English irregular verbs, past forms of Leave: Leave - Left - Left

IELTS VOCABULARY IELTS GRAMMAR

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Leave is a common English verb. So, what are the past forms of Leave? How can we conjugate the verb Leave accurately? Let's read the article below with PREP to find answers to the above questions and acquire more useful knowledge!

I. What is Leave?

Before exploring the past form of Leave in English, let's take a look at the meaning of Leave below!

Leave is pronounced /liːv/ and functions as both a verb and a noun.

Leave acts as a verb, meaning: to go away from someone or something, for a short time or permanently. For example: I didn't leave the office until eight o'clock last night.
Leave acts as a noun, meaning: time allowed away from work for a holiday or illness. For example: How much annual leave do you get?

II. What are V0, V2, V3 of Leave? The past forms of Leave in English

What are the past forms of Leave in English? What are V0, V2, V3 of Leave? V0, V2, V3 stand for: Infinitive, Past Simple and Past Participle. Let's delve into the details of the past forms of Leave with PREP in the table below!

Past forms of Leave		Example
V0	Leave /liːv/	My colleagues leave the office at 5 PM every day.
V2	Left /left/	Anna left the office at 5 PM yesterday.
V3	Left /left/	Anna has left the office for 5 weeks.

In conclusion, the past forms of Leave are: the past form of Leave in past simple is Left and the past participle of Leave is Left.

III. How to conjugate the verb Leave

How is the verb Leave conjugated in the 12 English tenses and special constructions? After exploring the past forms of Leave, let’s take a look at the conjugation rules of the verb Leave in various contexts with PREP!

1. In tenses

12 English tenses	I	He/She/It	We/You/They
Present simple tense	Leave	Leaves	Leave
	For example: I leave the house at 7AM every morning. She leaves her keys on the kitchen counter before leaving for work. They leave their shoes by the door when they come inside.
Present continuous tense	am leaving	is leaving	are leaving
	For example: I am leaving the office right now. She is leaving for her appointment in fifteen minutes. They are leaving their house to go to the party.
Present perfect tense	have left	has left	have left
	For example: I have left my keys on the table. She has left for her vacation already. They have left the meeting room after finishing their discussion.
Present perfect continuous tense	have been leaving	has been leaving	have been leaving
	For example: I have been leaving my house for 3 hours. She has been leaving her books scattered around the classroom lately. They have been leaving the door open overnight during the hot summer.
Past simple tense	left	left	left
	For example: I left my laptop at home yesterday. She left her umbrella in the car last week. They left the party early because they weren't feeling well.
Past continuous tense	was leaving	was leaving	were leaving
	For example: I was leaving the bookshop when I received your call. She was leaving for work when it started to rain heavily. They were leaving the restaurant as the waiter brought their bill.
Past Perfect Tense	had left	had left	had left
	For example: I had left my keys at home before realizing I couldn't enter the building without it. She had left her cake on the kitchen table after her dog gathered to chew it up. They had left the city before the storm hit, so they avoided the traffic jam.
Past perfect continuous tense	had been leaving	had been leaving	had been leaving
	For example: I had been leaving the office when I received an urgent call from my boss. She had been leaving for the airport when she realized she forgot her passport. They had been leaving the party when the unexpected guest arrived.
Simple future tense	will leave	will leave	will leave
	For example: I will leave for my vacation next week. She will leave the office at 4PM today. They will leave for the conference early tomorrow morning.
Future continuous tense	will be leaving	will be leaving	will be leaving
	For example: I will be leaving for the bus stop this time tomorrow. She will be leaving for her appointment when you arrive. They will be leaving the party just as the music starts playing.
Future perfect tense	will have left	will have left	will have left
	For example: By this time next year, I will have left this job and started a new career. She will have left for her trip by the time you arrive at her house. By the end of the month, they will have left the country for their extended vacation.
Future perfect continuous tense	will have been leaving	will have been leaving	will have been leaving
	For example: By the time my boss comes back, I will have been leaving for my new job. She will have been leaving for her business trip for several hours by the time you arrive. They will have been leaving the conference for a while when the keynote speaker finally arrives.

