The verb to buy · Conjugation
Past Simple of buy
The answer: bought
A2
A finished action at a definite time in the past.
Quick answer
The Past Simple of the verb to buy is bought.
Example: I bought a new phone yesterday.
Full conjugation in the Past Simple
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| I | bought |
| You | bought |
| He / She / It | bought |
| We | bought |
| You (pl.) | bought |
| They | bought |
Common mistakes to avoid
1. Buyed ❌
Buy is irregular. Its Past Simple is bought, never buyed.
2. Saying the gh in bought ❌
The gh is silent: bought is said /bɔːt/. It rhymes with thought, caught and taught.
3. I bought a gift to my sister ❌
Say I bought a gift for my sister or I bought my sister a gift. With buy, the preposition is for, not to.
Practice quiz
Going further
The English contest tests the Past Simple of buy in real sentences
Instead of a single school exercise, your students meet this tense in context, in a contest that really motivates them.
Register my students5,000 students every year · Primary and secondary
Practise on PLAYMaster the Past Simple of buy when you speak, not just on paper
The conjugation is clear in your head. On PLAY, you practise it in a game, with instant feedback, until it comes out on its own.
Practise the Past Simple of buy on PLAYFree · No sign-up · 3 minutes
For teachersYour whole class practises the Past Simple of buy, and you follow each student
The Academy has self-marking activities on this form, with a dashboard for each student: you see at a glance who is falling behind.
Discover the Academy30-day free trial · No bank card needed
Frequently asked questions
What is the past tense of buy?+
The Past Simple of buy is bought (said /bɔːt/), the same for every person. The past participle is bought too.
How do you pronounce bought?+
Bought is said /bɔːt/, like thought and caught. The gh is silent and ough sounds /ɔː/.
Is it bought or buyed?+
Buy is irregular. Its Past Simple is bought, never buyed. Learn it by heart, like bring → brought.
Is it didn't buy or didn't bought?+
Say didn't buy: I didn't buy anything. After didn't, the verb goes back to its base form (buy, not bought).
Is it bought or purchased?+
Buy is the everyday word: I bought a sandwich. Purchase also means buy, but it is formal, for shops and business: The company purchased new equipment.
Related pages: buy Past Simple
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/verbs/buy/past-simple
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.
Keep learning
More forms of the verb to buy are coming soon.