What does “ride” mean?
The verb and action, to ride (simple present tense), refers to the action of, “to sit on and control a bicycle, motorcycle, etc.”, as stated by the online Oxford Learner’s Dictionary. Also, “to sit on an animal, especially a horse, and control it as it moves: ”He was riding on a large black horse.“
I rode my bicycle to the park yesterday.
She has ridden horses since she was a child.
I have rode my bicycle many times.
He ridden his bike home after school.
The word ridden also functions as an adjective. In this sense, ridden is understood as, ”full of something unpleasant or bad: It is a superstition-ridden community.”
Which is correct: rode or ridden?
| present | past | future | |
| simple | I ride | I rode | I will ride |
| continuous | I am riding | I was riding | I will be riding |
| perfect | I have ridden | I had ridden | I will have ridden |
| perfect continuous | I have been riding | I had been riding | I will have been riding |
Those familiar with Germanic languages may see the ablaut, which is in the verb ride and its past verb forms, rode and ridden. The ablaut, (which sounds like a-blowt out loud), describes the change a verb undergoes in pronunciation or spelling in any of its verb forms.
Typically, this involves exchanging or the removal of vowels. Most of the English language is German, and so, the verb forms in Modern English have retained some of their original grammatical aspects, as is the case with the following verb forms.
The ablaut pattern is in the, “systematic vowel alteration in the root of a word to indicate shades of meaning or tense”. The word ablaut in its original German is literally “off-sound”: bite, bit, bitten, and write, wrote, written each illustrates the same pattern as ride/rode/ridden.
| base verb | past tense | past participle |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| write | wrote | written |
| bite | bit | bitten |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| hide | hid | hidden |
| ride | rode | ridden |
When to use rode vs. ridden
past tense: I learnt to ride as a child.
past perfect: She had never ridden a horse before.
The past participle form of a verb joins the auxiliary had (in the past tense) to construct the past perfect tense.
The simple past tense will not use auxiliary verbs, and so this makes it easy to differentiate between simple and perfect or progressive tenses in grammar. To learn all about the tenses and how they work, check out this guide on the 12 verb tenses in English.
“ridden” needs help, picture a horse needing a rider; “ridden” needs an auxiliary verb like “has,” just like the horse needs a rider.
“Ride” / “rode” / “ridden”, used in sentences
| Examples: “ride“, in the past tense |
|---|
| He was riding on a large black horse. She rides the subway home from schoolAt the end of the film they ride off into the sunset.I learned to ride as a child.We were riding along a dusty trail. |
| Examples: rode/ridden, in the past tense |
|---|
| They rode along narrow country lanes.He rode fifty miles on horseback.I walked back while the others rode in the car.I bragged to my coworkers about how far I had ridden my bike to work this morning.He’s ridden six winners so far this year. |
Idioms/phrases with ride
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Just along for the ride | to be there for the experience |
| If wishes were horses, beggars would ride | wishing for something is pointless |
| to ride roughshod over something or someone | to treat others inconsiderably, or without regard for their well-being |
| to ride the crest of | to enjoy great success or support because of a particular situation or event |
| to ride on one’s coattails | to benefit from the success of others |
| to ride out the storm/weather the storm | to endure a difficult situation |
| to get a free ride | to not have to pay for something |
| that and a nickel will get you a ride on the subway | to say that the amount of money is useless or extremely small |
| to thumb a ride | meaning hitchhike |
| to ride hell-bent for leather | to go as fast as possible, typically on a horse |
Origin of the verb ride
From etymology online on ride (v.):
Middle English riden, from Old English ridan “sit or be carried on” (as on horseback), “move forward; rock; float, sail” from Proto-Germanic *ridan.
Read more on verbs
| Types of verbs & verb tenses | what’s the past tense of …? |
|---|---|
| forms of ‘to be’ | … seek? |
| auxiliary verbs | … teach? |
| present tense | … catch? |
| future tense | … buy? |
| past tense | … read? |
| perfect tense | … ring? |
| transitive vs. intransitive | … drive? |
| participles | … know? |
| irregular verbs | … lead? |
| modals | … win? |
Work Sheet
Which sentence correctly uses the simple past tense of ‘ride’?
Which sentence correctly uses the past participle form of ‘ride’ with an auxiliary verb?
According to the post, which form needs an auxiliary verb like ‘has’, ‘have’, or ‘had’?
Which of the following sentences contains a common error mentioned in the post?
The simple past tense of ‘ride’ is:
We have never in a limousine before.
Yesterday, she her new motorcycle to work.
He had already his bike 10 miles when it started raining.
They their scooters around the block last night.
I haven’t a roller coaster in years.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the simple past tense of ride?
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What is the past participle of ride?
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When should I use ‘rode’?
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When should I use ‘ridden’?
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Why is ‘have rode’ incorrect?
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Yash, D. "What’s the Past Tense of Ride or Rode? Ridden?." Grammarflex, Jun 15, 2025, https://www.grammarflex.com/whats-the-past-tense-of-ride-rode-ridden/.
Sources
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Wikipedia. 2023. “Indo-European ablaut.” Wikimedia Foundation. Last modified January 10, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-European_ablaut.
