Irregular verb
eat
/iːt/
- Base
- eat
- Past simple
- ate
- Past participle
- eaten
Usage
ate names a single meal; eaten only appears with have/has/had, as in have eaten.
Meaning
- to put food in your mouth and swallow it
Example
We ate lunch in the park.
She ate breakfast before the meeting.
They have eaten at that restaurant twice this month.
Teaching note
Eat has the simple past ate and the participle eaten; pronunciation changes with the spelling, so the three forms must be learned together.
Common mistake
Do not say ‘Have you ate yet?’ in standard usage, because ate is not the participle.
Correction: Ask ‘Did you eat yet?’ with did and the base form, or ‘Have you eaten yet?’ with have and the participle.