his phone away

Past Perfect

• I had become the most sought-after graphic designer in the city, but then the economy crashed
• They had become great friends by then, and even went on vacations together

Understanding the Verb “Become”

The verb “become” has its roots in Old English “becuman,” which means “to come to, come into being.”

It suggests a transition or transformation from one state to another. Due to its versatility, “become” is a commonly used verb in everyday English.

Phrasal Verbs with “Become”

In English, “become” can also be part of various phrasal verbs, adding layers to its meaning:

1. Become of: Often used in the context “What has become of him/her?”, implying “What happened to him/her?”
   • Since graduating from high school, what has become of Tom?
2. Become involved with: To engage or participate in an activity or with someone.
   • Sarah became involved with a local charity group to help the homeless.

Nuances in Usage

• “Become vs. Get”: Sometimes, English speakers may use “get” as an informal substitute for “become.” For example, “I’m getting tired” and “I’m becoming tired” both convey the same idea, but the former is more colloquial.
• “Become + Adjective/Noun”: “Become” often precedes an adjective or noun, emphasizing the transition into a new state.
  • He became interested in astronomy at a young age.
  • She became a professional dancer after years of hard work.

Common Mistakes

When learning the past tense of “become,” students sometimes confuse its forms. Here are some common mistakes and their corrections:

• Incorrect: He has became a teacher. Correct: He has become a teacher.
• Incorrect: By the age of ten, she become a chess champion. Correct: By the age of ten, she had become a chess champion.

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	build	become
forget

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