Irregular verbs in English, the past tense of Buy: Buy - Bought - Bought

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“Buy” is one of the most frequently used verbs in English, especially in everyday conversations related to shopping, transactions, and decision-making. As an irregular verb, “buy” doesn’t follow the standard rules for forming the past tense, making it essential for learners to study its unique conjugation.

In this lesson, we’ll walk you through the past tense of Buy, explain how to use them in various tenses and sentence structures, and introduce useful idioms and phrasal verbs. You’ll also find exercises to reinforce your understanding and help you apply this knowledge with confidence.

I. What is Buy?

Before diving into Buy past tense form, let’s start by understanding the meaning and function of the verb “Buy”.

Buy is pronounced /bɑɪ/ and primarily used as a verb, though it can also function as a noun in specific contexts. It generally means to obtain something in exchange for money, but it can also carry broader, figurative meanings such as believing or accepting something.

Meaning	Example
to obtain something in exchange for money (v)	I need to buy some groceries for dinner tonight.
to accept or believe in something (v)	Do you really buy his excuse?
to bribe someone (v)	The politician tried to buy the witnesses to cover up the scandal.
a purchase transaction (n)	The sale was a good buy for everyone who participated.
an item that has been purchased (n)	That new phone was a great buy.

II. What are the V0, V2, V3 forms of Buy? The past tense of Buy in English

What is the past tense of Buy? V0, V2, V3 are abbreviations for the base form, past and past participle of Buy. Since “Buy” is an irregular verb, its past tense and past participle of Buy do not follow the regular “-ed” pattern.

Verb form		Example
V0	Buy /bɑɪ/	Sarah buys fresh vegetables from the local market every week.
V2	Bought /bɑːt/	Sarah bought fresh vegetables from the local market last week.
V3	Bought /bɑːt/	Sarah has bought fresh vegetables from the local market twice this week.

Therefore, there are two Buy past forms: Buy past simple tense is Bought and Buy past participle form is also Bought.

III. How to conjugate the verb Buy

Now that you know the past tense and past participle forms of “Buy” are both bought, it’s time to explore how this irregular verb is conjugated in different English verb tenses and sentence patterns. Mastering these forms will help you use the verb accurately in both spoken and written communication.

Let’s break down how “Buy” changes depending on the tense and structure:

1. In the tenses

See how “Buy” is used in all the major tenses, including present, past, perfect, and continuous forms.

12 tenses in English	I	He/She/It	We/You/They
Present simple tense	buy	buys	buy
	I buy groceries every Saturday. She buys new clothes once a month. We buy our coffee from a local café.
Present progressive tense	am buying	is buying	are buying
	I am buying a new laptop right now. She is buying tickets for the concert this evening. We are buying supplies for the office.
Present perfect tense	have bought	has bought	have bought
	I have bought all the ingredients for the dinner. She has bought a new house this year. We have bought tickets for the movie already.
Present perfect progressive tense	have been buying	has been buying	have been buying
	I have been buying groceries every week for years. She has been buying new shoes for her collection. We have been buying office supplies throughout the month.
Past simple tense	bought	bought	bought
	I bought a new phone last week. She bought a dress for the party yesterday. We bought a car two years ago.
Past progressive tense	was buying	was buying	were buying
	I was buying groceries when you called. She was buying gifts for her friends during the holiday. We were buying supplies while the store was closing.
Past perfect tense	had bought	had bought	had bought
	I had bought the tickets before the event was canceled. She had bought the groceries before the store closed. We had bought the house before the price went up.
Past perfect progressive tense	had been buying	had been buying	had been buying
	I had been buying gifts for the holidays for weeks before Christmas. She had been buying new furniture for months before moving. We had been buying materials for the project when the budget was cut.
Future simple tense	will buy	will buy	will buy
	I will buy a new car next year. She will buy a gift for her friend’s birthday. We will buy new equipment for the office.
Future progressive tense	will be buying	will be buying	will be buying
	I will be buying groceries at that time tomorrow. She will be buying tickets for the show during the weekend. We will be buying materials for the construction project next month.
Future perfect tense	will have bought	will have bought	will have bought
	I will have bought all the supplies by the end of the day. She will have bought the furniture by the time the house is ready. We will have bought the new software before the next meeting.
Future perfect progressive tense	will have been buying	will have been buying	will have been buying
	I will have been buying supplies for weeks by the time the project starts. She will have been buying tickets for various events over the summer. We will have been buying new office equipment for the past year.

