en English es español fr française it italiano de deutsche ja 日本語 pl polski cs česky sv svenska tr Türkçe nl Nederlands

Why "had spoke" is a tense troublemaker

Reviewed and edited by Lloyd Cooper 02/10/2024, 02:53
English.me team member

What kind of error is it?

Had spoke or had spoken. What's correct?

It is a grammatical error related to the incorrect use of past participle in the past perfect tense.

Why do people make this mistake?

People often mistakenly use the simple past tense form "spoke" instead of the past participle "spoken". This happens because "spoke" is more commonly used and people may not readily recall the correct past participle form.

What is correct?

The correct form is "had spoken", which uses the past participle "spoken" as required in the past perfect tense.

Examples of correct usage

  • She had spoken to him before the meeting.
  • By the time we arrived, the teacher had already spoken about the assignment.
  • They realized they had spoken too soon.

Recommended posts in Grammar

Debunking "comprised of": why it doesn't add up

Debunking "comprised of": why it doesn't add up

People often use "comprised of" mistakenly because it sounds similar ... Learn more →

Why "had broke" breaks grammar rules

Why "had broke" breaks grammar rules

People often confuse past tense forms with past participle forms, ... Learn more →

Why "return back" is a redundant ramble

Why "return back" is a redundant ramble

The phrase "return back" is a redundancy, meaning it uses ... Learn more →

The curious misstep: why "since many years" misses the mark

The curious misstep: why "since many years" misses the mark

"Since many years" combines "since," which is used with specific ... Learn more →