What’s the past tense of “catch”?
The verb catch is defined by the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary as to, ”[something/somebody] to stop and hold a moving object or person, especially in your hands”.
He caught the ball with one hand.
They have caught a glimpse of the rare bird.
She catched a cold last week.
We had catched the wrong train.
| present | past | future | |
| simple | I catch | I caught | I will catch |
| continuous | I am catching | I was catching | I will be catching |
| perfect | I have caught | I had caught | I will have caught |
| perfect continuous | I have been catching | I had been catching | I will have been catching |
Caught is in the simple past: We caught the 12.15 from Oxford.
Caught is the past participle: You’ve caught me at a bad time.
Here’s a helpful chart that illustrates verb forms with 2 verb conjugations, like catch/caught:
| present | past | past participle |
| teach | taught | taught |
| buy | bought | bought |
| bring | brought | brought |
| catch | caught | caught |
| seek | sought | sought |
“Catch” / “caught”, used in sentences
| Examples: catch, used in sentences |
|---|
| She managed to catch the keys as they fell.
‘Throw me over that towel, will you?’ ‘OK. Catch!’ The roof was leaking and I had to use a bucket to catch the drips. How many fish did you catch? |
| Examples: caught, used in sentences |
|---|
| I threw the bag in the air and she caught it.
The dog caught the stick in its mouth. You’ve caught me at a bad time. I think I must have caught this cold from you. Over the years, the mystery has caught the popular imagination. 5. She caught herself wondering whether she had made a mistake. |
Practice questions: tenses of ‘catch’
| Complete the sentence with the correct verb form. | Options: |
|---|---|
| 1. You’ve ___ me by surprise! | a. catch b. caught c. catching d. catches |
| 2. He ___ her up in his arms. | a. caught b. have caught c. catch d. to catch |
| 3. I must go—I have a train ___. | a. caught b. have caught c. catch d. to catch |
| 4. I’m ___ the 9:30 bus. | a. caught b. have caught c. catch d. catching |
| 5. How many fish did you ___? | a. caught b. have caught c. catch d. catching |
| 6. I think I must ___ this cold from you. | a. caught b. have caught c. catch d. catching |
| Select the correct tenses for the sentences: | |
| 7. I caught him when he fell. | a. simple present b. present perfect c. simple past d. past perfect |
| 8. The dog had caught the stick in its mouth before chewing on it ravenously. |
a. simple present |
| 9. The police say they are doing all they can to catch the culprits. | a. simple present b. present perfect c. simple past d. past perfect continuous |
| 10. Our cat is hopeless at catching mice. | a. simple present b. present continuous c. simple past d. past perfect |
Answers
- b
- a
- c
- d
- c
- b
- c
- d
- a
- b
Think of “catch” as an irregular verb like “teach”; its past tense “caught” rhymes with “taught” and ends in “-aught.”.
Synonyms of catch
- grab
- snag
- get
- seize
- capture
- trap
- see
- grasp
Origin of the word catch
From etymology online on catch (v.):
From Latin captare “to take, hold,” frequentative of capere “to take, hold”.
Learn more about verbs
| Types of verbs & verb tenses | what’s the past tense of …? |
|---|---|
| forms of ‘to be’ | … seek? |
| auxiliary verbs | … teach? |
| present tense | … tear? |
| future tense | … buy? |
| past tense | … read? |
| perfect tense | … ring? |
| transitive vs. intransitive | … drive? |
| participles | … throw? |
| irregular verbs | … lead? |
| modals | … win? |
Work Sheet
According to the blog post, what is the correct simple past tense form of the verb “catch”?
The blog post states that “catched” is used as the past tense or past participle form of “catch”. Is this statement correct?
In the sentence “They have ___ a glimpse of the rare bird,” which form is correct?
Which verb conjugation form follows “catch” and “caught” in the pattern shown in the chart?
Based on the post, in which tense is “caught” used as the simple past form?
Complete the sentence: He ___ the ball with one hand.
Complete the sentence: I think I must have ___ this cold from you.
Complete the sentence: How many fish did you ___ ?
Complete the sentence: We ___ the 12.15 from Oxford.
Complete the sentence: You’ve ___ me at a bad time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the past tense of “catch”?
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Is “catched” the past tense of “catch”?
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What is the past participle of “catch”?
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How is “caught” used in simple past?
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Is “catched” used as past participle?
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Yash, D. "What’s the Past Tense of Catch? Catched or Caught?." Grammarflex, Jun 15, 2025, https://www.grammarflex.com/catch-catched-or-caught-whats-the-correct-past-tense-of-catch/.
Sources
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Etymology online, origin of catch. Definition of catch.