2. In special sentence structures

Special structure	I	He/She/It	We/You/They
Conditional sentences
Conditional sentence type 2 - Main clause	would leave	would leave	would leave
Conditional sentence type 2 - Main clause	For example: If I had more money, I would leave my current job and start my own business. If she had more time, she would leave her stressful job and focus on her passion for painting. If they lived closer to the beach, they would leave the city every weekend for a relaxing getaway.
Conditional sentence type 2 - Variation of the main clause	would be leaving	would be leaving	would be leaving
Conditional sentence type 2 - Variation of the main clause	For example: If I were feeling better, I would be leaving for the party right now. If she were not so busy, she would be leaving work to hang out with friends. If they were not busy, they would be leaving the house to go hiking in the mountains.
Conditional sentence type 3 - Main clause	would have left	would have left	would have left
Conditional sentence type 3 - Main clause	For example: If I had known about the traffic jam, I would have left home earlier. If she had finished her work on time, she would have left the office by now. If they had caught the earlier flight, they would have left for their vacation yesterday.
Conditional sentence type 3 - Variation of the main clause	would have been leaving	would have been leaving	would have been leaving
Conditional sentence type 3 - Variation of the main clause	For example: If I had set my alarm earlier, I would have been leaving for the airport by now. If she had finished her meeting on time, she would have been leaving for her appointment already. If they had bought tickets in advance, they would have been leaving for the concert at this moment.
Hypothetical sentence
Hypothetical Sentence Expressing a Present Event	leave	leave	leave
Hypothetical Sentence Expressing a Contrast with Reality in the Present	left	left	left
Hypothetical Sentence Expressing a Contrast with Reality in the Past	had left	had left	had left
For example	If I leave now, I will catch the bus. If she left her umbrella in the car, it wouldn't get wet. They wish they had left earlier to catch the bus.

IV. Phrasal verbs with Leave in English

In addition to the past forms of Leave, PREP has compiled a list of common phrasal verbs and phrases with Leave in English for you!

Phrasal verbs with Leave	Meaning	Example
Leave out	to fail to include something or someone; omit	Anna felt hurt because they left her out of the team.
Leave behind	go away from a place without taking someone or something	Don't leave your belongings behind when you leave the hotel.
Leave off	discontinue an activity	Let's leave off discussing this topic for now and come back to it later.
Leave for	to go some place	They will leave for Paris next week.
Leave out of account	to ignore something; to pay little or no heed to something	They left the environmental impact out of account when planning the project.
Leave it at that	to agree that there has been enough discussion, study, etc. and that it is time to stop	We've discussed it enough; let's leave it at that.

V. Exercise on the past forms of Leave with answers

Take these exercises to have a better understanding of the past forms of Leave in English, Preppies!

1. Exercises

Exercise 1: Conjugate the verb Leave

Anna (leave) _______ the house at 7 AM every morning.
They (leave) _______ for the airport right now.
I (leave) _______ my phone at home already.
Jack (leave) _______ his shoes in the hallway all day long.
They (leave) _______ the party early last night.

Exercise 2: Fill in the appropriate phrasal verb with Leave that you have learned

Maria felt hurt when they _______ her _______ of the group photo.
Don't forget to check the room thoroughly to ensure you don't _______ anything _______.
Let's _______ _______ the discussion for now and come back to it later.
They will _______ _______ Paris next week to attend the conference.
They mistakenly _______the potential risks _______ _______ account when planning the project.

2. Answer

Exercise 1	Exercise 2
leaves are leaving have left has been leaving left	Leave out Leave behind Leave off Leave for Leave out of account

PREP hopes that after reading this article, you have gained an understanding of the concept, various past forms of Leave in English, and some common phrasal verbs with Leave. Keep following PREP to stay updated with more useful English knowledge!

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Founder of Prep Smart Test Preparation Platform. With over 10 years of experience in teaching and test preparation, Mr. Tú has helped thousands of students achieve high scores in the IELTS exam. In addition, Mr. Tú Phạm is also a consulting expert in British Council programs and a speaker at many leading educational events, programs, and conferences.