2. In special sentence structures

Learn how “Buy” is applied in passive voice, conditional sentences, reported speech, and other advanced grammatical structures.

Special Structure	I	He/She/It	We/You/They
Conditional Sentences
Second conditional - Main Clause	would buy	would buy	would buy
Second conditional - Main Clause	If I had more money, I would buy a new car. If she knew about the sale, she would buy the dress. If we were on vacation, we would buy souvenirs.
Third conditional - Main Clause	would have bought	would have bought	would have bought
Third conditional - Main Clause	If I had known about the offer, I would have bought the laptop. If she had had more time, she would have bought the tickets. If we had saved more money, we would have bought the house.
Subjunctive
Subjunctive expressing present situation	buy	buy	buy
Subjunctive expressing present situation contrary to fact	would buy	would buy	would buy
Subjunctive expressing past situation contrary to fact	would have bought	would have bought	would have bought
Example	If I buy a new phone, I will choose one with a better camera. If she knew about the sale, she would buy the dress. If we had saved more money, we would have bought the house.

IV. Phrasal verbs with Buy in English

Apart from its basic form, Buy appears in several useful phrasal verbs. These combinations can express completely different meanings and are often used in conversational English. This section will introduce some of the most commonly used phrasal verbs with Buy, along with examples to help you understand them in context.

Phrasal verb with Buy	Meaning	Example
buy into something	to accept or believe in an idea or concept	John bought into the idea of investing in renewable energy after attending the seminar.
buy off someone	to bribe someone	Emily tried to buy off the witness to avoid any legal complications.
buy out someone	to purchase a person's share or ownership rights in a business	Michael bought out his business partner's share to gain full control of the company.
buy up something	to purchase all or most of a particular type of goods or property	Sarah bought up all the tickets for the concert before they sold out.

V. Idioms with Buy in English

English is full of idioms, and many of them include the verb Buy. Learning idioms can make your speech more natural and expressive. Here, we’ll go over some widely used idiomatic expressions with Buy that you’re likely to encounter in movies, books, and real-life conversations.

Idioms with Buy	Meaning	Example
buy time	to prolong a period or delay something	John tried to buy time by asking for a meeting extension to gather more information.
buy someone's silence	to bribe or pay someone to keep quiet	Emily was accused of buying the journalist's silence to prevent the scandal from being published.
a good/ bad buy	an item or product purchased at a favorable/unfavorable price	Mark considered the new smartphone a good buy because it had excellent features and was on sale.
buy the farm	to die, especially while serving in the military	Tom's family was devastated when they heard that he had bought the farm during the combat mission.

VI. Exercises on using the past tense of Buy correctly

To help solidify your understanding, try these grammar exercises focused on Buy for past tense. The questions are designed to test your ability to use “buy,” “bought,” and related expressions correctly in a variety of sentence types. You’ll find answers included for easy self-checking.

1. Exercise

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb "Buy":

If I (buy) __________ that book, I would have read it by now.
Anna (buy) __________ a new dress for the party last week.
We (buy) __________ tickets for the concert tomorrow.
Jack (buy) __________ a house in the city last year.
By next month, they (buy) __________ all the properties in the neighborhood.
If Susan (buy) __________ the new gadget, she would be excited about its features.
We (buy) __________ groceries every Saturday morning.
I (buy) __________ the wrong size shoes last time, so now I need to return them.
They (buy) __________ the company if they had had enough capital.
Alex (buy) __________ a car if he had not missed the sale.

2. Answer key

had bought
bought
are buying
bought
will have bought

bought
buy
bought
would have bought
would have bought

By now, you should have a clear understanding of using the past tense of Buy correctly in English, including its irregular forms, usage across tenses, and related expressions. Don’t forget to review the phrasal verbs and idioms to enhance your fluency. Keep practicing with PREP to build your grammar, vocabulary, and confidence in using English naturally and correctly!

Chloe

Product Content Admin

Hi I'm Chloe, and I am currently serving as an Product Content Administrator at Prep Education. With over five years of experience in independent online IELTS study and exam preparation, I am confident in my ability to support learners in achieving their highest possible scores.